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India Won?!

By Dr Mansoor Durrani

06 May, 2014
Countercurrents.org

I had a dream that in line with our constitution, majority of Indians have once again renewed their commitment to keep India secular. And have rejected fascism. There was no “Modi magic” or “Modi wave”. It was mere media creation. The great Indian nation has not just defeated fascism, it has also defeated media terrorism! A media that had turned the “butcher of Gujarat” into a “national hero”. And hundreds of millions of Indians (not just Muslims but sane followers of all religions) were dreading the takeover of India by fascist forces.

Besides fascist ideology, these forces have also been corrupt to the core; BJP’s national president (not any small foot soldier) Bangaru Laxman was caught on a video camera taking bribe. These forces have also plundered national mineral wealth and have very recently been thrown out of power in the southern state of Karnataka due to extreme corruption and chaos they created in the state!

The forces who planned, executed and then tried to sweep under the carpet fake encounters of innocent men and women have been defeated. Forces who destroyed Babri Masjid in broad daylight in front of the entire world. Forces that burnt Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons (6 years old Timothy and 10 years old Phillip) alive. Forces that are bent upon sending all those who oppose fascism (not just Muslims) to Pakistan; who are forcefully evicting Muslims from their houses just because Muslims have chosen to live side-by-side with their Hindu brothers and sisters in a cordial and secular India.

And voters also defeated the fascist-in-chief who had no respect for the rule of law; who consistently refused to appoint Lokayukt (ombudsman) and Right to Information (RTI) Commissioner in Gujarat that he has been ruling for over a decade. He refused these appointments just to ensure that the world does not get to see the proof of his dirty role in Gujarat genocide of 2002.

Modi’s foot soldiers have also been caught on video cameras claiming brutal rapes and industrial scale killings of innocent citizens in Gujarat, with his complicity! Two of his ministers are convicted for murder, arson and rioting. Another minister who was leading the charge to make Modi India’s prime minster in these elections is banned by a court to enter his home state Gujarat.

Under Modi’s leadership, Gujarat earned a rare distinction of being the one-and-only state in India where more than half a dozen senior police and intelligence officers are imprisoned for serious crimes including cold-blooded murders! I was wondering, in my dream, that if a man could not take care of his wife, how would he take care of a large country? Raising and supporting a family is the most basic and important thread of the society. You don’t need to inhumanly dump your wife for serving the country! Otherwise prime ministers and presidents, all over the world, would be ditchers like him!!

In my dream I was complaining against a completely sold-out, corporate media that parroted about his “Gujarat model”. That “model” was not about economic development. There are more states in India that are economically better developed than Gujarat. The “Gujarat model” was not about “peace and stability” either.

Modi could have learnt from BJP’s Shivraj Singh ruled state of Madhya Pradesh where the state leadership has ensured a tight control on communal forces. While being a hardcore RSS activist himself, Singh has ensured the safety and security of all state subjects, including minorities, during his reign. This is not a bad model of governance and stability. But Modi does not give a damn to even BJP veterans like M.M. Joshi and his own mentor L.K. Advani. So no question of learning from Shivraj Singh.

Modi’s “model” was essentially about large scale ethnic cleansing, fake encounters, forceful occupation and handing over of government land to corporate sharks at throw away prices – part of the reason why he is such a darling of India Inc! If such a polarized and corrupt figure came to power, India would get internally weak and unstable and externally isolated. He is the only prime ministerial candidate in India’s history who is not allowed to enter into the United States. He may get arrested if he sets his feet on European soil.

Because of his overtly anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim stand, our relations with over 50 Muslim countries would be jeopardized - some of them are India’s economic lifeline as they supply bulk of our oil. Our relations with our neighbors would go for a toss due to his misplaced nationalist ideology. He had already declared that after becoming prime minister, he would expel millions of Muslims from Eastern part of India whom he and his party call “Bangladeshis”!

Humans have short memory, but not as short as the media expected. We did not forget Pramod Mahajan manufactured “India shining” media blitz during 2004 elections. But Indian electorate gave a boot (not majority vote) to fascist forces then. And they have done it again in 2014 at a time when almost all media-sponsored surveys had declared Modi the next prime minister of India. I distinctly remember Mahajan giving interview to a pro-fascism TV channel during 2004 elections. When the interviewer asked him the proof of “India shining”, Mahajan brazenly replied that “it is just a feel-good factor”!

This is the caliber and true face of fascist leadership. They simply wish to deceive Indian electorates. But Indian voters have once again demonstrated maturity and wisdom; and have renewed their commitment towards a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious India. A country where everyone having mutual respect for social, political and religious freedom. This is clearly enshrined in our constitution, which fascist forces have been trying hard to change, sometimes forcefully. And failing.

While the mandate against fascism is clear, but the mandate in favor of “secular” and “pseudo-secular” parties is not clear enough. Voters have done their job. They have demonstrated enough wisdom and maturity. It will now require enormous selflessness, vision and patience on behalf of non-fascist forces to come together and offer a stable, clean and robust government for the next 5 years. The country can have only one prime minister at a time! Regional political stalwarts will have to keep a tight leash on their egos and aspirations. Ammas, Didis and Behen jis will have to check their personal ambitions, if they are true patriots.

But if they love the top-job more than they love the country, then political mess will soon ensue – we have witnessed enough of that in the past! And we will face a mid-term poll at a great national cost. India cannot and must not have another election in the next 3-4 years. A non-fascist government must be formed at the earliest. And it must govern cleanly and smoothly for the next 5 years. If it happens, India may greatly benefit from this.

Then my morning alarm went off!

Two more rounds of voting to go. I hope my dream for India remaining a secular (and not becoming a fascist) state comes true. That will be a victory for India. In sha Allah.

Dr Mansoor Durrani is a PhD in Islamic Banking from UK. He is currently serving as a Senior Vice President at a top bank in the Middle East. Views are personal.

 


 



 

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