Hitler, Mussolini, Churchill, Thatcher have used tear as a 'tool' of ruthless politics

Hitler, Churchill, Thatcher

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*
Prime Minister Narendra Modi often cries as if tear drops can replace misgovernance and hide the failures of his government. The display of tear drops help to build a persona of human feelings. There is no scientific way to measure whether his tear drops reflect sincerity or master act of political strategy to hide Hindutva politics of hate.
This is an old strategy of politicians to weep in order to manipulate public and manufacture their humane qualities. It is becoming a permanent feature of Modi’s politics to hide his broken promises to the people of India. Historically, fascists display their emotional side more often to decorate their rhetoric and hide their ruthless leadership under the tear drops. The sinking democracy, loss of public trust in Modi, awful economic crisis, social and economic conflicts are serious signs of a fractured republic in India under the BJP government.
The political journeying of Modi from Gujarat to New Delhi is based on well-crafted propaganda full of deceptive image making and promises. His political success based on his ideological politics of Hindutva and policies of crony capitalism have accelerated deaths and destitutions of many Indian citizens.
His tears did not fall either during the death of Hindu karsevaks in Godhra or for the Muslims died in 2002 Gujarat riots. The political dividends provoke Modi’s tear drops. He has used tear drops as a potent tool to accomplish his political objectives. Modi’s tear drops are master classes in acting to revive his lost glory as a visionary strong man in politics.
Historically, Adolf Hitler, Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher have used tear as a tool of ruthless politics. The merchants of power have used wet eyes as a strategy to hide the failures of their political leadership and sinister politics. The tear shedding is a profound political expression and not an emotional human outburst for these reactionary, authoritarian and fascist leaders.
The acting skills and propaganda can help the actors in cinema, but politics of performance cannot stay away from everyday realities of people and their lives for long. The material crisis represented by the rise of mass poverty, hunger, homelessness and unemployment brings back leaders from their dream journeying of power to the pedestrian path of democratic accountability.

The tear drops of Modi might be providing illusionary relief to the fraudulent politics of the BJP and RSS but no weeping can save Modi-led BJP government from its quick fall. The farmers' movement in India reveals the working-class consciousness and exposes the hollowness of Modi’s politics of tear and his diversionary tactics.

In larger philosophical landscape, the political tear shedding emerges when democratic politics of representation based on people’s needs and desires no longer have a material foundation. Tear drops mark the end of politics of reason, debate and disagreements grounded in evidence. In the market driven cultural politics of Hindutva, the RSS and BJP is trying to create a long-lasting emotional space independent of material reality of people and their everyday sufferings in India.
The mass media is accelerating such a transformation in which emotive issues take precedence over everyday necessities. The media manipulates public mind by creating scenes of external threat to national security, heritage, culture, religion, unity and sovereignty of the country. Such propaganda signals to people that we need a strong leader to overcome these crises. The same propaganda machines also offer Modi as an alternative leader based on strong vision.
The times of tide reveals the cowards in politics and puts all strong men and their political propaganda in the dustbin of history. As time progresses, the people of India realised that Modi is a political conman of capitalist forces in India. He has no feelings for the people and their country. He is only interested in false propaganda and capture power through electoral means to facilitate the deepening of capitalism which marginalises masses in India.
The people of India learn from their everyday realities that BJP and RSS cannot govern and represent their interests. The regular weeping scene of Modi is a product of such a situation in India.
Modi’s tear drops are political and lacks human emotion. His weeping is a strategy to overcome the crisis created by his ideological politics of Hindutva and economic policies. It is time to expose Modi and his politics without substance.
---
University of Glasgow, UK

Comments

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857 By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The curious case of multiple entries of a female voter of Maharashtra: What ECI's online voter records reveal

By Venkatesh Nayak* Cyberspace is agog with data, names and documents which question the reliability of the electoral rolls prepared by the electoral bureaucracy in Maharashtra prior to the General Elections conducted in 2024. One such example of deep dive probing has brought to the surface, the name of one female voter in the 132-Nalasopara (Gen) Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra. Nalasopara is part of the Palghar (ST) Lok Sabha constituency. This media report claims that this individual's name figures multiple times in the voter list of the same constituency.

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Spirit of leadership vs bondage: Of empowered chairman of 100-acre social forestry coop

By Gagan Sethi* This is about Khoda Sava, a young Dalit belonging to the Vankar sub-caste, who worked as a bonded labourer in a village near Vadgam in Banskantha district of North Gujarat. The year was 1982. Khoda had taken a loan of Rs 7,000 from the village sarpanch, a powerful landlord doing money-lending as his side business. Khoda, who had taken the loan for marriage, was landless. Normally, villagers would mortgage their land if they took loan from the sarpanch. But Khoda had no land. He had no option but to enter into a bondage agreement with the sarpanch in order to repay the loan. Working in bondage on the sarpanch’s field meant that he would be paid Rs 1,200 per annum, from which his loan amount with interest would be deducted. He was also obliged not to leave the sarpanch’s field and work as daily wager somewhere else. At the same time, Khoda was offered meal once a day, and his wife job as agricultural worker on a “priority basis”. That year, I was working as secretary...

Proposed Modi yatra from Jharkhand an 'insult' of Adivasi hero Birsa Munda: JMM

Counterview Desk The civil rights network, Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JMM), which claims to have 30 grassroots groups under its wings, has decided to launch Save Democracy campaign to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra to be launched on November 15 from the village of legendary 19th century tribal independence leader Birsa Munda from Ulihatu (Khunti district).

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman* Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Fate of Yamuna floodplain still hangs in "balance" despite National Green Tribunal rap on Sri Sri event

By Ashok Shrimali* While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday reportedly pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival on the banks of Yamuna, the chief petitioners against the high-profile event Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has declared, the “fate of the floodplain still hangs in balance.”

Counterview

Search This Blog