Challenges galore for INDIA

THINK of the fate of democracy if it does not nurture the art of possibilities. Contemplate a situation where we begin to think that there is no alternative to the ruling regime, and hence we must suspect every move by the Opposition as a conspiracy. Yes, it will be pathetic — a symbol of our fall and decadence. Hence, despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mind-boggling popularity and associated show of aura and power, when 26 Opposition parties decide to come together to constitute INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) and pledge to fight the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), it arouses hope. But then, this hope can be sustained amid the all-pervading cynicism only if the Opposition parties broaden their vision, engage in self-purification and envisage the struggle beyond the mere electoral battle. The reason is that the culture of Indian politics has changed drastically, and unless we identify this rot and eliminate it, nothing will fundamentally alter, even if there is transfer of power.

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The vices that characterise the ruling regime can also be seen in many of these Opposition parties.

Think of the intensity of the damage the NDA has done in these nine years. First, it has succeeded in sowing the seeds of authoritarianism through the discourse of hyper-nationalism and glorification of the politics of personality cult with associated symbols of narcissism. Second, it has poisoned our collective consciousness through the language of hatred and divisiveness. As civility is seen to be an ‘effeminate’ weakness amid hyper-masculine aggression, and the spirit of delicate debate and dialogue enriched by informed opinion and commitment to the truth is replaced by the propaganda machinery that manufactures fake news, communally charged emotions and toxic vocabulary, we begin to lose the light of reason. The resultant ‘herd mentality’ further promotes the psychology of authoritarianism. Third, it has created some sort of ‘hyper-reality’; the image has begun to look more real than reality. Hence, we see the growth of the gigantic image-making industry that projects PM Modi as a vishwaguru. His every move, be it a diplomatic moment with US President Joe Biden, an adventure in a national park or the flag-off of the Vande Bharat Express, is photographed with great care, projected as yet another grand achievement of the ‘messiah’, and widely circulated through the new technologies of communication.

It is no wonder that vulnerable minds tend to be hypnotised by the all-pervading Prime Minister and refuse to see the harsh reality — the rise of select corporate houses amid heightened socio-economic inequality; the primacy of a spectacular temple amid hunger, malnutrition and illiteracy; or the mythical notion of ‘Hindu unity’ amid caste hierarchy, religious bigotry and patriarchal violence. As we are led to consume these carefully packaged images of PM Modi with awe, we begin to suspend the faculty of reason, and thereby, devalue what really matters — social welfare, education, health and employment.

For instance, who bothers to reflect on, say, the Oxfam report on inequality in India? Instead, accept the demagogue’s loud rhetoric, and forget that 5 per cent of Indians own more than 60 per cent of the country’s wealth, while the bottom 50 per cent possesses only 3 per cent of the wealth! Why should the brigade of non-thinking/non-reflexive bhakts or their favourite media houses bother about the fact that India ranks 107th out of 121 countries on the 2022 Global Hunger Index? In a way, in these nine years, Indian democracy has been transformed into some sort of electoral autocracy with a steady decline in the state of political, academic and intellectual freedom. Everything has been transformed into its opposite: divisive communalism into nationalism; anti-intellectualism into patriotism; fiction into facts; critical voices into ‘anti-national’ conspiracies; and religiosity into a weapon for demonising and castigating the ‘other’. Hence, the moot question is whether the Opposition parties are organisationally and ethically powerful enough to resist this decadence — this kingdom of falsehood — and undertake a process of rigorous self-introspection, see beyond the electoral mathematics and provide an authentic alternative to what the NDA symbolises. Is it possible to move towards a paradigm shift — from crony capitalism to democratic egalitarianism; from the discourse of Hindutva to the civilisational ideal of India as an oceanic confluence of multiple faiths and traditions; from the cult narcissism to the dialogic spirit of democratic leadership; or from crude utilitarianism (say, the act of buying and selling MLAs and MPs) to ethical politics?

Accept it: the vices that characterise the ruling regime can also be seen in many of these Opposition parties. The political violence and tales of scams and corruption in Bengal; the presence of limiting identity politics in the name of caste and ethnicity; and the absence of the democratic spirit within the party structure — these vices, if not eradicated, are bound to diminish the credibility of the Opposition parties. Well, as Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has demonstrated, it is the spirit of love — or, the ability to merge with unknown masses and listen to their stories of existence — that can integrate the country tormented by communal and religious divide and a neo-liberal assault on the ethics of care and justice. Yes, love as an emotion has a role to play in nurturing the spirit of redemptive politics. Can INDIA take ‘Mohabbat ki dukaan’ to every corner of the country, combat the psychology of fear caused by the tsunami of FIRs and sedition charges, rouse the conscience of the cynical age we are living in and resist the divisive politics of the NDA — not just electorally, but culturally and existentially? Or is it too much to expect?

There seems to be no easy answer to this question.