Jekyll and Hyde

Addressing the East Asia Summit at Laos in October 2024, Narendra Modi said: “I come from the land of Buddha. This is not the age of war. It’s essential to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and international laws. Solutions cannot be found on battlefields. We must place a strong emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy.”

Just months after this Confucian speech Modi, true to his Jekyll and Hyde persona, commandeered yet another audacious strike inside Pakistan. The response saw him diminished militarily, politically and diplomatically. However, the notion of a tranquilised Modi proved itself a foolhardy thought. His televised lame duck threats claimed that Operation Sindoor was now India’s policy towards Pakistan. Telegraph India aptly described the tirade as “tiresome bluster that lasted for over two hours.”

Modi’s false bravado thrives on contrived mantras of superiority. The downing of Rafales and the S-400 air defence system shattered this myth. India's equally vaunted $5 trillion economy also lost an estimated $83 billion in market capitalisation in the first 48 hours of the discredited Operation Sindoor.

Describing India’s economy, in his book ‘The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India’s New Gilded Age’, author James Crabtree refers to a small ultra-rich group. This cabal commands enormous economic and political clout in Modi’s India. An Oxfam report reveals that India's 119 billionaires own more than 40 per cent of the country’s wealth, the highest percentage in the world.

The same report says that in 2018 alone, Modi’s robber barons saw their fortunes swell by $316.8 million per day. In stark contrast, 63 million Indians, two people every second, are pushed into poverty each year. India accounts for 17 per cent of global maternal and 21 per cent children’s deaths each year.

The National Crime Records Bureau of India has 256,913 farmer suicides (45 per day), the highest-ever number of recorded suicides, in the last 16 years. Oblivious to this tragedy, Modi is set to spend $80 billion on defence this year. This is to benefit his already ultra-rich cronies who have come to define India’s military-industrial complex under his watch.

Modi turned down the UPA government’s deal to have Hindustan Aeronautics Limited manufacture 126 Rafale jets under a Dassault transfer of technology agreement. Modi cancelled the deal overnight, and a new deal was signed for 36 Rafales manufactured in France.

Anil Ambani, a close Modi ally, registered Reliance Defense weeks before accompanying Modi to France and securing a Dassault deal. The Hindu later revealed that the Modi government waived anti-corruption clauses and ignored financial advice.

After Pakistani forces downed Rafales, these allegations resurfaced. Modi’s extended rule has empowered media allies, dubbed the ‘Godi Media’ by journalist Ravish Kumar. Modi, who avoids press conferences, is lavishly praised by these outlets. Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Group owns over 70 media platforms, reaching 800 million Indians. Another tycoon, Gautam Adani, took over NDTV, a Modi-critical network. Critics argue that such oligarchic media control has eroded pluralism and stifled public debate in India.

Pakistan is not the only target of Modi's hegemony; all of India’s neighbours are extremely wary of it. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar have gravitated towards China for economic and military alliances. India’s forward policy has seen it at war with China. India also remains the Saarc/BRICS spoiler.

With its unilateral abrogation of the Indus Water Treaty, India has set an abhorrent precedent of weaponising water. Lest Modi forgets, out of the 718 billion cubic meters of surface water that flows annually out of China, 347 billion cubic meters runs directly into India. Several major Indian rivers originate in Tibet, including the Brahmaputra, Sutlej, Kosi and the Indus. China is recognised internationally as the master builder of dams.

Bangladesh is set to allow Chinese companies to participate in the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project. It has sought a 50-year master plan from China to manage its river and water systems. With China supporting Bangladesh, this can be a threat to India, as it shares 54 transboundary rivers with Bangladesh. What is Modi, the water-stopper, forcing this region into?

Modi’s India, defined by saffron terror, sees hate and persecution preached and propagated as Hinduism. Any Indian who dares utter a word against this is branded a traitor, with rampaging mobs becoming judge, jury and executioner. Social theorist Ashis Nandy who, like hundreds of Indians, has returned his national award as a protest, claims that Hindutva is the end of Hinduism.

It is also an India where Himanshi Narwal, the newlywed and widowed wife of Pahalgam victim Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, faced a barrage of coordinated slurs and abuse just for choosing to rise above her immense personal loss and say, “We don't want people going against Muslims or Kashmiris. We want peace and only peace.”

Sane voices like former Indian Army Chief General (r) Manoj Naravane are speaking out against war. Gen Naravane asserts that “the solution to all pending disputes, including Kashmir, lies in dialogue.” The general also rightly points out that “War is a bitter reality, not a Bollywood film. Those who advocate war should also consider the suffering of affected families.”

War reverses the order of nature. Bereft of filial bonds, Modi of the land of Buddha should take a deep breath and meditate about the monstrosity that he has made of India.

The writer is a freelance contributor. He can be reached at: miradnanaziz@gmail.com