PM Modi welcomes constructive criticism? An ironic revelation when India seems to be on the verge of fascist rule

PM Modi, in response to a two-day debate on the motion of thanks to President Droupadi Murmu’s speech to Parliament stated in the Lok Sabha that, he has consistently welcomed constructive criticism of his government and viewed it as a purification ritual. However, he pointed out, all that was offered were allegations from rabid critics.

This is such an ironic statement when PM Modi and the party he belongs to- BJP, are known for suppressing dissent and not taking actions against anyone who criticizes their actions.

An unsettling trait of populist and authoritarian regimes is the abuse of authority to intimidate, suppress, stifle, or penalize independent news media. This group includes PM Modi, whose efforts to restrict journalistic freedom are weakening India’s proud position as the largest democracy of the entire globe. Reporters have put their professional and personal lives at risk more frequently since Modi took power in 2014 in order to publish things the administration refuses to permit them to.

According to the 33rd World Report from the New York-based Human Rights Watch, PM Modi’s Hindu-nationalist BJP has imitated many of the similar infractions that have allowed the repressive Chinese government to strengthen its hold on dominance, including systematically discriminating towards religious minorities, the suppression of peaceful opposition, and the misuse technological innovation to stifle freedom of speech.

With reference to freedom of expression and the media, the study stated that 2022 was a year in which authorities imprisoned journalists for being unfavorable towards the government. The report for this cited an episode which occurred in July of last year, when Rupesh Kumar Singh, a freelance reporter who reported Adivasi rights, was apprehended by Jharkhand police on a number of allegations, such as a breach of the strict Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Singh and his wife submitted a petition before the Supreme Court after discovering that their contact details were on a list of potential targets, claiming that the government was employing the Israeli spyware Pegasus for the purpose of targeting media and activists. The government’s failure to assist the committee’s inquiry and make the findings public was noted by the Supreme Court in the report.

With regards to this report, Mahua Moitra said that it severely indicts BJP govt’s targeted discrimination of minorities, suppression of dissent, bias in institutions, politically motivated criminal charges to silence civil society. She further remarked that government in response to this report would now say that it is only a conspiracy by the western countries to smear their name.

Lesser and lesser individuals are keen on speaking, Vrinda Grover, a human rights attorney who represents clients in India’s Supreme Court, said, and for a legitimate cause as there are repercussions. Opinions that emerge against Modi are suppressed by law enforcement or legal proceedings, including those of the comic Munawar Faruqui, traditional musician Neha Singh Rathore, human rights organizations like Amnesty International, as well as media outlets like The Caravan. Modi’s ardent right-wing followers intimidate his detractors even more by using abusive language and physical force. The BJP’s inaction supports these illegal activities, even if it is not a clear instance of the government silencing free expression.

The BJP is also turning its investigative agencies unleashed on its rivals.

The vague criminal charges of “sedition,” “defamation,” and “threatening national security” tend to be used throughout India to stifle the opinions of vocal minorities.

Be it stand-up comedy or student activism, threats to the BJP’s ultra-nationalist positions are neutralized by suppression, censorship, legal action, or an unhealthy combination of all three.

Amnesty International claims that government and its authorities continue to restrict freedom of speech and assembly for political reasons. Amnesty International itself had to cease its activities in India in 2020 after being attacked by Modi’s administration. The rights group has consistently condemned the government’s persecution of reporters and the wider assault on dissent, which has given Hindu nationalists license to threaten, attack, and intimidate journalists who disagree with the policies brought in by the Indian government.

The organization cited the example Irfan Mehraj, a journalist from Jammu and Kashmir, as the most recent journalist to be detained; who was apprehended on March 20 for his involvement in a case involving the sponsorship of terrorism. Mehraj’s imprisonment was described by Amnesty as a satire and just another example of the continuous suppression of human rights. Indian authorities have for many years now have attacked Kashmiri journalists.

Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, asserted before an audience of British and Indian journalists in London that the conduct of Modi’s BJP is endangering Indian democracy from within the country. On his brief visit to the UK, Gandhi voiced these remarks while speaking to the Indian Journalists’ Association. The press, the courts, and the legislature, he said, are all targets of attack. He said that while the RSS and BJP have seized control of entities that are meant to be impartial, India as a nation is battling its institutional framework.

Rahul Gandhi further made the following claim in reference to recent tax raids at the BBC offices in India:

With suppression of voice, an example is the BBC. But the BBC is just one element. The BBC has found out just now but it has been going on in India for the past nine years. Non-stop. Everybody knows that. Journalists are intimidated, they are attacked, they are threatened and journalists who toe the line of the government are rewarded. It’s part of a pattern and I don’t expect anything different. This is the new idea of India.

Every person in India is aware of what a tax search entails, according to media critic Jyoti Malhotra of Delhi. She said in this context, what they’re suggesting is that people best fall in line. She continued by saying that the incident had not been the first occasion when a media outlet has been searched by tax authorities. What’s striking is that they targeted BBC, an international organization having a well-known brand in India and a track record of neutrality and fairness.

The country has experienced plenty of anti-free speech crackdowns, but the Modi administration’s resort to regular criminal legislation to repress opposition is a first. India is edging further away from democracy every day as a result of the BJP undermining the autonomy of several of the organizations and legal systems that serve as the foundation of the country.

It is probable that Modi would try to make significant modifications to the Constitution’s framework, depriving Indians of their constitutional liberties, if he wins a third term in office in 2024 and has momentum on his side. The public’s persistent support for the oppressive and biased laws enacted by his government is a dismal indication of people’s propensity to ignore and tolerate anti-democratic practices. Beneath the weight of the violence directed at dissenting voices, the pluralist principles upon which Indian identity is based are disintegrating.

Nevertheless, the polls continue to show strong support for Modi notwithstanding widespread foreign criticism, which raises the concern of how these assaults on free expression will change given Modi’s continued popularity.

Which brings us to the scary question- Is India on the verge of fascist rule?