It is excellent that Indian adolescents are so heavily involved with social media advocacy and staying up to date with the state of the US presidential elections, there is no denying that the aftermath will play a paramount role in the adjusting of the global socio-political paradigm, and of course, it will affect India in the form of immigration/foreign policy, trade relations and will affect our social, political & economic status – these results cannot be too lightly taken. It’s also very refreshing to see young, impressionable minds question the social order and societal conventions and understand the requirements and prerequisites of an effective governmental leader, especially that of one of such a massive superpower. It’s also crucial to examine and accost those of authoritarian power who exercise their power in morally corrupt and ethically unjust ways – but it is time, we expand our worldview back here, to our very own home country.
Though acceptedly a less glamorous evening conversation starter, and one extremely controversial considering the staunch ideologies of those very close to us, we can no longer turn a blind eye to the injustices that occur within our socio-political contours. Our own esteemed Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is not simply racist, fascist, islamophobic, transphobic – he is a cold-blooded murderer. From the beginning of his term to the date of this article, he has incited killings, riots, and hate crimes, with the powerful forces of the IRS and the police forces under his belt, at his beck and call, like a fierce pack of bulldogs ready to pounce and squash all possibilities of dissent. He plays a very active role in the oppression, discrimination, and sufferings of his own people as well as one of heavy-handed suppression of the people whose rights he had promised to protect.
This is the same man who left eight crores of migrant workers stranded in the streets, devoid of food, water, and hope, turning a blind eye to the suffering and distress of the very citizens whose contributions to our day-to-day lives are immeasurable – why did he leave them to fend for themselves amid a worldwide pandemic? Make no mistake, this is not a question of lack of hindsight or incompetence – this is a show of lack of decency, a representation of heartlessness and disgustingly insensitive patterns. Guided by his iconoclast Hindutva ideologies, he not only gets his way but sways the public in an unfathomable way. Let us also not forget how he disregarded the colossal numbers of farmer suicides, but once again, we see that he pays no heed to the common man – even when they bring the lifeless remains of their unfortunate brethren to accost him for their increasing struggles – nothing stirs in the subhuman heart of his, for neither him nor his representatives have even acknowledged the issue, let alone brainstormed solutions.
We live in a society where speaking out can get us killed – where expressing a right of ours leads to assassination by none other than the authoritarian government of the BJP. Their sectarian ideas for India give them the liberty to perform incarcerations, anonymous killings, riots, lynchings, dismemberment – take what happened to Gauri Lankesh, staunch left-wing journalist – shot, thrice.
Silence is a luxury only the privileged can afford – when your own home country is facing such injustices, we can no longer afford to turn a blind eye as the Prime Minister can. Use your platforms, your privilege, your voice, to transcend this madness and hold Modi accountable for his misdeeds.
The Hamid Political Review 