India Election: Extremism and Far Right Mindset Again Grip Biggest Democracy
Faisal Ali Ghumman
India- the second biggest population and largest-ever democracy in the world-is once again going into the hands of politicians representing far right mindset and anti-minorities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represents Hindu Nationalist’s Bharatiya Janata Party, has been declared victorious in the recently concluded general elections, his second consecutive win with absolute majority in Lok Sabha.
According to Indian Election Commission’s data based on votes counted so far, Modi’s BJP is on course to win around 300 of 543 elected seats in India’s lower house, surpassing its 2014 victory and crushing the opposition Congress party´s hopes of a comeback.
Mr Moodi, who has faced severe criticism for rising unemployment and anti-peasant policies in a population of around 1.35 billion, actually exploited the slogan of Indo-Pak rivalry during canvassing.
He was seen inciting the anti-Pakistan spirit of voters by highlighting casualties of 40 Indian soldiers as a result of suicide car bombing in Indian-occupied Kashmir in February this year and national security threats by nuclear-rival Pakistan.
More than 170 million Muslim population and low-cost Hindu Dalits face wreath of Hindus under the Modi regime lasting between 2014 and 2019. The Muslims were lynched in the name of trading and eating beef.
How horrible is for the world to believe that minorities especially Muslims have become the sole target of Modi-led government who seems to crush only minorities instead of shifting its focus on the well-being of all communities living in the country on equality.
How horrible is for the world to believe that minorities especially Muslims have become the sole target of Modi-led government who seems to crush only minorities instead of shifting its focus on the well-being of all communities living in the country on equality.
Take a look at innocent Kashmiri people who are being brutally crushed by Indian armed forces during the last five years, thanks to the shameful silence on the part of the United Nations and so-called champions of human rights.
It’s hard to believe that academia and knowledgeable Indians who have seen imbalanced approach of the BJP government towards Muslims, Sikhs and Dalits in terms of human right violations in different states even again voted for the far-right party.
The majority seats grabbed by BJP and its coalition parties in India leave a strong impression in the minds of neutral observers that the nationalist approach among nations is growing fast as also witnessed in other countries of the globe.
Independent observers fear the BJP government after coming to power will fan religious hatred and further squeeze minorities.
Independent observers fear the BJP government after coming to power will fan religious hatred and further squeeze minorities.
The protection of religion-specific nationalism is somehow mandatory to preserve the specific community and its ideology, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of inhabitants of other religions in the same country.
It’s also a beauty of a true democracy that opposition party concede hits defeat as latest reports say Indian Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has conceded his defeat and congratulated Modi for winning polls.
The entire world especially Muslim states now expect from Mr Modi to come up with new internal and external policies that should not be based on discrimination, religious hatred, biased mindset and cruelty.
The nations can grow at much faster pace when heads of the states introduce of culture of equality, justice, peace and harmony not only within the state, but also with neighbours.
–The writer is columnist, Editor-in-Chief lahoremirror.com, Ex-Editor Daily The Business and Ex-Correspondent Daily Dawn
He can be reached at [email protected], https://twitter.com/alfaysal77, https://www.facebook.com/LahoreMirror
