Narendra Mode : More Hype than Reality

Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister if India and he has now been in saddle for almost a year. This is the time to take stock of what he has achieved and what he had promised. The fact is Modi is a part of the RSS and the BJP ( erstwhile descendant from the old Jan Sangh, which in turn owes allegiance to Hindu Mahasabha). The RSS has in some fields done yeoman's service, but in many field its thought process is outright reactionary. The Sangh is very fond of talking of Ram Rajya i.e an era supposed to be when the god Ram ruled.

But a look at the era of Ram brings out two major points and these are articulated in the Ramayana and the Laws of Manu. It talks of the Varna or caste system and in addition denigrates a woman to an inferior status vis a vis man. This cannot be denied and the tales in the Ram of the "agni pariksha" of Sits and killing of Ravana show that Ram rajya was not really perfect. Yet, the Sangh talks of ushering in Ram rajya.

Modi is thus caught in a cleft and his policies at home show that he has little control over the ideology of the RSS.  A case in point is marital rape, which is not considered an offence in India. unfortunately the world over has recognized marital rape as a crime and yet the Modi government has failed to recognize this and taken shelter behind the laws of Manu that marriage is  sacred. and hence outside the purview of the legal system.

This is not the only incident, There are tens more. The plurality of society is greatly threatened with an inactive Modi trying to put the clock back on conversions and targeting the Christian community. Modi and the Sangh failed to recognize that hundreds of lower caste Hindus , denied a place in Hindu society converted to Christianity  or Islam. Both these religions promised equality. Modi and the sangh have failed to recognize that the Varna system  (even extolled by Gandhi) is an anachronism in the modern age and that is the reason for conversions to Islam and Christianity. No amount of ghar wapsi can succeed if the Varna system is not wiped out. Unfortunately the Government and Modi is part of it  continues to perpetuate the varna system with caste based reservations in jobs and education.

All this shows that the BJP headed by Modi cannot make a social transformation in India. Until there is asocial transformation, where is the chance that India can move ahead. One should not neglect the Chinese view articulated by the Chinese Institute of Strategic Studies which says that the caste system will ultimately break India as inherent contradictions of a bygone age and failure to adopt to modern environment could sound the death knell of a united India.

Modi came on a plank of doing away with article 370 and ushering in a common civil code. I am afraid Modi has not moved an inch in this matter and it appears that his era will end and these 2 pillars of Indian inequality will just carry on. Who will bell the cat ?

Modi also seems to feel that talking of inequality and good governance is everything. I am afraid good governance means recognizing  the facts of life. Modi's government is more concerned about cow slaughter than about industry. Just imagine a man being sentence to 10 years in jail for killing a cow but killing a man  ( culpable homicide not amounting to murder) is just 7 years.

Modi also failed the soldiers in sanctioning OROP. He had trumpeted that he would bring in OROP, but again a year has passed and the Government letter is not issued.

Modi has let down the economy also.. There is a disconnect on the farmers land issue and Modi seems to be living in his own world of narcissist dreams. Wearing a Rs 9 lakh dress is not a guarantee of his connection with the masses. These can be fatal and Modi must remember that the bell tolls for all and that includes him