Jumla vs Performance

The fact remains that India lost its opportunity to rebuild the nation in 1947 when it was set free. The British found it prudent to hand over power to a mild, non-violent and passive leader Gandhi assisted by westernised Nehru in order to firstly, get a safe passage at that point in time and secondly, to continue their control on its polity indirectly. For seven decades we were tamed to remain as passive slaves, fatalists and the world nicknamed our growth as Hindu Rate of Growth. 

With the rise of Narendra Modi, things have taken a drastic turn but you have to realise that we have lost the golden opportunity to integrate India and make it a nation. Today we have inimical forces all over the country nurtured by Congress since independence be it Tamilnadu, Kashmir, Punjab, North East or other states. To quote a Kashmiri saying the efforts made by Modi are like Yupis Shup Dyun Dole (To stop a flood with a winnow). 

We Kashmiris were not exposed to casteism in the valley but I have worked in many states and seen its dirty face. Shiv Sena's hate against lower castes in Maharashtra and against Goans in Goa, DMK's tirade against Brahmins and Hindi-speaking people followed by some political parties in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra and Telangana, inter-tribal hate-mongering and bloodshed in North East, extinction of aborigines in Tripura by refugees from East Bengal, outwitting of Assamese by Bengali refugees and so on. Modi or Shah don't have a Staff of Moses to counter this. 

Nevertheless, what surprises me is the wrong priorities of the present government. They are wasting their energy on many trivial things to remain in power. Yes, it is a known fact that money is inducted into different channels in India like the purchase of journalists, expanding the network of subversive NGOs by vested interests to dislodge the present government and funding helpful opposition political parties. That, however, is a natural outcome of BJP's all-out efforts to ensure a Congress-mukt Bharat and follows Newton's law, "To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." 

I must frankly admit that I am not able to convince myself of Modi's soft corner for Adani, the escape of Neerav, Mallya and Choksi from the country, writing off loans of big tax evaders, tie-up with Mehbooba Mufti in J&K despite her soft-corner for Pakistan, the estrangement of allies like Shiv Sena and Akali Dal besides encouragement to vigilantes and lynching mobs. The main agenda of implementing the Uniform Civil Code, ban on proselytising, reduction of unemployment, harnessing price rise, eradicating corruption and taking cases of criminals to the logical end have become only election issues that have remained pending since 2014. Many cases against big guns have not been pursued vigorously for the last nine years. On the other hand, ED and CBI remain active day in and day out raiding political opponents for maligning them mostly when the elections are fast approaching. However, you cannot overlook the fact that India was visited by natural disasters like floods, land erosions in the Himalayas and the worst coronavirus pandemic which the government has successfully coped with. The people watch the government by results on the ground and benefits derived from.  

Time is going to decide the future of this country. The only thing I have faith in is that India has a culture that has withstood such vicissitudes for over five thousand years and will continue to do so. I quote Dr Mohd Iqbal;

       Unan-o-Misr-o-Roma sab mit gaye jahan see,

       Ab tak magar hai baqi nam-o-nishan hamara.

       Kuch  baat  hai  ki   hasti   mit-ti   nahi  hamari,

      Sadiyon raha hai dushman daur-e-zaman hamara.