Warnings from Modi's India

1.27.17

A candidate so controversial that some revere him as a god while others condemn him as the devil. A campaign built on rising nationalist sentiments. A country of citizens tired of feeling removed from its politics, waiting for someone, something, to make them feel important again. Sound familiar?

  India’s current prime minister, Narendra Modi, was elected in 2014 amidst a wave of discontentment with the previously governing Indian National Congress party. For many who who witnessed his rise to power two years ago, the parallels to Donald J. Trump’s election in the United States have been remarkable.

  Both men faced international scorn in the beginning. Trump had an all-too-evident lack of experience. Coupled with his explosive temperament and the unfortunate series of offensive actions that comprised his campaign, his bid for the highest office in the nation alarmed not only much of America, but also many other countries and their politicians. One example of this incredulity was expressed by Paris’s mayor last May, who, when asked to comment on Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims, said in a video that would quickly become viral “[he] is so stupid, my God. My God.”

  In contrast, Modi was not a political outsider, but he came with a marred history as the former governor of the state of Gujarat. In 2002, Hindu mobs ruthlessly turned against Muslims in Gujarat in response to rumors that Muslims had been behind a tran explosion which killed Hindu pilgrims. Over a period of weeks, Hindus raped, pillaged, and killed innocent Muslims. With nearly 1000 dead and 150,000 displaced, not to mention destruction of countless Muslim homes, mosques, and businesses, this appalling scene shocked the world. Modi was accused of being complicit, and despite being acquitted by the Indian Supreme Court, suspicion at his role in the riots continued. The U.S. and the U.K. both placed diplomatic bans on Modi, prohibiting him from getting a Visa to either country. Human Rights Watch pointed out that even if he did not actively encourage these hate crimes, he did not do enough to stop them.

  While Trump may not have overseen an incident of ethnic cleansing, he has a past riddled with accusations of racial discrimination, sexual assault, and business scandals. On top of this, he has no qualifications whatsoever to run the executive branch of the country, and his polarizing behavior made it seem impossible that he had a shot at the position. Thus, realizing their chances could otherwise be slim, both Modi and Trump focused on the issue of corruption. They banked on the public’s disillusionment with establishment politicians to gain footholds. Both also seized upon right-wing nationalism for political gain, recognizing this as an efficient strategy to garner support from conservatives

  Modi appealed to Hindus, using the historical precedent of 1992 Rath Yatra to incite hatred towards Muslims and help him garner support. The Rath Yatra was a march organized by the BJP in which Hindus were galvanized to destroy a 16th-century Mughal mosque. Some believed this to be the birthplace of the Hindu god Rama, but the Muslim place of worship had existed peacefully for ages before the BJP stirred up resentment from the Hindu majority.

  Similarly, Trump played up religious tension in a secular country, proposing bans and registries on Muslims. In the ten days following his election, The Southern Poverty Law Center recorded 867 reported cases of hateful harassment or intimidation in the U.S. Despite Trump expressing disappointment and telling those acting against minorities to “stop it” on CBS’ 60 Minutes, such incidents have continued to crop up. Vandalism of both private and public property has been widespread, including hate symbols and messages depicted on cars, in parks, and in places of worship. Verbal harassment is also common, sometimes even culminating in physical altercations.

  Such treatment of minorities also spiked in India after Modi’s election, which galvanized Hindu nationalist rhetoric both within the government and amongst citizens. Notably, suspicion over consumption of beef -- cows are considered sacred in Hinduism -- caused four killings of Muslim men in 2015. Many churches were also attacked. Even more alarming than these crimes was the government’s apparent indifference to them; Amnesty International’s annual report on India states “authorities failed to prevent hundreds of incidents of communal violence across the country” and that “some politicians contributed to religious tensions by making speeches justifying discrimination and violence.” Human Rights Watch also emphasized the failure of prosecutorial authorities in taking legal action to bring justice to perpetrators of hate crimes.

  “The same kind of people who are angry about Trump in America are angry about Modi in India,” says Maanik Mahna, a New Delhi activist currently working with Swaraj Abhiyan, a political platform which aims to combat right-wing nationalism through a vision of equality and opportunity for all. “The difference is that in India, they don’t have as much of a voice.”

  To protest this lack of a voice, dozens of writers returned the prestigious awards they were given by the Indian National Academy of Letters in 2016, citing a lack of sectarianism and restrictions of freedom of expression under Modi’s government. Indian artists, scholars, scientists, businessmen, and economists supported this act of dissent in hopes that they could help discourage infringements upon the rights promised by the Indian constitution.

  With the growing prevalence of fake news, hate crimes, and nationalist rhetoric in our country that Trump’s election has brought into sharp relief, stories of Modi’s India should serve as a warning to the United States. India is the world’s largest democracy, and yet in the hands of Prime Minister Modi, it can be argued that it has not been functioning as a democracy should. The United States has always been proud of its promise of liberty and justice for all. As we head into the next four years under the administration of President-Elect Trump, let us not forget that our civil liberties are what truly make America great, and that we are responsible as citizens for raising our voices in their support.