Today, 28 May, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi with great fanfare inaugurated the 20,000 crore building. As usual he delivered a measured and captivating speech. He spoke about his contributions to the country during the last nine years of his rule. He described his satisfaction on providing 4.5 crore houses to the poor and more than 17 crore latrines to people which ensure dignity to our women. He presented a rosy picture of achievements and ensured that when we would celebrate 100 years of our Independence, we would be certainly the leading nation of the world and a source of inspiration to the whole world. We wish and pray that India succeeds in realising these dreams.
But the ground realities are not so pleasant and rosy. The majority of people in India are not at all satisfied with the prevailing conditions. There is growing resentment against the governance of BJP. Power is concentrated in a few hands. Crony capitalism has captured the country. We have seen it in the increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots. People ask how a pampered friend of PM Modi was able to become the third richest person of the world in a short span of nine years in this country of the poor. How had wealth been increasing at a rate of `100 crore per day in the worst period of Covid 19 pandemic? People ask why the farmers’ income has not doubled as promised? Why Dalits, tribals, scheduled castes and minorities, especially the Muslims are still marginalised? They question why hate speech is yet rampant? Why even calls for massacre of Muslims are being tolerated? Why religious processions are being allowed to wreak havoc in different states? Why communal and concocted stories are being promoted and made tax-free in BJP-ruled states? Why the othering of a particular minority is being encouraged by the establishment?
It is also being felt by a big chunk of intelligentsia that government agencies are shamelessly being utilised as tools against Opposition parties? Enforcement Directorate (ED), CBI and other agencies have been weaponised and used to intimidate and coerce the Opposition.
In recent times the whole country saw how the Karnataka election was fought on the basis of communalised polarisation. It is quite another thing that the sagacity of Karnataka electorate outrightly rejected the misuse of religious symbols and open resort to hateful propaganda. People see clear signs of authoritarianism and one-man rule. They discern fascist trends which remind them of the last century’s rule of Hitler and Mussolini.
India is important to the world because of its large population and the largest middleclass. Otherwise on the basis of UNDP indices it is sliding continuously. Be it Press Freedom, Human Rights, Democratic norms and even poverty and hunger scale, on some parameters we are lower than Nepal, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
No doubt PM Modi is one of the best orators. But his scheming nature and divide and rule strategy has frustrated large sections of Plural Bharat. Therefore, it would be in the larger interest of our great country to start a new era of accommodation, reconciliation and all-inclusive policies.