Democracy never has and never will be able to change a country’s destiny. Indian democracy has been on a rollercoaster ride for half a century – but still, it’s looking out for people and parties to be blamed for all the wrong. Progress and development has been the major agenda for every party, but it has happened only at a snail’s pace, and I wonder if it’ll ever change.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the office in May 2014, but I wonder if things have changed for the better since then. I wonder about this, because as far as I can read, things have been far too deviant from the normal course of events since May 2014.
1. I witnessed PM Modi and his supporters proclaim the racial and cultural superiority of the so-called believers and practitioners of ‘Hinduism’ – thereby affirming a right to special dominance of Hindutva-based groups over other people who live in the supposedly democratic and secular country called India. Even though the ruling party is supposed to be secular, they seem to be true believers and blind supporters of Hindutva.
2. The media and the BJP party members have, in many cases, showcased Narendra Modi as the most charismatic leader for the youth. He is also portrayed as someone who possesses near-superhuman abilities as well as the truest representation of the ‘national culture’. This despite the fact that most of the time, he is someone who often seems above the law, while his qualifications are something akin to a top secret document of the country.
3. It is sad that Modi’s supporters turn hostile and aggressive, every now and then, against people who express even an iota criticism towards him. I wonder – since when has the practice of freedom of expression become a crime in our country? Since when has the government turned into an entity that harbours a singular opinion in the favour of our prestigious prime minister? But I also wonder, since when has this feature been turned into a compulsion?
The famed leader isn’t open to criticism. At the end of the day, you are either with them or against them – there’s no ‘in-between’. After all, there’s never been an ‘in-between’ in a dictatorial regime.
The aggression and the violence haven’t been born today, under the leadership of Narendra Modi. It has been there for long, especially in his home state. Gujarat has occupied one of the top slots in the nation when it comes to the assassination of various Right To Information activists. I wonder if there have been trials for justice. I wonder why these people can’t really have a voice.
I wonder what else fascism can stand for, in a nation where people who speak against the country are ‘anti-nationalists’ and the ones who slaughter countrymen like goats are ‘nationalists’. Where one party tries to hold a rule over the country. I wonder why. What’s the compulsion? While there have been economic reforms named for the betterment of the country, I wonder what good demonetisation did for the poor.
Fascism has existed for many years – and I can’t find a bigger and more silent fascist than Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his ideology of Hindutva (a nation for the Hindus). In a country which has been known for its secularism and accommodation of different ideologies, I believe this to be wrong – don’t you too?