Don’t call me a ‘bhakt’ just because I support Modi

Never before in the history of Indian elections has the war of narratives been so thrilling. As I turn 19 and cast my vote for the first time, I feel privileged to be a participant in nation building and to contribute to the political discourse in this country.

As a young citizen, who is set to experience a dynamic transformation in India, I place trust in the government and expect political stability. A government that has been voted in with a majority will have the stability to be primarily focused on the welfare of its citizens. A coalition government,by contrast, will be forced to spend time reconciling different interests rather than investing time and effort on policy formulation, implementation and evaluation. An alliance government might shelve the task of identifying loopholes in policies and not pay enough attention to the task of improving the quality of life for ordinary citizens.

My concern is not, however, limited to having a stable government. I expect the new government to focus the issue of education and employment. A survey released by NSSO in January 2019 cites a 6.1 per cent rate of unemployment in India (which the government is yet to approve). The new government’s priority should be to create employment opportunities.

Congress President’s Rahul Gandhi’s tempting ‘NYAY’ scheme is not something I endorse. It justifies passiveness, dependence and incompetence among citizens in my view. But I definitely expect the coming government to introduce the concept of ‘Universal Basic Income’ and ensure guaranteed minimum income sufficient to live with dignity, thereby reducing poverty.

I condemn the narrative that paints Modi as anti-minority, and as someone who instils fear against free speech. But I do agree that the Modi government has failed to control communal violence and hate speech rampant in the country.

Education is a major agent of socialisation, transformation in an individual’s life and hence it cannot be neglected. With schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Ayushman Bharat having contributed to the welfare of citizens, I also expect the government to implement effective schemes that enhance education in rural areas and make efforts to build think tanks, research institutes, brilliant universities and not fritter away the ‘Institute Of Eminence’ status on yet-to-be-established academies such as Jio University.

Being a student of journalism, I realise that media is an important and inseparable element of democracy and hence it becomes crucial to accentuate the importance of freedom of the press in a democracy. A well-known instance of this coming under strain is the exit of journalist Prasun Bajpai from ABP news, purportedly for taking an anti-establishment position, in August 2018. Another is the assault on Republic TV reporter Amit Choudhary by Congress supporters for his coverage of the IT raids on the All India Congress Committee official SM Moin in April 2019. I expect the government to allow communication and expression through media – a right which must be experienced freely, be it in support of the ruling party, or critical of it for failing to live up to its promises.

That said, the utterances of veteran journalists and media houses that it has become difficult to criticise government after 2014 seems only partially true to me. While some of it may be true, however, for media houses that have been brought up in the Left-leaning ecosystem, watching Prime Minister Narendra Modi rising to power is not a pleasant sight. Ironically, Kunal Kamra and Vir Das, stand-up comedians who also seem to juggle with politics, claim that Indian masses have grown intolerant, and protest that even cracking jokes against the government can get them into great trouble. Yet, they give no evidence to substantiate these statements and relentlessly criticise PM Modi, all the while holding that they cannot criticise him.

In an eclectic country like ours, it becomes significant to integrate diversified elements into development. I condemn the narrative that paints Modi as anti-minority, and as someone who instils fear against free speech. But I do agree that the Modi government has failed to control communal violence and hate speech rampant in the country. It is appalling to see Urmila Mantodkar say that ‘Hinduism has turned out to be the most violent religion of them all’ in a TV interview with India Today. It is equally enraging to see Maneka Gandhi saying that if Muslims didn’t vote for her, she would not work for them. I expect the government to create an atmosphere of civility and discipline where leaders do not dare to make statements that encourage divisive politics or incite communal hatred.

Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan makes sexist and misogynist remarks against Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Jaya Prada and we find the crowd in the rally whistling over the comment. Observing rallies and speeches this election, I have understood what the crowd doesn’t cheer the achievements of the government, rather it buys content that is either communal in nature or sexist. What we as citizens need to do before electing our Prime Minister is to remind ourselves that humanity takes precedence over religion, and then wisely vote for the appropriate candidate.

As those who take an anti-government stance complain of being labelled as ‘anti-national’ – and the labelling is reprehensible as we are all Indians – there should be no labelling of those who support the government as well. While I choose to support BJP and admire Narendra Modi, that does not give anyone the right to label me a ‘bhakt’ or a ‘sanghi or as ‘anti-minority’. I am affable towards every citizen of this country.

(Rutvi Dattani is a Vadodara-based journalism student who is keenly interested in politics)