The Indian Government Is Using ‘Nationalism’ To Control Its Citizens

To be anti-government is to be anti-national, such is the status quo of India. The current government time and again has been playing the “Nationalism” card and the term has been misused to an extent where it has been used to as a tool to suppress the voice of dissent, murder minorities and support rapists. Basically, democracy has been under threat ever since Nationalism was peddled by the incumbent government as a tool to gain control over the minds of the citizens, who, ironically, have been reduced to just voters.

“I will never allow Patriotism to triumph over humanity as long as I live.” These were the words of the great Rabindranath Tagore – a visionary. Had he been alive and seen the current political discourse of this country, his head would’ve hung in shame. The citizens are being reduced to a mob, a troll army, a crowd whose ability to think has been minimised every time the topic of religion is being discussed. Dissent, which is an important aspect of democracy has been crushed with brute force of the Modi regime. People are being charged for sedition over trivial issues. Kashmir, where over usage of the military, pellet guns, and the rising militancy have been the issues to talk about, is used as a political tool to win elections elsewhere. Though we refuse to see it that way because apparently everything is about India-Pakistan and Hindu-Muslim. The assassination of a journalist, Shujaat Bukhari, is being used as an example for other journalists to “draw a line” by members of BJP. Everything that’s a threat to a democracy is happening in every Indian State in the name of this ‘menace’ called nationalism.

On one hand, we want Pakistan to be isolated and criticised for its terrorist activities and on the other hand, it’s the same Pakistan that takes up a major place in our PrimeTime debates. It’s been discussed so much that one gets confused whether it’s the Indian news channel or a Pakistani mouthpiece. So much so that we almost seem obsessed with our neighbouring country and forget about the things that need to be done here, and that seems to be the motive. Everything is being blamed on Pakistan, even the distress of the farmers who are protesting for their rightful demands. People have forgotten the rising fuel prices, inflation, bank frauds, corruption and everything wrong that’s going on in the country, and more focus seems to be on religion, India-Pakistan relations and Taimur.

Everything related to religion or Pakistan is being sensationalised by media – the watchdogs of democracy, and nobody seems to question the incumbent government for its failure to create jobs, distress among farmers, increasing crimes against Dalits etc. This country has seen so much already, from mob lynching to pro-rapist rally, from demonetisation to weakening of the POA act. What lies ahead of us.. well, let’s wait and watch, shall we?