Gideon Rachman wrote in his book The Age of the Strongman that “There are some characteristics of strongman leadership that span both democracies and dictatorships and which are very evident in Modi’s India. The first and most obvious is the encouragement of a cult of personality. A charismatic speaker, Modi is in his element addressing large crowds, and very rarely submits to unscripted questions. As well as stressing his strength in the face of India’s enemies, Modi’s image-makers have carefully cultivated the idea that the Indian leader is a religious and ascetic figure, whose only concern is the good of people”.
He also wrote article in favor of Modi, arguing that “India needs a jolt and Modi is a risk worth taking”. But Gideon also regretted in this book that he supported Modi and felt very bad he couldn’t see the frightening side of him and his policies towards minorities; saying ‘I read those words with some embarrassment’.
India’s Muslims minorities have faced decades of discrimination which has worsened under Narendra Modi’s government. The other parties of India were relatively better but due to the environment created by Modi; they also support anti-minority policies. The most shocking thing is, despite of not providing rights to minorities, the Western world supports Modi.
Rachman also stated in this book that “In 2015, President Barack Obama, writing in Time magazine, praised the new Indian prime minister as reflecting the ‘dynamism and potential of India’s rise’”. They are supporting a man who could strengthen the authoritarian environment, which is the threat for the liberal world order; as India is not following any indicator of the liberal world order, failing in democracy, freedom of speech and minority rights.
This continuous support for Modi from Western leaders can lead to creation of another Hitler. Western leaders are just focusing on China, they are not realizing that the emerging Hindutva Realism can become a global threat, but after some time they are going to realize they were making a big mistake.
Union Minister Anand Kumar Hegde has openly said “there is Islam in the world, there will be terrorism until we uproot Islam”. Still India claims to be the world’s largest democratic country. All these incidents indicate the BJP’s attitude towards minorities. International communities should not act as they are blind, they must see the violation of minorities rights. If Western leaders didn’t stop their support for Modi, there will be another Hitler.
India’s nuclear arsenals have also taken a step ahead; they have replaced short range missiles with more advanced technologies. Agni-V includes more advanced rocket motors, propellants and navigation systems. And its doctrine shift from ‘No First Use’ is also a big threat.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Minorities emphasizes states must protect the existence and identities of minorities. It encourages that a secure environment without discriminating against their identities or religion, and any other aspect must be provided to them.
\However, if we scrutinize the policies of India’s current BJP government, we will see the violation of these rights.
Under the BJP’s government, hate speech and communal violence have risen. According to Indian’s own Ministry of Home Affairs, an approximately 30 percent rise of communal violence has occurred under the BJP government. Michelle Bachelet warns of increasing harassment and targeting of minorities in particular, Muslims and Dalits.
For decades, it was perceived that only Muslim minorities are facing discrimination but now even the Christian minorities are also facing unjust conditions. BJP has increased the taxes of Christian gatherings and Churches. A high court judge, over the matter of harassment, says “Christian education is highly unsafe for the future of children”. On Christmas, as revelers thronged Kolkata’s fashionable Park Street and St. Paul’s Cathedral held a midnight mass, Modi’s government blocked the Missionaries of Charity, the organization founded by Mother Teresa, from receiving foreign funds. The move follows an ongoing government strategy to use the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act to restrict external funding to non-governmental organizations.
In Agra, a group affiliated with BJP, burned effigies of Santa Claus, claiming missionaries were using the holiday to convert others to Christianity. In the state of Assam, which has a Christian minority, Hindu nationalists entered a Presbyterian church and disrupted services. And meanwhile Modi tweets ‘Merry Christmas’. This is totally hypocrisy: on one side they oppress minorities and on the other they try to maintain the status of a secular state. Unfortunately, international communities are blind to the violation of the rights of minorities.
The BJP’s objectives towards Muslims have always been clear and they can be analyzed through examining the Citizen Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizenship controversy which denies citizenship to Muslim refugees and is totally based on religion which discriminates against the minorities. In response to this Act, the people came out to protest and experienced the worst communal violence, killing of 50 and injuries of more than 200 protesters.
Modi’s silence over the Gujarat Riots has left no secret of his hatred for minorities, which left upwards of 2000 people dead, a majority of whom were Muslim. According to a report, over the course of several bloody months, 1965 shops, 21 warehouses, and 76 religious shrines were destroyed, the great majority belonging to Muslims. The girls with Hijab were not allowed to go inside colleges; they are deprived of the right to get education. These are not characteristic of a democratic country.
Union Minister Anand Kumar Hegde has openly said “there is Islam in the world, there will be terrorism until we uproot Islam”. Still India claims to be the world’s largest democratic country. All these incidents indicate the BJP’s attitude towards minorities. International communities should not act as they are blind, they must see the violation of minorities rights. If Western leaders didn’t stop their support for Modi, there will be another Hitler.
