Modi has been accused of following in the footsteps of Hitler and planning a genocide of the Indian Muslims. With that plan in mind, all Indians would inevitably face a future similar to the Germans after the holocaust. That seems like a reckless plan for the likes of Modigo and thus forces us to look for alternative strategies the BJP regime might have in store for India.
Godwin’s law is the proposition that the longer an internet argument goes on, the higher the probability becomes that something or someone will be compared to Adolf Hitler, the point at which, effectively, the discussion or thread often ends.
After the landslide win in the 2019 General Elections, the BJP regime did not waste time to tick agendas off their manifesto. Be it passing the ruling to build a Hindu temple on the disputed Ayodhya land or stripping of a Muslim-majority state of its sovereign. BJP did not hesitate to mark their turf of Hindu power. The positive reception of these extreme actions assured BJP of a shared vision with the Indian masses. To take it up a notch, BJP then passed a bill along communal lines, which, in future, could be responsible for stripping away citizenships of Muslims in India.
Since the party’s inception, BJP has been using hate-speeches to incite hate among Hindus towards Muslims. From accusing Muslims of harboring contempt towards Indians to blaming them for attacking Hindu places of worship in the Mughal era. These allegations have led to clear segregation of the Muslims and the Hindus. According to the WHO leader Gregory Stanton, these steps of ‘classification’ of us versus them, ‘symbolization’ of the Muslims as foreigners, and ‘discrimination’ to deny them equal citizenship are the first three stages of genocide. While these steps in the past, with Germany and Palestine, have led to the path of mass ethnic killings, the same future for Indians seems very likely.
The Consequences Of Following Hitler’s Path
The unperturbed agenda behind genocide is the elimination of unwanted ethnic groups for the nation’s prosperity. The mass killings of Jews during the Holocaust was done with the same agenda but the consequences were different. Foreign powers overthrew the German legislature, executive and judiciary to restore peace. The process was derogatory especially for the country’s citizens. And the once proud Germans were then left to accept scraps of food from the US troops. Contrary to the expected results, genocide has never led to prosperity of any ethnic group.
A similar future would be in store for Indians if tread the same path. But Modi is not putting in his blood and sweat to overthrow everything within a few years. He has a vision. And he wants his vision to sustain for generations to come. Due to the unviable results of mass ethnic killings, genocide ceases to offer a long term solution for nation’s prosperity. Which urges us to implore the knitty gritty of Modi’s vision.
Modi’s Vision Of Democracy
“Modi elaborated a fantastical theory of how India was the target of a global conspiracy, in which every Muslim in the country was likely complicit. ‘Modi was a fascist in every sense,’ Nandy said. ‘I don’t mean this as a term of abuse. It’s a diagnostic category.”
The above excerpt is from the article ‘Blood and Soil in Narendra Modi’s India’ in The New Yorker edition of December 2019. Where a trained psychologist, Ashish Nandy, provides his findings after interviewing Modi in his early RSS years.
From Nandy’s findings, it becomes clear that Modi believes an imminent attack looms the Indian nation. Modi believed that India is targeted by foreign powers especially the Muslims. And thus, finds it pertinent to take massive steps to strengthen India against foreign invasion. This unvalidated mindset is the reason RSS, since its inception, has forced the masses to unite as Hindus against the make-believe terror of every Muslim citizen.
The BJP regime relies on ‘unity by identity’ over democracy. In a diverse-nation, where inter-cultural and inter-ethnic fights are common, choosing one’s identity as a tool for power is an easier combat. Uniting the masses for greater power requires them to identify with one strong identity. And for some reason instead of choosing a country-wide unity, BJP saw power in religious unity.
Power In Identifying With Religion
“Israel is a Jewish state with a model of ethnic democracy. Ethnic democracy implies two-tiered citizenship, the majority enjoying more rights than the minority. In Israel, Jews have more rights than the Arabs because the state recognizes Jewish religion. Israel’s model is premised on the rejection of minorities, generally perceived as threats to the survival and integrity of the ethnic nation.
Jewish dominance at the expense of Muslims is also exercised. Majority public opinion also contributes to legitimizing discriminatory practices towards Muslims. They ‘are regarded as potentially disloyal to the state and placed under security and political control,’ not to mention the fear generated by Islamic demographic growth.”
The above excerpt is from the article ‘Losing my Religion’ in The Caravan edition of March 2019.
Israel has been India’s ally since Modi was first elected as the PM of India. Israel is a leading exporter of military arms across the world and has also been generous in providing military arms to India to avenge the Pulwama attack. This generous help of Israel speaks volumes about the bond shared between the two leaders. Its certain that the bond is not just limited to diplomacy but extended to a shared vision regarding the future of their countries.
Israel’s a Jewish State where Jews are in majority. The Muslims, who are in minority don’t enjoy the same privileges as Jews. They don’t have equal access to facilities and don’t possess equal rights to the Constitution as Jews. Moreover, the general public is also largely supportive of this discrimination. The general notion is to suppress the Muslims and Arabs in minority from all spheres, like administration, military, or judiciary to control the possible threat they may pose in future. Jews have accepted the fact that to live in peace and enjoy their rights, they need to possess a land where they enjoy unchecked privileges compared to their counter parts ethnicities. Only then the Jews would be able to ascertain their power and embrace their true strength in the eyes of the world.
Similarly, BJP’s vision has been to unite all the Hindus. To embrace Hinduism and take pride in the religion by discriminating against all minorities on their land; to ascertain their true power in front of the world. Modi sees uniting all Hindus against all the minorities as the only way Hindus can be protected from foreign powers in the long term. And if the time arise, can fight back with all its glory.
Conclusion
While Modi’s objective may be altruistic for Hindus, it didn’t go well with the citizens of the country. The decision to pass the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the parliament met with serious mass protests from all over the country. Youngsters of India were not comfortable with the fact that a five-year elected government is trying to alter their country’s seventy-year old constitution.
India has always been the largest democracy in the world. We have never passed an act along communal lines which favor one ethnicity more than the other. We are unique in our way and do not need to follow any example for greater power. Any government who would rule India in the future needs to accept the fact that it’s their honour to be chosen as the ruling government of world’s largest democracy. And they simply cannot malign the essence of what makes this country and its citizens great.