PM Modi Is India’s Divider-In-Chief: TIME Magazine
The article also has focused on Modi’s past career and his rise to the political peak in India, saying that he achieved his ambitions by acting as a friend of the mob.
By Rakesh Raman
The world’s top magazine TIME has called India’s Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi a divider-in-chief. In its latest article, the magazine has counted a number of instances where Modi has been trying to divide the country of 1.3 billion people on caste and class lines for his personal political ambitions.
The article also has focused on Modi’s past career and his rise to the political peak in India, saying that he achieved his ambitions by acting as a friend of the mob.
This characterization finds its roots in the 2002 Gujarat riots when Modi was the Chief Minister in the state and he oversaw the murder of thousands of Muslims. After the mass murder of Muslims, Modi declared himself as the self-styled savior of Hindus in the country to win Hindu votes.
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Modi’s rise on the power ladder came with his unprecedented criminal tendencies to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims. Modi and his party BJP openly spread hatred between Hindus and Muslims and Muslims are being attacked with impunity.
India is at present struggling with a surge in mob related violence that has claimed many lives. In the past few months, there have been over 70 mob attacks, where more than 33 people have been killed. The New York Times (NYT), world’s top newspaper based in the U.S., has said in its article that “it has become the year of the lynch mob in India.”
The TIME article headlined “Can the World’s Largest Democracy Endure Another Five Years of a Modi Government?” questions the intellectual ability of India’s 900 million voters who are currently voting in the Lok Sabha election.
Modi had won the 2014 Lok Sabha election by exploiting the religious sentiment of Hindu voters (almost 80% of people in India are Hindus). Modi, who was an accused in the Gujarat riots of 2002 in which nearly 2,000 Muslims were murdered, won the election on the promise that he will make India a Hindu Rashtra (a nation only for Hindus).
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Most Hindu voters bit the bait and voted for Modi as a religious demagogue rather than a wise leader. The dilemma began for Indian people as soon as Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014 because he is not trained to manage any field that requires professional competence.
In the 2002 Gujarat riots, while about 2,000 Muslims were killed, there were incidents of rape, robbery, and widespread destruction of property affecting Muslims.
It was alleged that the killings were executed at the behest of Modi who was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Although Indian courts have almost exonerated Modi in this case, most Muslims in India still believe that Modi was responsible for Gujarat massacre. The less said about the Indian courts, the better.
According to Human Rights Watch, the attacks against Muslims in Gujarat were actively supported by state government officials and the police. Police told Muslims, “We don’t have any orders to save you.”
As a result, the U.S. administration denied visa to Modi in view of the allegations of human rights violations against him in the 2002 incidents of riots and carnage. But now as he has become the PM of India, Modi is visiting the U.S. frequently because now he enjoys political immunity.
During the past five years of Modi’s rule in India, the country has gone back by almost 40 years. While the religious persecution against minority communities is rampant, unrestrained inflation, dwindling economy, and political corruption have become pain in the neck for commoners in India.
A new “Freedom in the World 2018” report released by Freedom House – a Washington-based independent watchdog organization reveals that there are open attacks on media and corruption is rampant in Modi government. It reveals that corruption has a negative effect on government efficiency and economic performance.
Under Modi government, the already deformed democracy in the country has become a plutocracy or perhaps kleptocracy (the rule by thieves) controlled by the corporate bigwigs who hobnob with Modi.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He also creates and publishes a number of digital publications on different subjects.
