Secular India worried at BJP’s policies

Many Indians living abroad and those with secular viewpoint are worried at the policies of the re-elected BJP government, which won a decisive victory recently and Narendra Modi got another term as India’s prime minister. As it is, many of them did not anticipate the return of BJP, the right-wing Hindu nationalist party. They believe that secularism in India has been largely compromised in the last few years and minorities, women and marginalised groups will face tough time in the coming days. They are convinced that India will be a less tolerant and inclusive place.

The score card of first five years of Modi Sarkar is troubling. The Modi government used propaganda against Muslims and other minorities so as to create hatred in the society. Now if a Muslim says anything against Modi, he may be lynched by a mob. For the first time, in the history of India four senior judges of Indian Supreme Court addressed a press conference and blamed Modi for controlling the Chief Justice of India, thereby endangering democracy in the country. Also, for the first time in 30 years, the Election Commission condoned gross violations of the code of conduct by the PM and leaders of BJP. The CBI director was removed overnight when he tried to investigate the Rafael aircraft deal corruption by Modi govt. Unemployment in India is recently running at a 45-year high.

Salman Khurshid, a former Union minister for law and external affairs, and Muhammad Khan, an advocate, say that that during the campaigns for the elections to the five state assemblies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was noticeably reluctant to talk about his government’s achievements. They say that Modi has taken 10 critical missteps including demonetization, betrayal of farmers, questionable rewriting of the Rafale deal, media capture, weakening of institutions, the mishandling of Kashmir, failed attempt to deny citizens a fundamental right to privacy, erosion of India’s influence in Asia, fewer jobs and the biggest failure i.e. cultivation of hate in the country at unimaginable levels.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh believes Modi’s five-year rule has been "most traumatic and devastating" for India's youths, farmers, traders and every democratic institution. He says the government "does not believe in inclusive growth and is only worried about its political existence at the altar of disharmony". He declared that division and hate have become synonymous with the BJP and it thrives on societal fissures.

Modi ran an emotional campaign on the back of Balakot and Pulwama incidents and presented him as the man of crisis. India today is no longer united. It is widely accepted that Modi deflected and deceived the Indian people from his poor performance in his first term. Now educated Indians and minorities are worried about the next five years, which may turn India into a theocratic state. At the same time, it is telling the BJP did not field any Muslim candidate in 2019 polls.