BJP Brought Blessings to Cadres, Exasperation to Others
The other day, Amit Shah proudly claimed that India has steadily moved from despair to optimism during the last eleven years. While this is perfectly true of BJP supporters and Hindutva activists who win contracts in BJP-led states and turn multi-millionaires overnight, the lower classes have fallen lower, and their expectations have turned to exasperation. Their existence itself is in peril.

We are referring to that category of people who are greatly needed in society but are excluded from interaction by the elite. Two Dalits in Ganjam District (Odisha), for example, were tortured by cow vigilantes. It happens every day, the locals said.

'Imposition' of Hindi Awakens Strong Regional Sentiments
Amit Shah's fad consists not only in boasting about BJP achievements and flattering Modi, but also in 'imposing' Hindi on unwilling states. For Hindutva strategists, of course, unity means uniformity and homogeneity. Shahji's eagerness to press this strategy upon a nation of diverse cultures and traditions has reawakened the dormant regionalism that can manifest in exaggerated forms in different parts of the country. It is already doing so. Enlightened leadership under Congress had handled the problem of national integration with great sensitivity and sympathetic understanding. Our present leaders, least versed in political refinement, have provoked diverse types of verbal or organisational resistance.

Mamata Banerjee has announced a new 'BJP Quit India' Movement, calling for an end to terrorism against the Bengali language. She insists that Bengali-speaking people are persecuted all over India; their citizenship is questioned. We can clearly see that Bengali exceptionalism is here to stay. Visiting Bengal, Amit Shah could go no further than refer to Mir Jaffar…not to Jagat Seth! In any case, he visited Manipur after the trouble, which Modiji did not deign to do. But the PM was quick to adapt to Bengal. He promised to be the protector of Bengali Asmita. He invoked not Ram, but Ma Kali. 'Jai Ma Kali, Jai Ma Durga,' he cried. There were positive vibrations.

"We Rule the Streets," Raj Thackeray
And don't forget, Marathi matters! The imposition of the three-language formula from primary school awakened Maharashtra. Hindi cannot be imposed on little children, they argue. Their future cannot be compromised. Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, who had been estranged for decades, came together in defence of Marathi. Stalin praised the Thackerays for their loyalty to their people. Marathi and English work magic.

The BJP's stubbornness prompted Raj to adopt more aggressive postures in full Shiv Sena style. "You may rule the assembly, but we rule the streets," he blasted. People know that Sena combatants can act tough. If Yogi could use threatening words like 'marega' to 'katega,' Raj didn't want to be an inch behind Hindi warriors. Maratha Asmita is vocal.

So, when Nishikant Dubey, a BJP MP from Jharkhand, seemed over-assertive of Hindi claims, Raj threatened to beat him up and throw him into the Arabian Sea. Dubey responded with similar threats if Raj Thackeray visited UP or Bihar. We know such vocabulary is not unfamiliar to a BJP-led India. It is not much unlike AK Singhal, Togadia or Sudarshan wanting to throw Bangladeshi immigrants into the Bay of Bengal or Amit Shah wishing to wipe them out like termites. That is what cow vigilantes or VHP moral police do to Muslims and Dalits every day under the inspiration of the BJP-RSS. 'Marega' word turns into action.

The tale is not over yet. If Bengal and Maharashtra can be proud of their heritage, so can Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, or Manipur. Odisha Asmita was awakened when the NCERT textbook for class VIII dropped the Paika rebellion against the British. It was considered the first uprising for national independence. Patnaik has protested. Thus, Hindutva cultural hegemony stands as a life-threatening giant over regional and cultural identities. A response is bound to come.

"Naya Bihar" of Modiji Sets a Model for Naya Bharat
Modi calls for a 'Naya Bihar.' With the shooting of a patient in Patna hospital, people have no doubt that 'Naya Bihar' has already come. Tejashwi Yadav posted, "Lawyer shot in Patna. Girl killed in Vaishali. Teacher shot dead in Parsa…A barrage of bullet in Bihar." Modiji wants to remove Jungle Raj, but he has brought it with him in creative forms. The double-engine government of the BJP runs on two wheels, says Tejashwi: one of 'corruption' and the other of 'crime.'

Rahul says that Bihar has been made the 'crime capital' of India. Special Intensive Revision of the voters' list will not remove the Crime Raj that has returned under new guardianship. Nitish seeks to soften the atmosphere by announcing free electricity and increased pensions. But who will foot the bill? The public. The poor will pay the bills for the rich, also. Thus, painful realities remain. In Bihar, 60% of those under 30 are unemployed. Lawlessness is on the rise. Thirty-one murders have been reported during recent days. Naya Bihar sets a model for Naya Bharat.

Slum Demolitions for the Corporates
Ruthlessness against the poor is visible in Bihar, UP, Assam, Delhi and other places. Bulldozer discipline is about clearing slums and tribal settlements for corporations and crime lords. The ancient heroes of Pataliputra civilisation, the Moriyas, Lichchavis and Vaishalis, who were plundered and left helpless by the Aryans in earlier times, are being rendered homeless again by the BJP-business-invaders. Shashi Tharoor puts it this way, "Slum demolitions, carried out with ruthless efficiency in urban centres like New Delhi, rendered thousands homeless, with no concern for their welfare." Is their condition any better than that of Gaza victims?

Lurinjyoti Gogoi contends that the tribal eviction drive in Assam is planned to make space for business plunderers. For example, in Karbi Anglong, some 20,000 Adivasis, Karbis and Nagas have been evicted to give 18,000 bighas to Reliance Group. In Dima Hasao, 9,000 bighas have been handed over to the Adani Group. Similarly, near Kaziranga wildlife sanctuary, Adivasis have been robbed of 45 bighas to make place for a showy hotel, 75 bighas in Golaghat District for Patanjali.

Devotees Can Assault and Vandalise
Devotions hide intentions. Melas and pujas make the steady advance of business communities from Gujarat and Rajasthan to new BJP areas unnoticed. Fake sadhus have multiplied, who steal and misbehave with women. But pilgrims and godmen are a privileged group like the RSS.

Ambedkar feared the motives of the RSS, which wanted to penetrate every village and visit every home. Recent reports say that Kanwariya devotees have vandalised shops over prices, damaged vehicles in UP and Uttarakhand. This, even though 50,000 policemen are on duty all along the Kanwariya route.

The fact is that the Kanwariyas assaulted a CRPF jawan. With the increasing crime rate in the country, the CRPF is seeking to recruit 20,000 more despite having a force of 3 lakh. But holy men remain beyond civil discipline. They are free to dictate, to threaten, to claim the head of dissenters from weaker communities within the Hindu Rashtra. The Modi government is known to be opaque on such matters. No wonder, we witness cultural self-assertions all over the country beyond the Hindi belt. The fanatic Asmita of the dominant group has stirred the legitimate Asmita of the tiniest groups.

The Asmita of America Is Awakening Asmita World Over
Will the Asmita of America (MAGA) fail to arouse the Asmita of Iran when hit by a midnight hammer? Has not Trumpian tariff terrorism awakened the Asmita of the EU and Canada? Of Russia and China? In fact, it has just brought into existence a "Japanese first" party opposing immigration, questioning tariffs.

Will not the Asmita of India's chauvinistic group make the Asmita of Pakistan, Maldives and Bangladesh come alive far beyond their borders? India's self-display, especially linked with its production of new weapons, will prove counter-productive. Self-defence is legitimate; aggressive self-display, though it satisfies the flattering majority in the country, merely stirs the Asmita of neighbouring nations. The idolisation of the state must be transcended, says historian Arnold Toynbee. We must not make the mistake of the Romans, who worshipped their state and lost it in the end.

The Chinese classic 'Tao te Ching' warns us against self-projected stature: "He who stands on tip-toe, does not stand firm. He who takes the longest strides, does not walk the fastest...He who boasts of what he will do, succeeds in nothing. He who is proud of his work does nothing that endures."

Indian Democracy in the Present Situation
Indian democracy has been trimmed in very many ways. An alleged security threat is used to introduce autocracy in the cutest manner. Tharoor points to this type of threat to democracy, "especially when the executive is convinced of its own infallibility and impatient with the checks and balances that are essential for democratic systems." The leadership centralises power and rigidly controls decisions in the name of national security.

Self-censorship has become normal in America after Trump's takeover ... just what has been happening in India during the last decade. Foreign reporters in our country are afraid to report the truth for fear of losing their Indian visa. All clap hands for their leaders in a Hindu Rashtra, as blind citizens do in China and Russia. People are not even aware that some think differently.

A Humble Proposal: Move from Self-Importance to Self-Criticism
Freedom is about thinking differently. Rosa Luxemburg says, "Freedom only for the supporters of the government, only for the supporters of one party—however numerous they may be—is no freedom at all. Freedom is always and exclusively the freedom of the one thinks differently." In today's India, freedom has lost its way. Universities have lost their independence, intellectuals their freedom to express themselves, and perceptive people their liberty to give a timely warning. Supreme Court admits, "Citizens should know the values of freedom of speech and expression," but immediately warns society against those who abuse this freedom.

A word of self-criticism. Indians, unfortunately, are known for swearing by "seemingly incompatible values," i.e., standing by a culture of contradictions! Today, ideas are on trial here, ideals in exile, critical thinking in full retreat. Promises are made only to be broken! Modiji had promised to raise 2 crore jobs a year, which would have meant 22 crore in 11 years. Has he even created 22 lakh?

But unattended tragedies galore! Bridges collapsing in Gujarat is a daily event. The last one was at Vadodara. Deaths of sewer workers without safety gear have not diminished. Hindutva politics have silenced the workers' rights. On the Human Development Index, India ranks 130, while on the Global Hunger Index, it ranks 105.

Meanwhile, Modi's foreign trips between 2021 and 25 have cost citizens ?362 crore. But he could not spend another Rs 6,000 for a trip to Manipur. This is the BJP's glory!

Welcome Ideas
Marie Curie used to say, "Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas." Listen and learn. Feel with people. We do not deny that the hurt sentiments of Hindu society, too, call for attention. Sincere minority groups have always offered that. We are all part of the same civilisation. There are memories of historic injuries, isolation as the only Hindu country in the world, persecution of fellow believers in neighbouring states, harassment of immigrants in the western hemisphere, and marginalisation of Indian interests in a West-dominated world. But looking at these realities, we act maturely.

The height of a civilisation is measured by its ability to accept realities, move forward confidently, determined to shape its future together, without isolating the Hindus from their fellow citizens. Unity is strength, believed Gandhiji; we belong to a single family, taught Tagore; act together, said Nehru and Patel. The legitimate Asmita of the majority should not humiliate the identity of minorities. We help to heal each other's memories. And we listen to wise men like Marcus Aurelius, who said, "Reject your sense injury, and the injury itself disappears."

But Be Practical
And yet, however high your ideals be, be realistic. Interestingly, the former Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, said, "If I am cooking, I feel like I'm in control of my life." Rishi Sunak, the former Prime Minister of the UK, also thought the same. Even his wife appreciated his dishes. We should build our lives on realities.

We should be free to evaluate the performance of our leaders, but we should understand them too. All we wish to do is to correct them and propose alternative approaches. That is democracy.