Narendra Modi - The fundamentalist

Violence is a common theme to tackle any challenge

Are you willing to take a factual or a partisan position? Fortunately for India and unfortunately for Modi and BJP, Gauri Lankash took a factual position.

In recent past, too many Indians have fallen for Modi’s ideology which is proving to be a road to disaster as India continues to descend into violence. Why blame only Pakistan for extremism, when current Indian government is no impediment to fundamentalism. Modi Sarkar appears to be the biggest danger to Indian secular credentials. It is proven again this week. The murder of Indian leftist journo and activist Gauri Lankesh, and Modi’s business visit to Myanmar at a time, when persecution of Muslims is on its peak, speaks volumes of his anti-Muslim stance.

Modi wants to sail unchecked. Is there anyone who dares speak against the Hindu-nationalist militancy? Pakistani Journalists openly talk about the militancy issues. But, in India, if one fails to toe the Hindu-nationalist line, it’s difficult to survive.

Modi’s endless thirst for absolute power has brought India on the verge of being labeled ‘intolerant-extremist’ state. Dubious Indian position is disturbing for many Indian who have made lots of sacrifices and did plenty of good work to make India-a great secular country. Modi is undoing Indian advances towards a more progressive and prudent India. On one side, Modi blames Pakistan for militancy, and himself harbors terrorist in India, Afghanistan, and Iran.

General Bajwa is right to call on “world to do more," because, Pakistan is not an epic center of terrorism as it is wrongly perceived. It is something which Indian lobbyists, foreign office, and diplomats around the world propagate against Pakistan. Efficient use of media and diplomacy paves the way for Indian rhetoric to be heard more loudly against the weak Pakistani lobbyists and diplomats.

Modi shared the Myanmar’s concern on extremist violence in the Rakhine state. And he was being thanked for firm stand taken against the terrorist threat which came to Myanmar.

At the lowest point in Myanmar's history, where persecution is at its peak, Modi looked for emotional connect with Burma and termed it as a close friend of India. After the bilateral discussions with Suu Kyi, Myanmar issued a statement declaring that Rohingya issue is similar to Kashmir. She further remarked, ‘we are facing the same problem as India is facing in Kashmir.'

Both leaders seem to blur the line here. Freedom fight is not anonymous to terrorism. Fighting for freedom against the oppression is not terrorism. A vast gulf lays between a terrorist and a freedom fighter. In Kashmir’s case innocent Kashmiris are freedom fighters, and Modi Sarkar is a terrorist. And in Myanmar, Buddhist and military Junta is playing a blatant terrorist, not innocent Rohingyas.

Branding the ignored, ruthlessly crushed and so-called stateless community as a terrorist is absurd beyond a doubt. When the threat of Islamic progression looms, and Buddhist feel religiously insecure, it can’t make Rohingyas terrorist. But, when even basic human rights and fundamental requirements are denied at an epic scale, and Rohingya Muslims are insanely discriminated, naturally, a rebellion will emerge against oppression. When Muslims businesses and houses are flamed, and women and children are burnt alive and decapitated, it typically makes way for some to fill the vacuum. When freedom is denied, and public humiliation becomes a norm, even after living for four generations, citizenship rights are repudiated, and violence erupts. Resultantly, attacks on oppressors become imminent.

If targeting a police and army post is terrorism than denying rights, murdering children, and women mercilessly can also be branded ‘State Terrorism.' Denying the freedom on peoples will and suppressing them with routine torture, murder and pelting with stone is nothing but state terrorism. It is precisely what Modi Sarkar has been up to in Held Kashmir.

Commenting on Gauri Lankesh killing, a Bhartia Janta Party (BJP) MLA at a meeting in Koppa Taluk of Chikmagalur stated that had she not spoken in her articles against the RSS and BJP, she would have been alive today. He further argued that writing against BJP is unacceptable.

Lankash stood up to fight for Dalit rights, and injustices committed against the minorities, and political hate speech.

Modi’s government has a habit of terrorizing those who dare challenge his hegemony and any rhetoric against his Hindutva ideology is crushed with an iron hand. Violence is a common theme to tackle any challenge. Modi led the lynching and hate crime flourish against the minorities and Hindu extremists have the backing BJP.

World democratic power houses and so-called great communist regimes in China and Russia failed to condemn the genocide and persecution of Rohingyas. Continuous slumber and voicing no concern over the brutal killings and blatant state terrorism questions their honesty and commitment to world peace. Modi Sarkar shared the concern of Myanmar. China along with Russia opposed the proposal to condemn the killings in Myanmar. Such hypocrisy leads to flourishing insurgency from non-state actors and jihadists from around the world. No wonder Ramzan Kadyrow challenged the Russians and stated: "But if it were up to me, if there were the possibility, I would hit there even with nuclear weapons, just to eradicate those people who kill children, women, old people." Such sentiments are shared by many when they witness atrocities committed against the innocent Rohingya. And those directly in the line of fire pick arms to defend their position and resultantly, the typical rhetoric of terrorism which has become synonymous with Muslims echoes.

Sadly, people like Modi and Suu Kyi who are directly involved in state terrorism in Kashmir and Myanmar are sparred for reasons which are no longer a mystery. Islam, for them, is a common enemy and rise in Muslim population which demands freedom and its fundamental rights are too far a hassle for extremists like Modi and Suu Kyi. No wonder, they decided to make this friendship stronger. If the situation is reviewed through a narrow mind, ignoring the holistic view, it gets difficult to reach a prudent conclusion. Sadly, prejudice has no cure. The sooner the followers of Modi realise, the better it will be for India.

Waqas Shabbir is a Derby Business School graduate in Finance, currently working as a freelance writer having interest in South Asian and European economics. He previously worked as a study advisor at University of Derby

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