International Desk: Narendra Modi is fighting to become the Prime Minister of India for the third time in a row. One thing reflected in his political rise is that India was freed from the shackles of colonialism and was on the verge of attaining the status of a confident superpower. There are profound deviations, however. Religious persecution and Islamophobia increased sharply during his time. Hindu-Muslim tension is increasing around the ongoing elections. This was said in a recent report by the American media outlet CNN.
According to the news, many complain that the prime minister is moving away from policy issues like unemployment and bringing communalism to the fore as a way to strengthen his Hindu-nationalist identity. There is concern among India’s minorities, especially the 23 crore Muslims. Many do not believe that Modi is keeping an eye on them. Rather, they say they are marginalized as the prime minister pursues his party’s dream of transforming secular, pluralistic India into a majority Hindu state.
Saba Nakhvi, author of the book ‘The Saffron Storm: From Vajpayee to Modi’, told CNN that Prime Minister Modi is positioning himself as the head of the political system as well as a high priest in his bid to become prime minister for a third term. He has done something that has never happened before among all our prime ministers. He deliberately created a ‘ritual of religious prayer’ in his personality.
Akash Jaswal, a shopkeeper in Varanasi, told CNN that many people think Modi is God. We have never had a prime minister like Modi. He made a great sacrifice for India and for us. We want him to be PM forever. According to Varanasi BJP leader Dilip Patel, Modi represents India’s future. India today is strong, capable, and self-reliant under his leadership.
Lok Sabha elections
Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2002, when violence broke out in Gujarat. According to official figures, more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in the riots. Critics accuse Modi of complicity in violence. But he strongly denied these allegations. He was re-elected with a large majority a few months after the violence. But sectarian polarization has deeply divided the nation, which persists even today.
Political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot said the incident in Gujarat made Hindu nationalists more confident. The BJP won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections by a huge margin. After Modi became Prime Minister, his administration improved the country’s transport network, built new power plants and marine projects, and strengthened the country’s military capabilities. So that India has prospered on the world stage. But according to some observers, there is also a troubling ‘pattern’.
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author of Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times, said Modi was able to popularize Hindu nationalist politics and their ideology. He appointed Hindu nationalists to top government posts, empowering them to make sweeping changes to the law and creating a sense of dread among the 230 million Muslims living in the country. Victory in the 2019 elections for Hindu supremacy. He revoked Kashmir’s special autonomous status, bringing India’s only Muslim-majority state under direct control of New Delhi.
He built the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on the site of the destroyed Babri Masjid. That revived painful memories of the 1992 bloodshed for many Muslims but brought a sense of pride to millions of Hindu devotees. This divide can also be seen on the streets of Delhi. A taxi driver sitting outside the famous Jama Masjid told CNN that there are a lot of fights between Hindus and Muslims these days. We all know why.
Modi is widely expected to win the upcoming election comfortably, although some analysts say they have genuine fears for the future of the country’s democracy. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay said, I can definitely see the deterioration of the quality of democracy in the country. I see greater insecurity and marginalization of Muslims in India. It’s not a very bright picture. But this is probably the path that India is going to choose.
