India – Constitution and Democracy under Siege

December 16, 2019

India – Constitution and Democracy under Siege

Padmini Arhant

Reiterating earlier call for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah to step down from office in light of status quo specifically deteriorating law and order deploying undemocratic means using public funded law enforcement and other cadre to silence democracy resulting in innocent lives deaths and unlawful detention of peaceful participants voicing their legitimate concern over the unconstitutional Citizenship Amendment Act and religion biased Naturalization law. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah’s religion and caste oriented politics is the epitome of their political career. BJP government desperate attempts to distract citizens attention from burgeoning economic issues such as high unemployment in all sectors, agrarian crisis, decline in economic growth and productivity, massive banking fraud severely affecting banking industry creating panic and frustration among common depositors having lost all their savings earlier from PM Narendra Modi’s disastrous demonetization and now in the state run banks mismanagement of public funds allowing unscrupulous members associated with political parties and economic sector to default and abscond on government and political opposition watch is merely the tip of the iceberg.

Since assuming office in the second term touted as Modi 2.0 by state operated media and other communication outlets, PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah together embarked on controversial and counterproductive topics beginning with Article 370 abrogation, Criminalizing Triple Talaq (Divorce) among Muslim community while turning a blind eye to similar or worse situations among Hindus and other demography, declaring Lord Ram Temple construction through hamstrung Supreme Court’s final verdict on the embattled Babri Masjid (Mosque) site in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh comprising largest Muslim population…are BJP’s election manifesto preliminary actions. 

Lately, PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah rammed Naturalization Law and Citizenship Amendment Act cherry picking three neighbors in the entire India sub-continent and South Asia. They are Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh isolating Muslims in religion based asylum in the Northeast and rest of India. PM Narendra Modi justified the conspicuous discrimination against Muslims in this process stating they belonged to the majority in their country of origin compared to the BJP government empathized groups viz. Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Christians and Parsis in those three nations ignoring the persecuted Sri Lankan Tamils living in Indian Southern State Tamilnadu and elsewhere who are ardent followers of Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma  evident in Hindu Temples erasement in Sri Lanka during ethnic cleansing by recently re-emerged Mahinda Rajapaksha regime (not without backend international and Indian political maneuver) in Colombo.

Likewise, the ostracized Rohingya muslims as minority in Myanmar with children, elderly and women upon arrival on Indian soil were expelled on unsubstantiated terrorism charges by this government showing little or no consideration for gross human rights violations experienced by them in Myanmar.

The irony in the ongoing catastrophic strategy of transforming India into a Hindu State and welcoming Hindu minorities from Muslim majority nations in the neighborhood completely neglects the plight and miseries of so-called Dalits, Adivasis (Natives), Indigenous, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Backward Class, Other Backward Class (OBC) representing overwhelming majority Hindus subject to atrocities and extreme violence from Hindutva zealots under the pretext of cow vigilantes tied to organizations viz. Bhartiya Gau Raksha Dal / Indian Cow Protection Organization and other fundamentalist groups directly operating under RSS run BJP nationwide. Notwithstanding the land confiscations from various tribes and farmers to benefit certain corporate families like Gautam Adhani, Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani and the likes having close ties with the government and political class in general.

The interesting factor is the BJP government in New Delhi and other states /provinces have long been involved in beef export to near and far destinations amid fomenting violence leading to mob lynching on this issue against muslims and people determined as social outcasts referred to as Dalits in society.

Where is the humanitarianism from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah towards sweeping majority i.e. the designated lower caste Hindus enduring generational prejudice in urban areas and untouchability in rural parts of the country with the practice institutionalized in the past five years of BJP government?

The incumbent government’s consistent pattern in utilizing polarization politics to deflect mass grievance and anger over economic woes to BJP manufactured social and humanitarian chaos confirms the administration’s inability to effectively address the growing economic problems demanding prompt solutions that appears to be unavailable given the government priority on anything other than the economy.

The government selective raids and investigation on corruption scandals excluding large swath of members within and among alliances in addition to corporate favorites and celebrities in the entertainment with an alarming record of tax evasions, offshore hoarding in tax havens, black money and embezzlements reported in Panama Gate and other national as well as international corruption exposures barely attract the authorities interest.

Contrarily, in neighboring Pakistan, the Panama Gate revelation caused political storm ousting the accused former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and family with imprisonment freezing the assets of Sharif family for fraudulent dealings and illegal wealth amassment in the economically struggling nation with substantial population in abject poverty. 

India is no different in terms of impoverishment with the poor and poorest survival hanging in balance by the minute of their lives whilst the rich, famous and powerful stashing wealth overseas and in disguised investments lasting several generations are untouchable and held above law. The reverence and constant adulations of them making headlines and in news columns overcast criminal indulgence exempting them from any inquiry and rule of law.

Indian politics has evolved into betting, bidding and bareknuckle crony capitalism. The corporate run government with major political party deploying underhanded tactics to intimidate and lure members of opposition is heading towards consolidating power unbridled in enforcing and executing policies and agenda rejecting consequential upheavals from such endeavors. 

The fragmented and fragile Indian opposition fraught with internal strife pose no threats to the ruling BJP having successfully established the horse trading in forming or toppling government at regional and national level.

The opposition has no meaning or relevance witnessed in latest state assembly elections with parties forging alliance regardless of political ideology and platform sharing the common goal to access power even if that calls for alternating terms in office.

The victim in the current political, economic and social environment is none other than the average citizen. The middle class and downwards bearing the brunt of the escalating abuse of power targeting the most vulnerable and weak segments whether it be muslims or the economically burdened lower class confined to accepting government’s lack luster performance in the economic front unassailable.

History is testimony to events beyond threshold delivering outcome against anything unsustainable.

Indian democracy is indeed at risk and the nation beckons not only forward, progressive, open minds but also anyone who deeply care about their present and immediate future to rein in authority wasting taxpayer funds and national resources in unnecessary and futile exercise with serious repercussions.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Author & Presenter PadminiArhant.com

Prakrithi.PadminiArhant.com

 

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Featured, Indian Sub-Continent 

Comments

Comments are closed.