SAMIR NAZARETH
It is commendable that the Indian government under Prime Minister Naren dra Modiji, of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is go ing to teach children about the Emergency. This was a shameful period in India’s democracy. By informing children about this episode, Modiji and his team are proving that not everything about India and her history was glorious, just like the fact that Hindu kings waged war on each other. One hopes the chapters will include the background to the declaration of the Emergency.
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The opposition, including the Rashtriya Sway amsevak Sangh (RSS), India’s right-wing Hindu nationalist paramilitary organisation, organised protests across the country. There were calls for the police and Armed Forces to mutiny against Indira Gan dhi’s elected government. Undoubtedly, Modiji will ensure the unvarnished truth is told about this period. If this is not done, the most awarded leader in the world and his government could be perceived as cherry-picking to suit their interests.
Worse, children will learn half truths. Will this be good for India’s future? Children and others not only learn from books but also from the conduct of those in power. The actions of those in power establish norms and create precedents that influence citizens. For more than a decade, In dians have been given oppor tunities to learn. For exam ple, the Indian government have released their version of the classic How to Win Friends and Influence Peo ple for public consumption. Using investigative bodies, like the ED and CBI, the BJP led government is making new friends and influencing people. Immediately after elec tions, the BJP has the ability to attract winning candidates from opposing political par ties. In doing so, this political party knowingly prevents the people’s mandate from being fulfilled.
The very basis of de mocracy is undermined by their machinations. India has silently witnessed their ma noeuvres in the states of Goa, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Megha laya, Karnataka and Mahar ashtra. PM Modi, in election cam paigns, claimed without evidence that the Congress would redistribute wealth to ‘infiltrators’. He has also claimed those protesting against the NRC in 2020 could be identified by their clothing. Indians have heard leaders threaten Pakistan and Chi na quite frequently. These threats have not halted the border proclivities of these countries. Further, Indians love it when PM Modi hugs world leaders and shares chocolates with Italian PM Meloni. No other country manufactures awards where Narendra Modi is the sole re cipient. For many, this proves his Vishwaguru status and India’s global stature. But this persona has not translated into something tangible, like an invitation to participate in the ongoing US-Iran peace talks. Nor did this status do much when President Trump levied tariffs on India.
When citizens internalise this hype, it may impact their behav iour abroad as they perceive this exaggerated sense of in ternational respect entitles them to behave as they want. When democratic pro cesses and institutions are subverted for personal and political gain, what message does it send to Indians? What are Indians learning from their leaders being reward ed or re-elected for their hate speech? What are Indi ans learning when political image-making is celebrated more than tangible interna tional outcomes? Leaders manipulating democratic processes, abus ing positions of responsi bility, being rewarded for bigotry or projecting an in ternationally gilded leader ship that does not seem to serve the nation cascades into everyday life. The leaking of entrance examination question pa pers is a case in point. The most recent leak was that of NEET. It is alleged the papers were leaked by teachers who were in charge. These inci dents become easier to un derstand in a culture where positions of responsibility are increasingly viewed as opportunities for personal profit.
According to reports, some alleged embezzlers of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tem ple in Ayodhya either have family with longstanding ties to the Vishva Hindu Parish ad (VHP), were employed by VHP members or were as sociated with the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshet ra Trust. The VHP was at the forefront of the Ram Janma bhoomi movement. When citizens observe power being exercised without accounta bility, respect for institutions erodes. It should not come as a surprise when people em bezzle money from the coun try’s holiest Hindu shrine. Entire steel bridges and telecom towers are stolen. Police claim cartons of alco hol secured in their police station were consumed by rats. These seemingly absurd incidents share a common feature – citizens’ disrespect for institutions, and a broad er disrespect and disregard for each other. Which raises the question: when election mandates are sabotaged for political gain, why can’t citi zens cheat others out of pub lic infrastructure or rats fur tively consume alcohol? There was a time when call centres in India were set up to scam Americans and the British. Now Indians are targeting fellow citizens.
Ac cording to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, there were over 33,000 more cybercrimes in 2023 than in 2021. How do attempts to increase nationalism not pre vent Indians from making a profession of cheating other Indians? More Indians are travelling abroad. This is something to celebrate. However, there are increasing instances of Indi an tourists behaving in a way that some feel embarrasses the country. They dance in inappropriate places and pil fer hotels and shops. An ex aggerated sense of national exceptionalism coupled with pride in Modi’s Vishwaguru status may give rise to a cit izen’s personal sense of enti tlement abroad, encouraging some to believe regular rules don’t apply to them. India’s political leaders appear not to consider the social and moral impact their conduct has on citizens, let alone on the country’s de mocracy. Undoubtedly, Modiji and his team know the pithy say ing, ‘Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion’. Will Indians respect ethical standards if their leaders profit by violat ing them? (Samir Nazareth is an author and writes on so cio-economic and environ mental issues.)
