There is instability in the Middle East oil rich kingdoms where despots Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Mohammed Gadaffi in Syria, and Hosni Mubarak in Egypt ruling with an iron hand were dethroned. Russia is playing a dangerous game in destabilizing and wanting to gobble up Ukraine. The tragic shooting down of Malaysia flight MH17 by pro Russian rebels in Ukraine, Israel and Palestine almost continually war locked with missile flying around, have civilians (children and even innocent babies) bearing the brunt! These wars have created anger, need for retribution and emboldened radicals from everywhere to come together to gain a foothold. If we thought the Taliban was terrible, the ISIS is worse. They are getting sophisticated arms and overcoming defending regular armies that are running away with fear after the threats, savage torture, cruel beheadings and mass execution scenes broadcast by the media.
In the Far East is North Korea going nuclear and is threatening the South and its neighbors Japan, and even China. Besides problematic Pakistan and its borders, India harbors internal terror groups like the Maoists, Naxalites and various fundamentalist groups that are powerful enough to defy the State! The arms and drugs cartels are all pervasive and powerful. Besides religion there are castes and other retrograde barriers in society which refuse to die in this modern age. There is a huge gap in the living standards of society and a vast majority in India still lives in poverty and do not even have a toilet to go to!
There is need for development and scarce resources must primarily be used for infrastructure, updating defense, important administrative and social reforms to prevent deadly communal violence like Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur, and reforming the Judiciary and justice system. When juveniles as young as 9 years commit rape, remand homes are in appalling condition and only produce hardened criminals, it seems ridiculous to cater to a vision of a superlative Vallabhai Patel statue spending Rs 200 crores spewing some philosophical and touristy interpretation that is blatantly skewed priority! Education is most important and we should emulate the Japanese system in schools where values, hygiene and respect for each other come first. Instead we have a new chief of Indian Council of Historical Research Yellapragada Sudershan Rao reportedly hell bent on rewriting history for students by self glorification of India everywhere and insisting on teaching the Mahabharata as history.
A Shiv Sena MLA arrogantly force feeds a menial canteen worker, incidentally a Muslim on fast, just because their grouse against the catering was not heeded. There are many entrenched Sena’s whom for various reasons governments will not ban or bring to justice. The media forces them to verbally condemn their nefarious deeds but nothing happens beyond that! Modi was vociferous in his campaign and a stern condemnation from him instead of silence would have put everyone in their place and avoided such incidents in future, at the same time reassuring the minorities. Sitaram Yechuri a respected and experienced parliamentarian reportedly says that in less than a month the Union Home Ministry, under the guise of cleanup, destroyed more than 1.5 lakh files. Among them historical files with details about the cabinet meeting called before the death of Mahatma Gandhi, basis of decision for Vallabhai Patel to ban RSS and terms and conditions for lifting the ban and so on, which they now do not appear to be following. He also comments on the irony of BJP sponsoring the Rs 200 crore statue!
Democracy requires rule of law and politicians swear an oath to abide by the Constitution after they are elected to Parliament and Vidhan Sabhas, contents of which most seem to be unaware. With a decimated and weak opposition, democracy is in danger of being steamrolled by those in power! The BJP will not graciously give the Congress the Parliament seat of leader of the Opposition, and the AAP is systematically being decimated in Delhi by BJP horse trading or making sure by every means available to win the elections if held.
Manohar Parrikar with Modi as PM, together with Sripad Naik as Union Tourism minister, is now in a more dominant position. There appears to be the overriding “I know best” attitude. When a government generally ignores people’s suggestions and complaints, calling them a social menace if they approach courts, intends specific legislating to render people powerless and wants media to filter out “rogue” whistleblowers we must sit up in alarm! What Parrikar stated and fought for as Opposition leader is now polluted water flowing under the Mandovi Bridge. He is the master and according to the Deputy CM India is a Hindu Rashtra and he a Christian Hindu. This came even as Parrikar painted Fr Cedric Prakash and Muthalik with the same brush. Freedom of speech is clandestinely and selectively condemned, allies’ violence tolerated. Any criticism is not constructive unless it blends with the philosophy of those in power and therein lays the greatest danger to our democracy!
The whole world is in turmoil and there is hatred, violence spreading almost everywhere shattering love and peace. Instead of bringing people together religion is in fact dividing them. Besides climate change and global warming endangering humanity due to its own faulty lifestyles causing environmental degradation, there is danger of use of weapons of mass destruction by fundamentalists and religious bigots who want to impose false values and false Gods in a cruel in humanitarian way. Obama and Modi very eloquently raised hopes and promised action, but can they deliver? Incidentally, 2014 is the centenary of the beginning of the First World War.
(The author is a retired naval officer)
