Narendra Modi Marches On

Ziauddin Choudhury

“Strong men, typically surrounded by sycophants, are often last to realize that their popularity is not
what they thought it was.” This is an observation made on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a recent
article in New Yorker magazine. The article is a narrative on the recent India wide demonstrations and
protests over his government’s latest assault on his country’s largest minority through the Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA) that allows citizenship to immigrants from neighboring three countries except
Muslims. This blatant contrarian action to the much-haloed secular image of India that is enshrined in
its constitution is a latest blow of BJP led government of Modi not only to the country’s biggest minority
but also India’s international reputation.

Modi rode back to power earlier this year with a roaring majority on a reputation that was built on
strong economy and defense prowess, particularly against Pakistan. He had cashed well on India’s
economic performance in the first term as well as his apparent success in the mini skirmish against
Pakistan over a Kashmir related incident. But during his campaign for his second term he had also made
three election promises that actually were his personal agenda also. First, resolution of the long
standing Babri Masjid dispute by reestablishing the site as a temple in Ram Janma Bhumi (Birth place)
and knocking down centuries old Muslim claim over the site as a Mosque. Second, abrogation of Jammu
and Kashmir’s special status in Indian constitution. Third, amendment of Indian Citizenship Act to
prevent Muslims from neighboring countries to become Indian citizens.

Modi government and his party can crow success because all of the above election promises are a
reality now. After years of litigation in lower courts over the right of Muslims to have the Mosque
against the claim by BJP that the land was Lord Rama’s birthplace, the Babri Masjid case was finally
resolved by India’s Supreme Court ordering that a temple be built there. Thus, a cherished objective of
BJP was fulfilled.

Earlier in the year, in August, Prime Minister Modi and his party had achieved a long-standing objective,
that of eliminating Article 370 from Indian Constitution that accorded special status of Jammu and
Kashmir. Under the article introduced in 1954, the article provided Kashmir a separate constitution, a
state flag, and autonomy over internal administration. That article along with Article 35A allowed
residents of the State to be governed by a separate set of laws, and rights of property ownership to the
state residents only.

It had been a long-held view of BJP and that of Prime Minister Modi that a root cause of India’s inability
to bring Kashmir under complete central control, and contain insurgency was this special provision in
the constitution. With a parliament dominated by BJP, Modi was able to fulfil his long-cherished aim of
dismantling the special status of Kashmir. With one fell swoop (rather cover of darkness) his government
abrogated Article 370, bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir in two parts, one part (Jammu and Kashmir) being
accorded status of State but under Governors’ rule and the other part Leh being a Union Territory. His
government put a ban on politics in the territory and literally put the place under the lid with curfew and
ban on communication.
The last act of fulfilling an election promise was the Citizenship Act. This has been on the works for some
time since before Modi’s second term. BJP leadership had been advocating a fast track citizenship for
those immigrants to India from the neighboring Muslim countries alleging religious persecution. Since
Indian citizenship act does not make a special provision for fast tracking of these immigrants, the
previous BJP government made some changes in Foreigners Act of 1946 in 2015 to allow some minority
groups that included Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis to apply for citizenship on special
grounds. This change was later incorporated in the new Citizenship Amendment Act 0f 2019.

The new Citizenship Amendment Act was passed overwhelmingly by the BJP dominated parliament as
well as the upper house, Rajya Sabha. What BJP could not do earlier (because the government was part
of a larger alliance), it could do easily now.

A particular reason why Modi government was eager to pass this Act is the resistance to implement the
National Register of Citizens (NRC) from many states including prominently West Bengal. In other cases,
in some states, such as Assam where NRC was a demand of the state government, it led to undesirable
consequences. In Assam, the government found that the new NRC excluded 1.9 million of state citizens
from the register majority of whom were Hindu. So, the government halted completion of NRC in other
states till after the Citizenship Act was amended. The amendment provides for inclusion of all migrants
before 2014, provided they are not Muslim.

It is inconceivable that in their haste to please its members and the migrants who they seek to help BJP
has glossed over Article 15 of Indian Constitution that provides for fundamental rights to all citizens
irrespective of race, place of birth, religion or caste. BJP may argue that the law applies to intending
migrants from other countries, not its own citizens. Even then a constitution that guarantees
fundamental rights to all, a discrimination made on the basis of religion cannot be made to anyone
whether citizen or aspiring citizen.

If the spate of protests and angry demonstrations against the CAA in various states of India including
even Delhi are any indication of unpopularity of the Act it will cost loss of some political capital for Modi
and BJP leadership over the next few months. Modi has several cauldrons boiling now in India. The
situation in Kashmir is very fragile. The eastern states are not only unhappy with his new Act which they
fear will bring demographic changes in their area, but also with their political future. Neither Modi nor
his party can afford any more erosion. But as the New Yorker article referred to earlier suggests that BJP
and its leaders may have not noticed in these protests that the party is not basking in glory. It cannot
ride on legislating something that is fundamentally wrong or demonizing some two hundred million of
its own citizens.

India has touted itself as the largest democracy in the world. Democracy does not thrive by keeping a
large section of its own people because of what they practice or believe in. It cannot function as a
democracy when a vast number of people face the threat of disenfranchisement.

Good news is what has sustained India so far is its democracy, and people’s direct hand in choosing its
government. The current leadership of India should heed to its past and realize that popularity is not
permanent. What is good today may not be good tomorrow. Acts that go against founding principles of
the country cannot sustain its popularity. People will not accept such blatant violations of the principles
and they will speak up. As we go into the New Year we hope people in India as well as our own country
will make right choices for their country.