It is no secret that the BJP and RSS are trying to play the communal game against Christians and Muslims. We have heard in the recent past an excessive amount of vitriol spewing straight from the horses' mouths. However, the exponentially increasing attack vectors and their intensity have been palpable recently. The BJP's strategy is becoming louder, harsher, more deliberate.

The real problem is not only the actions. It is the institutions that allow them to stand unchecked. The Election Commission, which should be the referee, looks more like a bystander. Nay, worse — a bystander with a side. It refuses to release raw data. It deletes names from rolls without a proper explanation. It shields footage behind a "privacy" excuse. When citizens question, the Commission pushes back with arrogance, not answers.

And when the damage is done, the Supreme Court sometimes steps in. But slowly. Often too slowly. Interim orders arrive weeks or months later, after the story has slipped off the front page. It was evident to all that the impulsive SIR was concocted to help the BJP gain ground, and yet the SC allowed it to happen. The relief is only partial, sometimes perfunctory. It does not restore what was lost. By then, the wrong has settled into the background noise of public life. What should have been a scandal becomes the new normal.

The BJP thrives in this fog. It writes laws that target minorities. It births vigilante groups that intimidate in the name of faith. It claims to protect democracy while hollowing it out. And when the Opposition raises questions, the commissions hide behind affidavits and procedures, and the Court issues delayed remedies that do not change outcomes.

Erased names. Withheld data. Fear campaigns. Religious baiting. Institutional silence. Courtroom delays. Together, they form a strategy of decay.

The Constitution cannot defend itself. Its survival depends on how seriously institutions take their duty. The Election Commission must act as an independent authority, not as an extension of government. The Supreme Court must move faster and deeper, instead of offering symbolic corrections. Otherwise, citizens will conclude that the system is not broken by accident — it is being bent on purpose.

The apologue of a frog being slowly boiled alive is apt here. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.

Bafflingly, there is an unfortunate and profound silence on the part of the people who are being targeted, as if it is not their problem at all. They seem to be waiting for a Prince Charming to come rescue them. By the time the hero arrives, there may be nothing to be saved.