Who doesn’t know that peacock is our national bird. A morpankh adorns the crown of Sri Krishna, Prime Minister Narendra Modi relaxes in rare moments of leisure with these pet birds, and at least one learned judge has shared pearls of dubious wisdom that how the species with colourful plumage procreates mingling their teardrops.
The noble hansa, renowned for its discriminating intelligence (neer ksheer vivek) has long been erased from memory. Some recent events, though, have made us think that perhaps the time has come to replace the peacock with the good old ostrich as the most beloved avian. Many of our powerful and influential leaders seem to be mimicking the proverbial behaviour of the bird—burying their heads in sand and hoping that the dangerous predators chasing them would disappear once this strategy has rendered them invisible to the prey.
Deciding not to see what is life-threatening is fraught with grave risks. Events in Manipur have been spiralling out of control for almost two months now. The Prime Minister’s silence is intriguing and distressing. Though the former chief minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, has sought to reassure us that Home Minister Amit Shah is capable enough to cope with this crisis, unfortunately the latter has floundered all along and appears to be totally out of his depth. This isn’t the time to apportion blame or look for scapegoats. What is needed is the healing touch that can restore peace and repair the breakdown of law and order. Partisan politics must be eschewed. Only the Prime Minister has the charisma, authority and credibility to bring about reconciliation of warring communities.
Back from a successful state visit from the US, PM Modi should lose no more time in looking and acting Northeast. He may also consider handing over the home portfolio to some other colleague. Shah, a trusted aide, is undoubtedly a man of many talents.
With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections fast approaching, not to forget Assembly elections in some crucial states, the BJP would require his undivided attention on the battle of the ballot. Modi has performed extremely well in the diplomatic arena ever since he assumed office. Only the churlish would nitpick that his dynamism is inspired by photo-ops the foreign tours provide. He has navigated turbulent waters with aplomb and succeeded in projecting India as an emerging power that deserves a place on the high table.
India is the most populous nation and the fifth largest economy in the world. Its technological prowess and potential are immense. Modi has leveraged the country’s soft power well without yielding any ground on strategic autonomy. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has defended Indian national interest brilliantly in most adverse circumstances, drawing plaudits from the legendary ‘realist’ Henry Kissinger—no friend of India. The trauma of Trump, the economic meltdown in neighbourhood, perfidy of Xi Jinping, the war in Ukraine—nothing has caused more than small hiccups in the realm of foreign policy.
Critics of the individual may not tire of Modi’s manipulation of the G20 for domestic image-building, but it can’t be denied that in the process, India has positioned itself as the ‘Voice of the Global South’. It is the domestic scene that is causing concern, distress and despair. The erosion of citizen rights enshrined in the Constitution and the reluctance of the judiciary to rein in the delinquent law enforcement agencies cannot be dismissed as propaganda of treacherous, subversive elements as part of some gigantic foreign conspiracy.
Freedom of expression is hard to exercise in a climate of fear. Ultra-patriotic zealots acting as vigilantes continue to flout law, striking terror in the hearts of those who dissent. It isn’t only the religious or ethnic minorities that are petrified. Those who rule unchallenged with double engines at their command don’t discriminate on the basis of caste and creed. The only criterion applied, it seems, is who is with us and who is against. Selective targeting and arrests of ministers on charges of corruption in non-BJP-ruled states gives rise to legitimate apprehensions.
Browbeating and brazen stonewalling by brute majority has no place in a democracy. Unfortunately, many in power appear to favour this policy to ride out a storm or a blunder. This is what we witnessed in the case of aggrieved wrestlers, the farmers’ agitation and public facilitation of convicted rapists and murderers. Compared to these the mutilating ‘revision’ of textbooks appear minor irritants akin to rubbing salt on injury by a bully.
No Indian needs a certificate from a foreigner like former US president Barack Obama about the quality of our democracy. At the same time, it must be understood that the government of the day at the Centre or in the states can’t identify itself with the State or the nation. The raging fire in Manipur raises many such burning questions.
pushpeshpant@gmail.com