In the three years of the NDA government, the BJP has been utterly incompetent at handling the media narrative. Time and again, they have abandoned their supporters who often go at lengths to counter the predominant media narrative and leave them disheartened. And as expected, when BJP supporters were busy countering the #NotInMyName movement, PM Narendra Modi came out and thoroughly legitimized the fake news narrative that his supporters were countering. It’s not the first time that this happened and judging from the government’s antics so far, it’s unlikely to be the last.
In his statement against Gau Rakshaks, Narendra Modi invoked the spirit of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to condemn Gau Rakshaks. One can understand the political compulsion behind condemnation of such events but to condemn only Gau Rakshaks and not cow smugglers stinks of rank hypocrisy. PM Narendra Modi made three fundamental mistakes in his “Condemnation Speech” Yesterday.
Firstly, Cow Vigilantism is primarily a Law and Order issue and instead of condemnation, PM Narendra Modi should focus on strengthening the Law and Order situation in the country.
Secondly, to condemn Gau Rakshaks and not Cow Smugglers is a betrayal of honest farmers who often get no justice when they file complaints against Cattle Thieves with the Police. Cow Vigilantism cannot be stopped until and unless there’s a strong crackdown on illegal slaughter houses and cattle thieves who indulge in crimes that rob the source of livelihood of the farmers who depend on cattle for their survival. Until the state machinery takes care of such criminals, Cow Vigilantism shall continue to thrive.
Thirdly, At this point of time, Narendra Modi’s adulation of Gandhi is, frankly, becoming tiresome. For all his achievements, which are subject to much critique and skepticism, Gandhi was a deeply flawed person who betrayed Hindus at every step and was largely a failure. Again, one can understand the political compulsion behind the adulation of Gandhi but to invoke his legacy when there isn’t any particularly need of it is quite unnecessary and unproductive to say the least.
And fourthly, PM Narendra Modi, on Twitter, proclaimed that India is the land of nonviolence. But he is quite evidently very farther from the truth. India is not the land of nonviolence, India is the land of Dharma and throughout its history, India has nurtured and produced sons and daughters of the soil who have embraced violence in the service of Dharma. India is more the land of Shivaji Maharaj and Maharana Pratap and Lachit Borphukan and Sri Krishnadevaraya than it will ever be of Gandhi. To deify Gandhi and proclaim nonviolence as the ethos of the nation is to abandon the invisible threads of Dharma which bind the great nation of India together. And until and unless we recognize the true founding fathers of the nation, India shall continue to blunder about without conquering the enemies which seek to destroy us.
The #NotInMyName movement was quite evidently plotted by people who harbor nothing more than morbid hatred for Hinduism and India. People who usually scream ‘Terrorism has no religion’ were seen holding placards condemning the mythical Hindu Terrorism. People who are normally seen justifying Islamic Terrorism and acting as apologists for Islam could be seen denigrating Hindus and hurting their religious sentiments. The movement was little more than a conglomeration of Antinational elements, Muslim fundamentalists and extremists, rabid Modi haters and Islamic apologists who are rather desperate to conjure Hindu Terrorism out of thin air so that Islam can get a free pass and something they could corner Narendra Modi with.
If the narrative were allowed to continue to its logical conclusion, the #NotInMyName movement would have met the same fate as the discredited Intolerance charade. But by coming out and condemning specific lynching incidents without focusing even a bit on the hardships and rabid Jihad Hindus are being forced to suffer in their own land, Narendra Modi has legitimized the entire communally partisan narrative of the Anti-Hindu brigade. In doing so, Narendra Modi has abandoned his supporters and only given more ammunition to the people who seek to destroy him. And judging by the people who he sought to appease with his remarks, he has hardly gained any support from them but has surely disheartened many of his staunch followers. Narendra Modi must remember that upholding Dharma is his primary duty. Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah and also, those abandon Dharma are abandoned by Dharma in return. Therefore, if Narendra Modi wishes to continue to emerge as victor over his enemies, he would do well to listen to his core supporters much more often.