Expressing joy and celebrating India’s Independence Day under the autocracy of Modi, the prime minister, represents hypocrisy, an extreme case of blind faith or just naivety on the part of all those in India or abroad who hail him as Vishwaguru (world guru).
Under his nine years of regime, he has imprisoned India in an atmosphere of fear by weaponizing independent agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation. It is a handy weapon to frighten, harass and imprison political opponents or other dissidents.
The judiciary, especially at the lower levels, has become a caged parrot of Modi. The recent episode with Rahul Gandhi presents a clear example of the system announcing a jail term and disqualifying his parliamentary seat. Thanks to the Supreme Court that nullified the Gujarat court judgement.
How can there be celebrations when the minorities, primarily the Muslims and Christian populations, face threats, violence, killings and bulldozing of their homes; when street goons in Hindutva outfits with lathis and swords do the lynching and murders, looting and uprooting of Muslims on the accusations of cow killing or the so-called love jihad or merely their “Hindu sentiments are hurt.”
Besides the hatred and discriminatory treatment of minorities, escalating shelter, food, medical and educational costs are the hardships that most of the population goes through in their daily grind. Millions still live, sleep on the city sidewalks, and cook simple meals on rudimentary ‘chulas’ or stoves fired with street garbage.
In the politics of hatred against Muslims and Christians to win the majority Hindu votes, and where the vast population of over a billion people live in extreme poverty, hunger and homelessness are still a challenge ranking the nation at 107th spot out of 121 countries according to the Global Hunger Index 2022 figures, Modi’s celebration of Independence day on the ramparts of Red Fort do not represent the harsh and naked realities of India today.
Promod Puri.com 