The worlds largest democracy, it seems to this writer, is undergoing a grave identity crisis. A country that once took pride in its diversity and congruence has straitened itself, particularly with respect to an ingrained strand of its people- their religion.
So whilst the aam-admi would have hoped to be sprinting towards the path of ‘development’ and modernity after the “Modi sarkar” had come to power, it is disturbingly desolating albeit not surprising to witness our nation slowly retrograding towards a dangerous kind of “oneness”, where there is no room for people from the “other” class.
So much so that many of us were celebrating the sneering remarks on secularism by the President of a country where massive protests about ‘Black Lives Matter’ have been taking place, a nation where the immigrants (Mexican women and men who work as “bonded” labor) contributing a chunk of their profits are treated as criminals and from the man who himself has gone ahead with the policy of drone attacks.
But what makes this already dismal situation even more disheartening yet wrathful is the stoic silence of Mr. Modi, whose quietness is rather speaking volumes.
An eloquent speaker that he is considered to be, who doesn’t shy away from expressing his opinion and the one who organises ‘charchas’ and ‘mann ki baat’ way too often, an absence of reaction from his end on many issues and statements that deserve serious denouncement and outright condemnation, simply conveys two things- either he approves of these programmes carried out by his khaki-short wearing brothers or he is perhaps too intimidated by the organisation whose ideology he himself is a bhakt of.
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu openly stated in the Parliament, while responding on the issue to the Congressmen, “You are proud of your parivar and we are proud of our parivar.”
Apparently, there might also be a third explanation to his muteness, which is infact all the more petrifying.
The leader of the party that received votes on its slogan of “sabka saath, sabka vikas” is actually apathetic and unconcerned towards people not in tandem with his ‘religious ideology’ (read fanaticism).
What else could perhaps explain his deafening silence on everything that deserves sheer contempt and obloquy? Strengthening the communal baggage he has always carried, his action, rather, the lack of it has further given a green signal to the extremists- from ‘Love Jihad’ they went on to ‘Ghar Wapsi’ in Goa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh,Telangana, Agra and now even Varanasi, the Prime Minister’s constituency. And the list would only become longer.
So whilst these zealots call us, the Hindus their “maal” who must be brought back on the one hand, on the other, there is a demand for a “Hindu” nation. But the orator Prime Minister is mute.
While there is one ‘Sadhvi’(by whose standard?) calling the non-Hindus as “haramzades”, there is another ‘Maharaj’ and Togadia exhorting Hindu families to have “several children”. And the reaction by the expressive and vocal leader- silence.
Even a sudden eruption of communal tensions just before the elections are held- whether in Haryana, Maharashtra or now Bihar fails to evoke any response from our outspoken and vociferous Modi ji.
So at a time when we should have been speaking about governance, development and reforms, we are talking (ironically, not even ‘talking’) about communal discords, ghar wapsis and a Hindu nation.
His silence is getting too loud to ignore. It is time he speaks up, and speaks up with a resonant and a clear voice. A voice which is reflective of the inclusive India, a voice which takes pride in its diversity.