There have been three hate crimes in the US against Indians in the last two weeks. This has been fostered by Donald Trump’s attitude and publicly stated policy towards immigrants which has created an atmosphere of mistrust and hatred encouraging some people to take advantage of it. Notably Narendra Modi the man who claimed an equation with Donald Trump soon after the US Presidential elections was over, has not even picked up the phone and spoken to the US President seeking justice for the victims and assurances of safety for the large Indian expatriate population in that country.
There is a parallel here in India with Modi and his party, the BJP creating communal tensions since May 2014 all over the country here in India with their intolerance and under one pretext or other, notably over the slaughter of cows and the eating of beef. This has been compounded by the senior BJP leaders including Cabinet Ministers making provocative statements and in that process putting their foot in the mouth, more often than not. Here again there is a situation of double standards where one can safely say that when anyone from the BJP makes a controversial statement, however, outrageous it may be, then they are defended or at most a comment is made that they did not ‘actually’ mean what they said..
But if it is anyone else who makes even a simple comment particularly the Opposition parties then it is blown up in a manner of making a mountain out of a molehill and all within the BJP go hammer and tongs against the person or party even extending to physical attacks, legal course and slandering.
This has resulted in a kind of uncertainty and unease across the country. Moreover the rank and file of the BJP cadre has got encouragement by this situation and the courage to foment trouble knowing full well that the top leadership will back them up. Avoidable incidents like this have generated an alarm in the society on how to deal with this kind of boorishness, crass behaviour and a general feeling of disappointment at the transition of our society and country’s image from that of an ancient civilization, cultured and compassionate to a wannabe culture desperate to show off their supposed achievements exposing the shallowness of themselves as well as their claims.
