“The people of India have unequivocally rejected the BJP‘s agenda, which sought to undermine the constitution and transform the country. This election outcome is a resounding endorsement of the current constitutional framework envisioned and implemented by Jawaharlal Nehru and B.R. Ambedkar. The voters appeared to have arrested the development of the nation’s slide towards dictatorship and fascism for now. It is also important to note that the BJP has not gotten a majority of its own. Narendra Modi himself has lost substantial vote share in his quest for reelection. Even the BJP candidate in Ayodhya, where the temple has been consecrated, had to concede defeat.”
After the announcement of the election results, I heard nothing but a sigh of relief all around, especially from members of the Diaspora. It is almost as if they have been delivered from some precarious situation or a trap that had a debilitating impact on their thinking and actions. People were virtually living in fear of expressing their opinions and even stating the slightest criticism of the Modi government’s policies. Indeed, at least for now, they appear to feel liberated.
If that is true, what would it have been if the Modi government had come down? Of course, the country would have truly restored its soul while recapturing the dynamism and freedom that was a hallmark of Indian democracy. The public has been struggling for a breath of air for freedom and liberty in the last decade, which was taken for granted mainly under the Congress party rule for six decades.
Even the Diaspora was under the guns where there were allegations of conspiracies of assassinations of overseas Indian citizens who had disagreed with the Modi administration. The recent filing by the United States Justice Department accusing an ‘Indian government agent’ plotting to kill an American citizen of Indian origin and a Khalistani activist, regardless of our disapproval of issues he has been advocating, sent chills across the overseas community everywhere.
Many members of the Diaspora were afraid to speak out because of the fear that any dissenting voice may result in the cancellation of the OCI cards. It happened to Aatish Taseer, who wrote a critical piece on Modi in Time magazine and was punished by denying his wish to visit his aging grandmother. Nitasha Kaul, a professor from Westminster University, was deported directly from the Bengaluru airport back to the U.K. because of her past statements critical of the Modi government on constitutional matters. It should be noted that the Modi government changed the rules to make these arbitrary decisions unchallengeable in the judicial system. The Modi regime has deported many more Christian leaders from the West directly from the airport just because they happened to be Christians.
Modi Administration’s attacks on civil society have been ferocious, where many of the NGOs were forced to shutter their doors, and the foreign-related ones were either expelled or their FCRAs canceled. Minority-related institutions suffered the most at the hands of this regime, where 20000 or more FCRAs belonging to Christian Educational and Charitable organizations were suspended or frozen, thereby effectively putting them out of business. In contrast, Sangh Parivar organizations were allowed to receive money from abroad without any hindrance.
In the United States, where people are supposed to have freedom of expression, the Godi media, controlled mainly by Gujaratis, may have stifled voices of dissent by striking any criticism of Modi from either printed pages or visual media. Moderators who tried to play even-handedly on some of those networks started distancing themselves from genuine debates or being banished from the scene altogether. Even the Asianet outfit in the U.S., a popular channel in Kerala, allegedly has been under the influence of Sangh Parivar, their principal correspondent in the USA, who was a no-show at the Javits Center, where Rahul Gandhi addressed a large crowd.
Considering the above, it is understandable why the Diaspora is somewhat relieved by the changing dynamics with a new coalition government under Modi. However, there is a genuine fear that, given the opportunity, the BJP may poach M.P.s from other parties and craft a new majority of their own as they have plenty of resources to accomplish their set goals. Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar are crafty politicians who have been victims of Modi’s odious agenda, and the world will be restlessly watching how they navigate through opportunities that come their way.
Nevertheless, the people of India have unequivocally rejected the BJP’s agenda, which sought to undermine the constitution and transform the country. This election outcome is a resounding endorsement of the current constitutional framework envisioned and implemented by Jawaharlal Nehru and B.R. Ambedkar. The voters appeared to have arrested the development of the nation’s slide towards dictatorship and fascism for now. It is also important to note that the BJP has not gotten a majority of its own. Narendra Modi himself has lost substantial vote share in his quest for reelection. Even the BJP candidate in Ayodhya, where the temple has been consecrated, had to concede defeat.
If Narendra Modi and Amit Shah persist in governing India through their makeshift coalition, it is imperative for them to uphold the constitution. They must cease divisive and unscrupulous politics, halt the weaponization of investigating agencies, stop the destruction of worship places belonging to minority citizens, and govern the country by the law and its constitution. It is also high time for people to exercise their inherent right to express their opinions without fear of arrest or the cancellation of their OCI cards. The Fourth Estate should be allowed to function freely, promoting objective journalism that reaches people without bias or prejudice. We are again reminded that democracy is not a majoritarian rule but respects diversity and facilitates equal justice regardless of caste, creed, language, religion, or region.
We at the Overseas Congress salute the INDIA coalition and its leaders, especially AICC President Kharge Ji Rahul Ji and Pitroda ji, for their tireless efforts in getting the message to the people, which elicited the current response through the ballot boxes. We express our special gratitude to all those IOC volunteers from across the globe who participated in the electoral process to save democracy in their motherland.
(The author is a former Chief Technology Officer of the United Nations. He is Vice Chair of IOC USA. He can be reached at GTA777@gmail.com)