Narendra Modi came to power when BJP swept the elections in 2014. Modi earlier had become famous for having orchestrated the genocidal killings of Muslims in his home province of Gujarat.
Nature has amazing ways to show the many shades of human behaviour — Gandhi, a man who staunchly subscribed to non- violence was also from Gujarat. The same soil produced these two diametrically opposite personalities.
Modi, blood thirsty of Muslims is a serious Gandhi’s contrast. Gandhi fasted in penitence for his inability to protect Muslims from Hindu zealots during the riots following partition; Narendra Modi lit up pyre of hatred, urging the killings of innocent Muslims. He has been consistent in being intolerant to other religions too, besides Islam.
The good aspect about his personality is that he makes no effort to mask his hatred for Muslims. He openly, rather vociferously, advocates that India is ‘Hindustan’, a land that belongs only to Hindus. Muslims living in India are remnants of ‘ invaders’ who forcibly and unjustifiably ruled India for over 1000 years. In the short span of his life, he believes he will avenge mistakes of history. Saffron, a colour symbolically associated with Hinduism, is invariably adorned by him, representing both in his dress and in the tainted mindset.
Modi with his devilish intentions has cemented the thought that the religion of Hindi language is Hinduism and Urdu’s is Islam. Bigoted, narrow minded and full of venom is the Prime minister of India; a country that boasts to be seen as a fully “secular” and “democratic” nation. This notion is a far cry from reality. A myth. A fairy tale. A deception.
Secular India was cremated with the cremation of Gandhi first (1948), and later by Nehru’s in 1964. Indira Gandhi being Nehru’s daughter was only marginally better, Sanjay was a true chip of her and Rajiv remained distanced from religious divisions and bigotry, possibly due to his wedlock with a Roman Catholic Italian. Rahul and Priyanka are certainly more emancipated and liberated from anchoring or harbouring anti- Muslim/anti other religions sentiments and feelings.
As against ‘love’ the life of ‘hatred’ is always short lived. The hatred fanned by Modi, Amit Shah and their cohorts will invariably surround them to their personal peril and ultimately to the country’s social fabric. That’s the established method of Mother Nature. The tormentors and the oppressors have a shelf life; a limited one.
Having ruled the roost for over 11 years, Modi is beginning to see in the mirror of the future his self-inflicted downfall. It is imminent. As a counter measure he is more pronouncedly tightening the noose around himself by reckless adventurism.
In the domestic theatre of his operations, he is facing electoral challenges all across India, in almost every state. In the several by-elections his party has lost seats. The Hindi belt of Northern India continues to support Modi, either willingly or through arm-twisting tactics of the state governments in dealing with the opposition. In spite of having spent decades in the political arena, Modi fails to recognise the ‘power of the people’. The masses cannot be perpetually silenced or pulverized. They may go latent against oppressive forces unleashed upon them, but rise they will someday with even greater force and serious magnitude.
In Modi’s India the slogan of secularism is a major farce; and democracy, a myth. The democratic structure of the Indian Constitution by his actions has been torn to shreds. Since the removal of Article 370 of India’s constitution the government of Narendra Modi has been taking serious steps to change the demographics of the Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The right to buy and own property in Jammu and Kashmir which earlier was not on offer is now covered with a constitutional guarantee, an amendment that was much criticised but still sailed through the submissive Lok Sabha. The population displacement is an attempt to distort future elections in the disputed territory, if and when, held again.
All the moves Modi has been making since losing the limited war to Pakistan in May, 2025 are by nature short term; that are entirely directed towards winning elections, especially in Bihar. The results from Bihar he knows will be directional in setting the tone for other state elections and the future general elections. His policies all along have lacked the presence of statesmanship. He was and is an opportunistic and wily politician.
Modi’s nightmare is truly geographic— problems in the North, West, South and the very far east of the subcontinent. Modi has trouble with all neighbours, starting from Nepal, China to Sri Lanka and from Pakistan to Bangladesh; even the island state of the Maldives is upset by its hegemonic designs. The ‘seven sister states’ in the north-east that are forcibly included in the Indian Union are clamouring for full autonomy and independence. These states like many other in the Indian Union have more dissimilarities with New Delhi than otherwise. The culture, languages, customs and traditions are poles apart. The rightful disintegration of these states (Union) is merely a matter of time.
On the international front, Modi personally has been rebuked with isolation starting with G-7 meeting in Canada, where the US president gave him an obvious and visible cold shoulder. The one-on-one tete-a-tete between the Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall and Donald Trump has only added more woes to him. The imposition of 50 percent tariff/ duty will be extremely hurtful to Indian foreign trade dynamics. As a counter balance to these direct US actions, Modi is seeking to curry favour with Beijing, a longtime foe that has out of “neighbourly trust” poured billions of US dollars into the Indian economy. Modi is desperately seeking an official invitation to Beijing or at least a high-profile meeting on the sidelines of major international conference that is due in September, 2025, in the PRC.
Although there is no official confirmation, the Indian media or some section of it are gloating over the likelihood of all future trade between India and BRICS will be settled in Indian rupee. If this be true then what needs to be understood is that Indian bilateral trade with any BRICS country may be settled in Indian rupees, but it shall not be a currency of settlement between the BRICS nations. The level of trade is dismally low. Those accepting Indian rupee will have little to shop from the Indian shelf. If Eur0, a currency about 25 years old and backed by 25 sizeable economies of Eurozone, couldn’t upstage the importance of US dollar as a currency of reserve and settlement, what will this meagre settlement do to the power of the US dollars? Delusional thinking.
I.N.D.I.A., the joint electoral alliance of several political parties led by Congress, must avail of this situation. The appeal they can make is to firstly return to their much-hyped secular status, coupled with reviving the economic policies framed by Dr Manmohan Singh. Indians by large aren’t communalists; the right wing RSS and BJP are indoctrinating far too long now, hatred for Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains in the Hindi belt. This was Congress’ territory; it can reclaim by pursuing and adhering to a revival of Gandhi-Nehruvian political philosophy of non-violence and of maintaining unity within religious diversity.
Regrettably, Narendra Modi’s mindset is befogged and influenced by what he learnt upon joining the fanatical RSS in his teenage years. Hence he cannot be trusted. He is not merely nursing his wounds caused by the fall of Rafale from the skies but is waiting with the dagger in the cloak. Pakistan, best be beware.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is a Senior Banker & Freelance Contributor
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