The recent spectacle of Narendra Modi and Donald Trump coming together in a love-fest in Texas will remain etched in memory for a long time. In the world’s two democracies, the USA being a strong one and India being the largest one, two actors played to the gallery. While Modi was cheered for his robust defence of his government’s desire to make India a global power, Trump could only twitch his lips, and smirk endlessly.
If Modi chose to be felicitated by the Indo-American diaspora, Trump took the opportunity to woo the same crowd in his re-election bid. That the scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch-yours happened before a bombshell fell on Trump – impeachment proceedings launched.
But Trump being Trump, he isn’t showing concern but rather shows he’s unfazed. The Senate with Republican majority, Trump seems assured he will overcome it. He’s on all-out attack against his political rivals. It’s bit too late in coming as the bugle for his impeachment was sounded at least two years ago.
The Overseas Friends of the BJP was formed with USA and Canada leading the wave. As a newsman, I attended LK Advani’s launch of the chapter in Toronto. It’s acknowledged that the diaspora played a vital role in getting Modi elected in 2014 and also gave its support to Advani’s feet in great reverence. I was shocked to see a well-known scribe (now deceased) representing India Abroad also go on the stage and touch Advani’s feet.
It wasn’t long before the Congress too had its Canada chapter. Unfortunately, there were two groups, each claiming it represented the Indian National Congress. I have not heard anything about the BJP and Congress groups recently. Maybe, they have quietly died down, or lying low.
On the other hand, Trump has got his core vote bank. He practises White Nationalism as much Modi practises Hindu Nationalism. In both countries, democracy has taken a hit. The Atlantic magazine had a big cover story, ‘Is Democracy Dying?’ in October last year. It also had a cover story on Impeachment. There’s, however, a big difference in how democracy functions in both countries.
While in the US, the press is free and can lambast the president. Many in India may find it shocking that Rashida Tiabi, one of the four Democratic women of colour, the rest being Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley, said, “We’re going to impeach this Mo**********”. All Trump could do is bash them with Tweets telling them that they go back from where they have come from and calling them by the moniker, The Squad.
I doubt any Indian parliamentarian would have the guts to say such a thing against the country’s top politico. In this context, I find it amusing, to say the least, that 49 celebrities from many disciplines have been charged for sedition. Intellectuals mean nothing to the party. I was at Ramachandra Guha’s talks at the Toronto University recently where he outlined the “four fault lines” in India today. He told me that he’s been called “anti-national” and that doesn’t affect him.
Mob-lynching has to be denounced and those promoting such hatred must be hauled before the courts, and into jails. But it’s a cry in the wilderness that the rule-of-law would be applied rigorously against some of these miscreants. Didn’t one UP Minister say that “the Supreme Court is ours…” while firmly stressing that the Ram Temple at Ayodhya will be built. This Ayodhya temple issue has raised tempers for far too long and hopefully the SC will come with a decision. All these shenigans don’t help India’s image on the global stage.
Modi may have waxed loud in an op-ed piece in the world’s reputed daily, New York Times, and have paid “humble” respects to Mahatma Gandhi on the latter’s 150th birth anniversary. One mustn’t take such acts at face value. Gandhi is anthema to the Hindutva brigade.
Just read a fine piece in a US magazine titled, Modi’s Philosopher. Guess who that could be? None other than Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. It’s an interview with Vinayak Chaturvedi, an associate professor of history at University of California Irvine by colleague, James Robertson, assistant professor of history at the same university, Chaturvedi says, “The more I started looking at his writings, what became apparent to me is that Savarkar had a much better understanding of cultural hegemony than the Left did. It is no longer possible to simply ignore him, or to say that he was not an interesting figure or was only a “derivative thinker.” Ignoring Savarkar has not helped us to combat the kind of ideas that now perpetuate Hindutva in India, or globally, today.”
The professor implies that “violence is at the centre of all of Savarkar’s writings — and, by extension, all his political work.” So, it’s easy to understand why the members of the Sangh Parivar resort to violence.”
Here’s Chaturvedi’s take on the present-day India. “I think that the worry for lots of people is that perhaps Savarkar is the ghost father of the nation! Perhaps India today isn’t the one that Gandhi envisioned, but is moving closer to the one envisioned by Savarkar..”
A looming ghost perhaps that doesn’t let India remain at peace. So, Savarkar will live long in India as the BJP and other affiliates of the Sangh Parivar work harder in achieving what Savarkar had in mind — Hindu Rashtra.
However, this cultural hegemony must end. As the Hinduvta ball rolls, destroying the pluralistic idea of India as envisioned by Gandhi and Nehru, the ball needs to be stopped. Didn’t US representative Steny Hoyer pointedly quoted Gandhi that possibly left Modi a bit uncomfortable at the mega show, Howdy Modi.
Will the Modi government change course? It better do so, or India could keep on rumbling in the pits. Now it the time to focus on the economy and get the nation moving on sound tracks.
(Eugene Correia is a senior journalist)
