Peace Calls : Modi's India

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Modi's India

As an Indian American woman, who loves her birth country, I am always trying to understand what is going on in the country and how the world is perceiving current India. India, just like it's people, is complex and has many flavors. The current situation in India looks different from different angles or in other words there are several sub situations at play.

On one hand, India finds itself in the middle of a geopolitical setting with actors like Russia, China, Pakistan in the immediate proximity but also the US and its agenda in the region. From that perspective, both Russia and US desire to have India as their ally regardless of the neutral agenda that India has had right from its independence. Because of this reason, US ignores violations of human rights or attacks on the democratic values and seeks to build a deeper relationship with the current administration.

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is projected as the most popular leader of the country so far even though he was only able to acquire 37.4% of the votes in the 2019 general elections^[1]. He is praised by the mainstream media and supported by almost all the top industrialists in the country. His party, the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), is the biggest political party in the world. He is a great orator and seems to connect with people at least in the states where Hindi is spoken/understood. If one sees India from the perspective of the mainstream media, then the country seems to be doing really well!

There's another perspective, the one of the religious minorities, independent journalists who have lost their jobs, activists who are in jails and many others who pay attention to what is going on to the basic human rights of the minorities and to the state of democracy in the country! From this angle, one can see homes being destroyed by bulldozers, churches and mosques being vandalized, individuals being harassed and/or lynched because of their religion! This perspective reminds us of Modi and his supporters who are accused of perpetrating the Gujarat riots in 2022 and it feels like that mindset has spread to other parts of the country now!

Umar Khalid, student activist in jail since 2020.
Photo credit: https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/umar-khalid-is-an-intelligent-man

From the internal politics perspective, hundreds of opposition leaders are being investigated by different government institutions. Some key opposition leaders are in jail or are being threatened to be put in jail. While there are independent reports that may have information about corruption in large scale conglomerates closer to the current administration, there are no open investigations going on against them. If the opposition parties collectively demand for investigations, the ruling party disrupts the parliament, the microphones are muted, and the sessions are suspended. Most recently, the main opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi from Indian National Congress party has been disqualified from his membership in the Parliament for a speech he made in 2019^[2]. These actions are seen as the direct action to undermine democracy in India.

Rahul Gandhi, main opposition leader, has been facing several legal trials.
Photo credit: https://www.onmanorama.com/news/india/2022/07/26/rahul-gandhi-detained-by-police-during-congress-protest.html

Modi hails from Hindu radical organization founded about 100 years ago called, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). This organization was founded on fear. In the words of its founder, ‘If the Hindu culture perishes in Hindusthan (India) itself, and if the Hindu society ceases to exist, it will hardly be appropriate to refer to the mere geographical entity that remains as Hindusthan. The entire society should be in such a vigilant and organized condition that no one would dare to cast an evil eye on any of our points of honour^[3].” BJP and RSS far right ideologies facilitate and encourage attacks on religious minorities, especially if one is seen as a threat to Hindus or even the Hindu belief system. For example, people have been lynched just on the doubt that they eat beef^[4]. Modi has never put out a statement condemning these horrific acts. The voice of resistance is smothered by misusing investigative agencies, putting people in jails, demolishing their homes, and blocking them from mainstream media. Given what all is happening, India seems to be under a fascist rule.

Modi is accused of allowing the Gujarat riots of 2002, where over one thousand people were massacred. He was the Chief Minister of Gujarat then. Recently, BBC released a documentary confirming Modi’s hand in the Gujarat riots. The administration not only banned the documentary in the country, but they also raided BBC offices in the country^[5]. These actions were taken based on the fear that this documentary might impact the results in the upcoming General Elections in India in 2024.

Given how the Modi government is allegedly misusing the central investigative agencies against several opposition leaders^[6], it seems that they do not want to take any chances in the elections next year. This strategy seems to be grounded in fear. Several opposition party leaders expressed that the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi happened because Modi is afraid of him^[7] as the former has been asking questions about how Modi’s connection with Gautam Adani, an Indian billionaire^[8] industrialist who is the founder and chairman of Adani Group, a multinational conglomerate involved in port development and operations in India.

Modi has been spending more money on his own image management and political ads^[9] than on program implementation. For example, 80% of the funding for ‘beti padao, beti bachao’ program was spent on ads^[10]. India has seen the highest unemployment rates under Modi^[11]. The World Happiness Report 2022 ranked India 136^th — tenth from the bottom of the list^[12]. In the 2022 edition of the Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, India fell to the 150th position, its lowest ever, out of 180 countries^[13]. There are many other statistics and facts to illustrate that India is going downhill from the development perspective. Modi’s failures are in front of him despite his ‘popularity’ and that is why he seems to be afraid of facing free and fair elections.

While it is understandable for the US to ignore the current situation in India to pursue American interests, it may not be a good idea in the long run. If India goes to one party system by silencing the opposition and obliterates democracy, it will inadvertently become closer to Russia and China! If India and its democracy is not protected by Modi and his insecurities, not only the west will lose a great ally, but the world will also lose the symbol of unity in diversity and spirituality! It is time to support the majority of Indian people which includes the religious minorities! It is time to speak up for the dying soul of India! It is time to save the largest democracy of the world before it is too late! Personally, I feel the India I grew up in and the India of Gandhi is slowly fading away!