Modi's illusion: The Road Towards Fascism

Back in 2014, India reportedly held the world’s largest democratic event where Modi got elected, India declared itself the biggest democracy in the world however there’s an unspoken side to this. At the time India had 814 million people eligible to vote out of which many didn’t vote and out of which whom did vote Modi won by getting 31.34% votes. Take a moment to digest, after being voted by around 170 million voters (not taking into account corruption in the election) his party got to rule a country of over 1.29 billion. The 2019 election wasn’t that different either with BJP securing victory by 37% votes, now in practice that’s just democracy and nothing new, happens everywhere around the world but the manner in which Modi has shaped his political campaign displays him as the favorite of "everyone" creating the delusion of the largest democracy in the world, going so far as being the global leader in fake tweet followers (Over 60% fake). 

Being a member of RSS he has sympathized with the far-right segment of society and manipulated the media structure in such a way that the general public will believe anything displayed on the television. He sits on the promise of making India a great nation while his party BJP propagates Hindu nationalism while portraying non-Hindus as subhuman. Many videos have surfaced on the internet of marching columns of RSS Indian nationalists who openly chant their India is for Hindus/Anti-Muslim-Sikh-Christian slogans while carrying swords signifying their will to fight. All one needs to do is look at recent rising cases of state and non-state violence against Muslims ignored by BJP-controlled media. The inhumane atrocities in Kashmir, Delhi riots and now the Sikhs are being targeted in context to the Farmer riots. “Terrorists” and “Traitors” are the terms being propagated against people who just want their basic rights and means to make a living. 

Going even further India had threatened to arrest Facebook, and Whatsapp employees if the firms don't give up the private data of users around protests. Leaving that aside the BJP government has also proven incompetent at handling the COVID- pandemic, despite knowing about the dangers they held massive political rallies and allowed open densely congested festivals which resulted in skyrocketing covid infection rates. Now around 6000 people are dying every day while countless others are stuck without medical facilities and healthcare putting them at risk of death as well. all this while BJP continues to shift blame elsewhere openly threatening with violence against critics with an audience. 

What can we relate this to? Fascism, yes Adolf Hitler got into power acting in a very similar manner albite more openly due to the lack of international media coverage at the time. The fact remains India is slowly turning fascist without the majority of her people even realizing it. While two-thirds of Indians live in poverty, the government spends money on giant statutes, space programs and massive military purchases which does nothing but give an illusion of superpower India. The soldiers don't have enough to eat, ammunition shortages, gov goes against recommendations and force orders (Tejas) it's become a farce. And it doesn't end here, the youth is being fed fabricated knowledge that suits Modi's vision, such as being taught that K2 is in India. This is all the result of careful engineering the BJP has applied in shaping their nation. The world may choose to ignore it now just as they ignored the holocaust but a time will come when this radicalization will trigger conflict, a conflict that will reshape the world just as it did in the 1940s.