Those who love India cannot but feel for the Indian people who have been badly served by successive generation of politicians since Independence in 1947.
The current lot in power under the aegis of BJP which received 31% of the popular vote in 2014 has shifted the country to the extreme right with its agenda of Hindu Nationalism. This has proved disastrous for the country in particular for religious minorities.
BJPs populist election promise to return black money to the country from foreign lands and making every person rich to the tune of Rs 15 Lakh (nearly £1500) has proven to be a sham. During the 2014 election campaign with its agenda of Acche Din (good days) and development , the masses were hoodwinked but instead inequality between rich and poor has widened to unprecedented levels .
The recent military attack on Pakistan following the Pulwama terrorist attack has proven to be shallow and a deliberate attempt to distract the nation into a side show where no evidence has been furnished or emerged so far of the damage inflicted on Pakistan as claimed by BJP leadership. Instead Anti Pakistan rhetoric and jingoism has created a fear of psychosis with an eye on the forthcoming general election.
Firebrand, saffron and tilak wearing, Hindutva ideologue, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath has proved to be a political disaster. He recently referred to the attack on Pakistan by Modi Ji’s s army as if the Indian army is a personal property of Mr Modi. This is a Freudian slip that reveals the inner workings of the hard core BJP ideologue ( and those who surround him) including the Prime Minister. Such comments betray the trust reposed by the masses in their politicians to act in a responsible manner. The CM should be declared a traitor and dismissed for his reckless comments .
Mr Advani a senior most politician and one of the founders of the BJP recently criticised the current BJP leadership for suppressing dissent.
He said the BJP, from its conception has never regarded those who disagree with us politically as our enemies but only as adversaries. He said in our concept of Nationalism, we have never regarded those who we disagree with politically as anti-national. He said that essence of democracy is respect for diversity and freedom of expression. Mr Modi and his supporters have frequently painted the BJP opponents as anti-national often suggesting they are working for Pakistan.
On Wednesday, at a rally, PM Modi said that opposition Congress party has ‘hatched a conspiracy to destabilise the county ‘ that its election manifesto was a document of Pakistan conspiracies. I for one do not endorse the Congress Party as it is bereft of leadership and whose current leader Mr Rahul Gandhi continues to behave like an immature management trainee.
During BJPs tenure, the lurch towards Hindu Nationalism has undermined Secularism and the Democratic fabric . Under the guise of cow vigilantism, love jihad, triple talaq, the BJP has fuelled Islamophobia and religious intolerance. Dissent is dismissed as antinational.
The reach of the RSS has deepened to such an extent that it is difficult to reverse even if the BJP does not do well.
According to a recent article in the Economist (March 2nd – 8th 2019) the RSS has an all male membership of 5m and 60,000-odd Shakhas (cells) . The hard core consist of 6000 full time workers. Mr Modi has inserted RSS men – or like minded ones into every part of Indian politics. The RSS influence extends to university deans, heads of research institutes, members of the boards of state owned firms and banks (including the central bank). It quotes Human Rights Watch ( an NGO) according to which violence accompanied campaigns in BJP-run states to apply stringent laws against the slaughter of cows. Between 2015 and 2018, some 44 people, 36 of them Muslim, have been beaten or hacked to death by cow vigilantes.
Mr Ram Nath Kovind (President of India), Venkaiah Naidu (Vice President), Narendra Modi (Prime Minister) , Sumitra Mahajan (Speaker of lower house – Lok Sabha) ; nearly half of the Cabinet; 11/49 other ministers; 15/33 State Governors and 8/31 state Ministers are affiliates or have links with the RSS.
Can a secular India be re-built ?
Sat Pal Muman, Caste Watch UK
6th April 2019, London
