BBC Documentary – Exposing India’s Modi and BJP?

Finally, Narendra Modi, the hawkish Indian leader, was exposed in a broad daylight by the BBC’s two-part documentary, “India: The Modi Question”, for his direct involvement in “the 2002 Gujrat Pogrom” where hundreds of Muslims, including British citizens, were murdered and their houses burnt. The PM of India was the Chief Minister of Gujrat when this tragic incident happened under his watch. Earlier unpublished reports, acquired by the BBC from UK Foreign Office, raised questions about PM Modi’s role during the riots of 2002. The report asserts that PM Modi was “directly responsible” for the “climate of impunity” that enabled the violence. The Hindu nationalist government led by PM Modi has blocked the airing of the documentary saying that even sharing of any clips via social media is barred. The Indian government has issued orders to Twitter and YouTube to block countless tweets and videos linking to the documentary. The man, who fiddled when Gujrat was burning, has attained cult status amongst all those who hate Muslims and minorities. Without an iota of doubt, the country under the premiership of “Butcher of Gujrat” has become socially sick and politically pariah.

Ever since Modi has become PM of India, the politico-economic decline has engulfed the entire country. Violent attacks on Muslims, Christians and other minority groups have become a norm in Modi’s India. The Time magazine featured PM Narendra Modi on the cover of its international edition with the headline, India’s Divider In-Chief. This is nothing short of a slap on the World’s so-called largest democracy. The Time magazine article further adds that not only has Modi’s economic miracle failed to materialize, but he has also helped create an atmosphere of poisonous religious nationalism in India. Without any doubt, under Modi’s watch, India has become sick and un-livable for minorities particularly Muslims, Christians, and Dalits.

Most recently, in its annual report on global political rights and liberties, US-based non-profit Freedom House downgraded India from a free democracy to a “partially free democracy”. Earlier, Sweden-based V-Dem Institute in its latest report on democracy said that India had become an “electoral autocracy”. More interestingly, India, described as a “flawed democracy”, slipped two places to 53rd position in the latest Democracy Index published by The Economist Intelligence Unit. The important fact is that these observations are not coming from Pakistan but from India’s close Western allies. The slogans of Shining and Rising India are shallow as the real picture of India is worst and ailing under PM Modi. According to the reports, these rankings blame PM Modi and his Hindu ultra-nationalist BJP government for the backsliding of democracy. Under Modi’s watch, they say, there has been increased pressure on human rights groups, intimidation of journalists and activists, and a spate of attacks, especially against Muslims. This, they add, has led to a deterioration of political and civil liberties in the country. Freedom House said civil liberties have been in decline since Modi came to power in 2014, and that India’s “fall from the upper ranks of free nations” could have a more damaging effect on the world’s democratic standards.

New York Times, in its article published in May 2022, titled, “Modi’s India Is Where Global Democracy Dies,” says that seventy-five years after its founding, the world’s largest democracy is in peril under the leadership of PM Modi, a Hindu nationalist leader who happens to be a lifetime member of Hindu terrorist organization called Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Initially, PM Modi was chest-thumping as a result of India’s formal inclusion in the US-led block QUAD, the Quadrilateral Security Alliance. However, as India’s global image deteriorated over a period of time, and when the U.S. created a West-centric security alliance the AUKUS, it kept India out of this important alliance. As per reports, India’s Western masters are not happy with hawkish Modi’s domestic policies. West believes that there’s a probability that in the long run, India will emerge as an intolerant, extremist Hindu state, which would have no space for people from different religious backgrounds. The writings are already on the wall.

Despite these ailments, India is still critically important for the US’ China containment policy. At present, India and US share no significant common interest and mainly the China factor has brought both countries on one page. The Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) successive rule has shattered India’s democratic credentials. Long before BBC’s documentary, several US-based human rights groups have been calling out India for deteriorating human rights issues but ironically, India’s Divider in-Chief is still busy fueling communal hatred and violence. Many concerned Indians have been raising their voices, but those sane voices have been sidelined by hawkish and extremist RSS elements in the BJP. Sooner or later, the West will realize that India shares no global values of human rights and freedom of expression. In fact, with each passing day, India is fast becoming an intolerant Hindu Rashtra. The latest BBC documentary and India’s official response to it should be a wake-up call for the West which continues to project India as a democratic state. The fact is that India is under an authoritarian cult that uses communal violence for electoral gains.   

Haris Akmal is an Islamabad based researcher. He tweets @aharis1234.