Islamabad, Oct 06 (KMS): India, the “world’s largest democracy” led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become an ‘eastern house of cards’, dominated by Hindu nationalist knaves and jokers.
“The way things are going, it’s uncertain whether India, once an outstanding role model for the post-colonial developing world, can still be deemed a functioning democracy at all. This is chilling. This is grim. This is Modi,” writes Simon Tisdoll in The Guardian.
He stated internationally, India continued to punch below its weight. As an ostensibly likeminded partner for the west, its present leadership was a big disappointment. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has erected an oppressive, Hindu majoritarian power vertical, where inclusive, secular traditions trailblazed by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru once proudly stood, Simon Tisdoll writes.
Discussing Modi’s landslide election victory last year, Indian writer Pankaj Mishra said this would-be guru, who stresses his humble origins, had seduced India with envy and hate, exploiting inequality, division and grievance against elites in the style of demagogues the world over. Modi’s method, Mishra wrote, was “to titillate a fearful and angry population with the scapegoating of minorities, refugees, leftists, liberals and others while accelerating predatory forms of capitalism… He has licensed his supporters to explicitly hate a range of people from perfidious Pakistanis and Indian Muslims to their ‘anti-national’ Indian appeasers.”
Simon Tisdoll writes that the the latest manifestation of Modi’s intolerant ethnic-religious supremacism came last week with his government’s bid to silence a leading “appeaser” – Amnesty International, the global advocacy group that has made a habit of bravely speaking truth to power.
He pointed out that Amnesty announced that it had been forced to shut down operations in India after the government arbitrarily froze its banks accounts – in apparent connection with an inquiry into alleged financial misconduct. In truth, the move was a crude bid to stop Amnesty’s reporting on rising human rights violations suffered by Muslims and other minorities since Modi first took power in 2014. It marked the culmination of a prolonged campaign of harassment and intimidation similar to that faced by other independent civil rights groups, journalists, activists and lawyers, Simon Tisdoll writes.
He said if Modi hopes to stifle Amnesty India’s criticism, he will be disappointed. On the contrary, the shutdown is likely to increase international scrutiny of systemic mis-governance. Let’s start with Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Modi imposed direct rule in IIOJK last year in what amounted to a constitutional coup. The ensuing draconian lockdown still continues. The majority Muslim population remains largely isolated amid presence of the Indian army, arbitrary detentions, and internet and media restrictions.
Economic uplift and new investment promised by Modi have not materialised. “Normalcy” has not returned. Meanwhile, an officially sanctioned programme of Hindu settlement is under way, prompting accusations of colonialism. IIOJK, it is claimed, is the “new Palestine”.
A scathing Amnesty report about “multiple human rights abuses” committed by police, and inflammatory hate speeches made by Modi’s political allies before and during communal riots in Delhi in February, is also worthy of broader attention, he said addin dozens of Muslims died in the riots. And yet, Amnesty said, “six months on, there has not been a single investigation into the role of the Delhi police.” The Amnesty, he said condemned “ongoing state-sponsored impunity”.
Amnesty has also focused attention on the daily violence, harassment and discrimination faced by women and girls. A rape is reported every 15 minutes in India. Lethal gang-rapes of two young Dalit women in Uttar Pradesh provoked nationwide protests last week.
Simon Tisdoll says internationally, India continues to punch below its weight. As an ostensibly likeminded partner for the west, its present leadership is a big disappointment.
Donald Trump may approve of “strongman” Modi’s divisive “new India” rhetoric and disdain for civil rights. Joe Biden will not. Kamala Harris, Biden’s Indian American running mate, has been highly critical over Kashmir. Many in Europe have not forgotten his woeful record as chief minister of Gujarat, he added.
The way things are going, it’s uncertain whether India, once an outstanding role model for the post-colonial developing world, can still be deemed a functioning democracy at all. This is chilling. This is grim. This is Modi, Simon Tisdoll writes.