On the eve of the 2014 general election, Jnanpith Award-winning Kannada writer and one of the most acclaimed public intellectuals in the country, Dr. U.R. Ananthamurthy, said, “If Narendra Modi gets elected, the country will be bogged down in communal tensions and violence.” The last ten years have proven his prophetic words. Another stalwart from the South, Dr.Parakala Prabhakar warned that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is re-elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, ‘India’s map will change’, and ‘a situation like Ladakh-Manipur will arise in the entire country.’ He also warns of ‘hate speech’ from the Red Fort if the BJP wins its third term.
Dr Prabhakaris a distinguished political economist and author with a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. Interestingly, he is also the husband of Union Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman. However, he is highly critical of Modi and his governance style.
Dr. Prabhakar penned down a new book, “The Crooked Timber of New India: Essays on a Republic in Crisis,” last year, which is a collection of essays on the Modi government’s approaches to politics, the economy, and other topics. He concludes the book with the famous quote “No single political leader can end a democracy; no single political leader can rescue one either” from the book ‘How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future’ written by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Zilblatt, which very much describes modern-day India. He also wrote a book about Modi, which is scheduled to be released on May 15.
Dr. Prabhakar, 65, belongs to a political family. His father was a Congressman and a cabinet minister in successive AP governments. Dr. Prabhakar, too, served as Communications Advisor and held a cabinet rank position in the Andhra Pradesh government between July 2014 and June 2018. He was also the official spokesperson for the BJP in Andhra Pradesh before joining the Praja Rajyam Party. Like his wife, Dr. Prabhakar is also an alumni of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and was the president of the Congress student wing of NSUI at the university.
In conversation with Abdul Bari Masoud for Radiance, Dr. Prabhakar refers to Modi as “crazily incompetent” and “dictator,” alleging that Modi’s complete absence of imagination in government has caused a great deal of people to live in poverty. He not only dismissed the likelihood of Modi winning a third term, but he also asserted that the BJP would not win more than 230 seats. In this election season, his scathing commentary on Modi and the BJP is making waves in the country.
Excerpts:
You have emerged as one of the unabashed critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his rule, even though your wife holds a key portfolio of finance in his government.
You see the record of the last ten years: Modi’s ‘staggeringly incompetence’ has been thoroughly exposed in most things, not just the economy.Even though he is very competent at summoning baser, divisive feelings are latent among the people. His complete absence of imagination in government has caused a great many people to live in poverty.
The Oxfam Report from earlier this year highlighted India’s rising wealth concentration and inequality. Under the rule of Modi, this process has increased, leaving a large percentage of Indians penurious.The impact of unemployment, inflation, and unrest in Manipur and Ladakh is palpable everywhere. On the unemployment indicator, India is competing with Lebanon and the war-torn nations of Syria and Yemen. Even though the Indian youths are aware that there is a war going on and they could die, they are eager to travel to Israel, Russia, and Ukraine. That’s how bad the jobless situation is in the country. The economy is in ruin, and economic disparity and inequality have increased manifold. The rise of Adani and the formation of the Modi government have been parallel.
You also called Modi “Dictator”?
Yes, I believe the Modi regime is “not democratic at all,” as he was on the verge of taking power as a dictator. I also wonder if any other democracy has suspended 145 members of parliament, or if any other nation has a state that has been “burning” for about a year [referring to Manipur] without receiving any attention from the mainstream media. The PM does not visit the state, and the Manipuris’ voice is not heard. States’ authority has also been taken. Despite the fact that agriculture is the largest sector in the nation, the government passed three laws without even spending 10 minutes in consultation with farmers. Even today, the farmers are protesting, but we are not hearing about it. In a democratic society, this does not happen. In the ruling BJP, there is also the weakening of democratic ideals and the consolidation of authority.
In the above context, do you agree to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s accusation that “Hum do hamare do” – Modi, Shah, Adani, and Ambani – is running the country?
It was extremely evident. The Modi government is giving five kilograms of grain and two cylinders to the populace, but it is offering six airports and four ports to its friends (read Adani).
You described the Electoral Bond Scheme as not only India’s but also the world’s biggest scam. Could you elaborate on it?
Everybody now understands that it is not only the biggest scam in India but also the biggest scam in the world. The BJP has remained the major beneficiary of the electoral bonds, as per the data available on the official website of the Election Commission of India. One example is sufficient to prove its humongous nature. Although the Reserve Bank of India is a completely independent body from the government, in the instance of the private Kotak Mahindra Bank, it was compelled to relax the rules. The bank was being investigated for violating certain regulations. It gave the ruling party Rs.60 crore via election bonds. The electoral bond issue will gain much more momentum than it does today, and this government will be severely punished by the electorate.
Is Demonetisationalso notdubbed the biggest scam?
Any economist with even a rudimentary understanding of economics would not have advocated for demonetization on such a wide scale and so quickly. It was a grave error, and the ensuing flawed policies made it worse.
In spite of all these failures, as you recounted, Modi and other BJP leaders are boasting of winning over 400 seats in the ensuing election. What is your take?
These figures represent a ‘jumla’ (plot twist) by the BJP. Such claims cause people to talk more about the number of votes the BJP will receive than about whether they will win or lose. The public is debating the Electoral Bonds ruling extensively, and Modi’s “naakhaunganaakhanedunga” identity has lost all moral support.
It’s all about “Modi-BJP versus Indian citizens” in these elections. Even 220-230 seats will be “very difficult” for the BJP to win, which is a significantly lower goal than the saffron party has set for itself. Take the example of Telangana. The BJP is certain of securing 10-17 seats; the party would not even get one-two seats. It was difficult for those in power [the BJP] to understand the situation on the ground.
You are disdainfully dismissing the BJP’s claims of securing 370 seats for itself and the rest for its NDA allies. What is the reasoning behind it?
I think it’s important to acknowledge the effects of inflation and unemployment, as well as the turmoil in Manipur and Ladakh. The funds allocated for MGNREGA for a full year were depleted in just six months as a result of people from metropolitan regions returning to rural communities. The ruling party will suffer greatly from the “Electoral Bond Issue,” and the opposition’s vote will not be split.
However, it seems that a sizable portion of the Hindu population has embraced majoritarian Hindutva?
BJP and Modi prevailed because of the first-past-the-post election system, and their 38% of the vote constituted the “largest minority,” anyway. In India, Hindu majoritarianism did not take hold right after Partition, when conditions seemed to be most favorable for it. It was a moment of great emotion and increased anxiety and instability as millions of individuals from both communities were moving in large numbers and thousands of bodies were arriving in each country. However, at that time, majoritarianism was not accepted in India. India is being dragged back to the Dark Ages, and the slide needs to be arrested.
In this case, if the Modi government wins the 2024 elections and proceeds with its “agenda” of one nation, one election, one language, and one religion,what is going to happen?
You won’t be able to recognize this country. This election will be the final one in the nation if Narendra Modi is elected prime minister once more. Both the Indian Constitution and its map will be entirely altered. The PM will himself openly give hate speeches from the Red Fort. The Red Fort will thereafter be the source of information regarding killings, the deportation of individuals to Pakistan, and other such incidents. There won’t be any whispering campaigns. It’s going to be done openly. All of the country will eventually experience what is occurring in Manipur and Ladakh. It would be disastrous for the country as a whole as well as the economy.
Last but not least, what is the context of your book, “The Crooked Timber of New India: Essays on a Republic in Crisis”?
It was the BJP that surreptitiously introduced Hindutva, winning the 2014 election on the platform of ‘development’. After promising “development,” a clean, corruption-free administration, and decent governance, Modi and the BJP sought votes. Their true objective to establish a Hindu rashtra and unleash the forces of Hindutva was not disclosed to the country. Thus, development was utilized as a Trojan horse to unleash Hindutva on a gullible country; if this is what the BJP and Modi represent, they must be resisted.