Aftermath of Uri: Those familiar with Modi's response reflexes anticipate his heightened poster patriotism

By RK Misra*
Narendra Modi’s utterances were honey to hungry Indian ears as he tore into the UPA government to secure a resounding mandate to rule the country. Two years at the helm and the very same words are boomeranging with a scarring tenacity. Moreso after the Uri unfrocking.
Words are heady nectar on the way up and poisoned darts hurtling down. The social media, though open to manipulation, remains a fair barometer of the ebb and tide of mass mood.
Masterful with words Modi would mock the reticent Manmohan with sarcastic chivalry after every border incident or terror onslaught during the decade long UPA rule. Singh is silent but the social media has taken on itself the job of showing him the mirror. WhatsApp and Facebook are choc-a-bloc with clips of the present prime minister’s myriad feisty posturing of how to deal with the Pakistan promoted terror machine.
A TV interview jibe where he spoke of answering the neighbour in his own language is getting more eyeballs than ever before on the social jungle clicks. “Every time there is a terror incident in India we either write ‘love letters’ or go running to America wailing Obama,Obama! Get back at Pakistan, don’t go flailing the world over”, said the then Gujarat chief minister who was chasing national dreams.
Today the same space is replete with jokes and jibes, punctuating the same interview. “What’s the latest on chest chants and bulging biceps ”, goes a particularly pithy one following the TV talk clip with a laconic “what say you. Why is hefty Hercules complaining to China now”, goes another.
Even the social media, once a Modi domain is now under the scanner by its own users.’Twitter audit’ disputes his following and a u-tuber unveils the modus operandi of scammer set ups working to drive ‘traffic’ on predetermined issues and it’s monetary implications. But that is obfuscating the main issue.
National leaders aspiring for power need to abide by norms of public conduct. Extravagance, whether in claims, language or poll promises may help rain the ‘manna’ from heaven but opens you up to ridicule later on. Foul language and wild promises may be the order of the day in other parts of the country but that was not the legacy Modi inherited.
Besides the Mahatma, Gujarat has cradled numerous icons from Indulal Yagnik, the man who took on Nehru to the austere but temperamental Morarji Desai and Congress president Jaisukhlal Hathi to the intellectually inclined Madhavsinh Solanki and the earthy Keshubhai Patel,to name a few. The discourse in public domain was always one of mutual respect.
Initially subtle but later there were gross changes after Modi took over as the chief minister in 2001. A man of strong likes and dislikes, he introduced an aggression in demeanour which grew noticeable with the passage of time. Usages like ‘cow and calf’ to describe political rivals alluding to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul during election campaigning may elicit catcalls but went to lower the level of electoral morality.
As did the ill-disguised attacks on the minority community during his controversial ‘gaurav yatra’ that followed the statewide communal riots in 2002 after the Godhra train carnage. ”hum do,hamare do’ (us two and ur two children) hum kahete hai, woh kehte hain’ hum panch hamare pachees’ (us five and our twenty five) and references to ‘Miyan Musharraf’ were ill-disguised attacks on the minority community.
Similarly reference to the then Chief Election Commissioner as James Michael Lyngdoh alluding to his Christian lineage to create the impression that he was favouring fellow ’christian’ Sonia Gandhi and by implication the Congress were not only in bad taste but contributed majorly to the fall in standards of public morality.
Nevertheless, cleaving communities paid rich electoral dividend and Modi swept the polls. The ‘Hindu hriday samrat’(Emperor of the Hindu heart) had no qualms about playing the messiah of the majority until he developed national aspirations and held the three day sadbhavana sammelan (communal amity meet) at Ahmedabad in September 2011 to announce it. No wonder the boss is hard put to control verbal absurdities voiced from time to time by elements within his own party!
The future cannot be foreseen delinked from the past and it is in this context that moderation in language truly deserving of a country that claims to lay premium on it’s rich culture is highly advised of it’s leaders. Now in the hot seat, it is squirm time for most of the present ones who, while in the opposition, chose to indulge in high voltage verbal calisthenics.
Whither the bronchial bravery of Modi’s retaliation advice, of another of his ministers mouthing ‘aapki baar, seema paar': of Smriti Irani speaking in Indore during the UPA days offering her bangles to the Centre to try them out.
This was in the wake of a terrorist attack on the army. Were there no terrorism incidents in Gujarat during Modi rule? On July 26, 2008 there were 21 bomb blasts in Ahmedabad within two hours leaving 56 dead and 200 injured. Pathankot has followed Uri but there are no bangles on offer from Ms Irani now.
Examples abound but the shoe is on the other foot and the BJP ministers are making sickeningly similar noises that the present opposition did when in power. Times change but responses remain the same irrespective of who is in the top seat.
For those familiar with the response reflexes of the present ruler, one can anticipate a heightening of poster patriotism at home and a slew of international diplomatic ‘manoeuvres’, tons of posturing coupled with stepping up of defence related statements. There will also be a lot of diversionary announcements at the precise moment when attention needs to be deflected from the issue. The intention would be to regulate indigenous responses.
Proof of it lies in the fact that soon after news of the Uri attack reached the top, one of the first few meetings at the prime ministerial level was on how to break the news to the media through calibrated, unattributed leaks. Bad luck that minister Venkaiah Naidu goofed up through a tweet and the cat was out of the bag. Already the ‘build up’ has begun in the social media to whip up nationalist sentiments.
Disinformation of a cross-border raid by special forces of the army killing ten terrorists was pushed up, then denied officially but continued to be force-fed. Those monitoring the social media knew the source of the promotion.
Modi could do well to remember Alan Watts who said; the menu is not the meal!
---
*Senior Gandhinagar-based journalist. Blog: http://wordsmithsandnewsplumbers.blogspot.in/

Comments

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Is India emulating west, 'using' anti-terror plank to justify state-supported violence?

Fahad Ahmad, Baljit Nagra* Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused India of being involved in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh leader, on Canadian soil. Narendra Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist Indian government is defiant and denies involvement. Indian officials have instead admonished Canada for being a “ safe haven ” for Sikh “terrorism,” a pejorative for Sikh self-determination .

Adani Group declares it will "self-finance" Australian coal mining project: Traditional group registers fresh opposition

By A Representative The controversial Adani Group's Carmichael coal mine and rail project in Queensland, Australia, will be "100% financed" through the Group’s own resources, Adani, Mining CEO Lucas Dow has said. A South Asia Times, Melbourne, report has quoted Dow as saying in Queensland, “We have already invested $3.3 billion in Adani’s Australian businesses, which is a clear demonstration of our capacity to deliver a financing solution for the revised scope of the mine and rail project." Dow Pointing out that "the project stacks up both environmentally and financially", he added, "Today’s announcement removes any doubt as to the project stacking up financially... The Carmichael Project will deliver more than 1,500 direct jobs on the mine and rail projects during the initial ramp-up and construction phase, and will support thousands more indirect jobs, all of which will benefit regional Queensland communities.” The project faces fierce opposition ...

As 2024 draws nearer, threatening signs appear of more destructive wars

By Bharat Dogra The four years from 2020 to 2023 have been very difficult and high risk years for humanity. In the first two years there was a pandemic and such severe disruption of social and economic life that countless people have not yet recovered from its many-sided adverse impacts. In the next two years there were outbreaks of two very high-risk wars which have worldwide implications including escalation into much wider conflicts. In addition there were highly threatening signs of increasing possibility of other very destructive wars. As the year 2023 appears to be headed for ending on a very grim note, there are apprehensions about what the next year 2024 may bring, and there are several kinds of fears. However to come back to the year 2020 first, the pandemic harmed and threatened a very large number of people. No less harmful was the fear epidemic, the epidemic of increasing mental stress and the cruel disruption of the life and livelihoods particularly among the weaker s...

Call to "enjoy" pilgrimage of Sabarmati beyond Ahmedabad, where river water turns black

Sabarmati at Vautha By A Representative Nagrik Sashaktikaran Manch (NSM), a Gujarat-based civil rights organization, has called upon the state's citizens to join in a "unique yatra" along the river Sabarmati, starting in Ahmedabad and ending off the Gulf of Khambhat, where the river is supposed to merge with the sea. Pointing out that in Hindu culture, rivers are equated with Mother Goddess, NSM convener Jatin Seth says, it will be a "special event of pilgrimage", because, just like Ganga, Sarbarmati possesses "special properties." "Starting at Giaspur, one can see how industries are releasing chemicals in Sabarmati, and you get a Thumbs-Up like colour of the water, and if you drink it, you are sure to be at least affected by cancer, and this way would enable you to book your ticket in the paradise. The river has a special smell, too, emanating from a black cocktail-type colour", says Seth in a statement. A village next to Sabarmati river In...

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

India ODF? Toilets considered hotspots of infections, hence people defecate in open

By Aayush Gupta* "Sanitation is more important than political freedom" -- Mahatma Gandhi It was on October 2, 2019, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the completion of India's Swachh Bharat Mission with the construction of over 107 million toilets – calling India, for once and for all, "Open Defecation Free" (ODF). The announcement came 11 years ahead of the United Nations' 2030 vision.

What if a Hindu male marries a Muslim female? Why is it never discussed?

By Harasankar Adhikari Is interfaith marriage in India a curse? Many incidents of interfaith marriage witness dangerous victimhood. Various public media (cinema, theatre, TV serials, and so forth) are continuously raising (will continue to raise) their voices against this discrimination. Is it not a biassed campaign? Everybody uses it to criticise Hinduism and its stringent orthodox rules of law. But if a Hindu male marries a female of Islam, then what may be the situation? It was never discussed, is being discussed, or is to be discussed. Particularly, secular politics never utters a word. Perhaps, all the wrongs are with Hinduism because of its application. Everybody always talks of liberty to Hindus. Is it not a one-sided game? There is a common tendency to support minorities. In reality, the minority or majority is a playing card. Everybody likes to play it. And they never think about it liberally. No religion permits interfaith marriage. For this reas...

Search This Blog