In the last few weeks, there has
been bit of attention in the Western media and celebrity circles about the
anti-Modi farm protests. It is being projected as if the whole of India is out
on the streets seeking to uproot the alleged dictatorial regime of PM Modi. It
is further being projected that PM Modi is trying to suppress these protests,
something indicative of India’s backsliding from democracy. These fanciful and
wishful projections could have been dismissed as something of fantasy but the
forces that seem to be masterminding it seem sinister and would not hesitate to
create divide within the country. To add, there is a vast section of the
chatterati and the opposition polity that seem ever eager to use any
opportunity, however faint it might be to destroy the credibility of Modi even
if it meant siding with forces inimical to India’s long term interests.
There might be a puzzle or two to
the bystanders why the Western media apart from the intellectual and activist
celebrity circles is interested in Indian context. The protests are essentially
confined to a parts of few states just as the agitation on the citizenship
amendment act was confined to sections of a community. It would also be
puzzling to understand the logic of Indian elite liberal circuit to seek refuge
in global activists voicing concern on the Indian internal issue. In a rational
world, the ostensible reaction would have been to solve the issue within the
country rather than seek credibility and appeal outside of the country’s
borders. While it might sound rational in some ways, the approach adopted by
the left liberal elite circuit within India seems the last resort available given
the onslaught they are facing with electorally, culturally and socially under
the Modi regime. Their power calculus is being dismantled into pieces something
manifested both in the Ayodhya judgment as also in the abolition of Article 370
among other actions of late. Their gravy train has derailed. Their attempt to
dislodge Modi in 2019 through a campaign of deceit, calumny and what not with
more than eager participation and support of the media did not bear fruits.
It would be instructive to look at
the predicament of the Khan market gang and their future. To the Khan Market
gang, it is perceivable that Modi is here to stay. It was for the first time
that a non-Congress party retained power after completing a five year term and
the worst part was it returned with bigger majority. Given Rahul Gandhi’s
antics and image aside of his ability or lack of it, it is very difficult for
them to imagine coming back to power in 2024. There seems to be some air of
resignation that Modi is here to stay barring a nuclear option. They have to
use the nuclear option. In an analogy borrowed from Bodyline, there must exist
a person who stands between someone seeking to usurp power and the current incumbent
government. The prize must be very high necessitating any approach,
irrespective of the consequences to claim the prize. Yet there is just one man
standing between the prize and the elite liberals. What perhaps is missing is
someone who is willing to go all out including extra-constitutional or
extra-legal means to achieve that prize. If this resulted in Bodyline of
cricket, the elite circuit is preparing for Bodyline of Indian politics. Yet,
they know given the current leadership, there exists a limitation one too many.
Moreover, they need to create a global projection of Modi as beleaguered leader
who holds onto power merely on force. This perhaps explains Rahul Gandhi’s
constant attack on defence issues. He perhaps is instigating the armed forces
to revolt. It would not be a surprise if the pitch would become more explicit in
the months to come. At the same time, the opposition needs a global support. There
must exist a global dislike for the current power calculus.
When one observes the Western world,
there is no doubt of moral burden they feel in spreading their so-called
democratic ethos. The Kipling or perhaps even Marx is well alive in their
spirits of shouldering the White Man’s Burden. This is something that is being
exploited by the Indian left liberal circuit. To the Western establishment and
the intelligentsia, democracy is alien beyond the few countries that lie in
their ambit. Indian democracy to them would exist when they deal with familiar
faces in the Indian establishment. This obviously means the Congress
establishment with whom the West has dealt for decades since independence. Any non-Congress
regimes have not lasted long and the West has been context to see them off. Perhaps
for the first time, they are too witnessing a regime change, a regime which is
an iconoclast in the Indian mound of thinking. Therefore, in their assessment,
India is moving away from democracy. This is what the left liberals are trying
to reinforce around. With the highlighting of the protests whether on the farm
laws or on the citizenship amendment act earlier, the focus is to establish
Modi as a dictator with India increasingly divergent from democratic ideals. The
truth might be something else but what matters is the perception globally. In any
case of a showdown with Modi, they need the support of the Western
establishment.
As indicated many a times in the
previous posts, a civil war seems inevitable though the way it might manifest
in would perhaps be different. The showdown is somewhat inevitable. There could
possibly be movement towards secession, something reminiscent of the US in the
days leading to the Civil War of 1861-65. The current modus operandi seems to
be preparing for the same. The Western world at least the establishment,
intelligentsia, the celebrities, the activists, all perhaps perceive Modi as a
dictator in the same league as a Soviet dictator or any similar one including
Erdogan among others. Their treatment of Modi is likely to be similar. In the
event of a secession, there would be outpouring of support from these
establishment guys to the Indian opposition. They might matter little in the
Indian establishment or societal thinking, but in a world interdependent, it is
unlikely to have a non-impact. Modi is seemingly countering it through pitch of
India of being aggressive market something China successfully did over the
years. Therefore, what the left activists in seeking support from their friends
abroad is not unsurprising but rather to them a critical step in mobilizing their
last stand against Modi. They might not survive, yet what they seek to do is to
engage in scorched earth and destroy India’s credibility abroad. For these
reasons alone, their plot is sinister and terrifying and needs to be put down.
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