Howdy Modi: A Circus for the NRI’s with Dead Souls!

There is a famous Roman saying, ‘If you can’t give them bread, give them circuses” fits more on Modi than any other leader in the democratic world.

Howdy Modi in Houston (USA) was another circus like on going circuses in India since 2014; Ram Mandir, Cow Protection, Namami Gange, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Yoga Day, abolition of Article 370, etc.  by PM Modi to divert attention from the rapidly sinking India; financially, industrially, militarily, morally and ethically.

Modi has become master in the art of organizing multi million dollar extravaganza circuses as a political leader. The 2 year long circus (Presidential style campaign) prior to his becoming PM of India in 2014 costing over Rs. 30,000 crore called “Achey Din Aaney Wale Hai” "Abki Baar Modi Sarkar"  (Good Days are coming because Modi government is coming!) With 185 shows in 295 constituencies; Modi promises “Sabka Saath Sabhka Vikas”  (Collective Efforts, inclusive Growth). In reality under Modi, the share of the wealth of the richest 1% has increased to 73% in 2018, from 49% in 2014 and now they owns 85% of the nation’s wealth. In the name of “Achey Din Aaney Wale Hai” India now stands 103rd from 55th in 2014 on the Global Hunger Index along with Nigeria and has been categorized as a country with ‘serious’ levels of hunger.

Again this Circus was revived prior to 2019 elections under the banner of unfulfilled promises “Sabka Saath Sabhka Vikas” made in 2014 with a very heavy dash of Hindutva because of the massive job losses, hunger, poverty, massive non performing loans with banks & closures of numerous businesses under Modi’s 5 years of rule. All the government machinery, corporate money, massive cash from dubious sources and 95% media were at Modi’s disposal. Modi was instrumental in giving party ticket to known communal, criminals, rapist, bomb makers and terrorist accused. Modi won the elections with a bigger margin than 2014! According to ADR, Modi inducted 22 criminals in his new cabinet of Ministers.

After winning again in 2019; Howdy Modi is Modi’s first circus in a foreign country and 4^th in USA since 2014. Modi the star campaigner for himself & those who support him had a shock of his life when he got a hard slap from US House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer indirectly rejecting his style of functioning and his vision for India. Modi who is used to of bashing rather abusing Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi and first PM Jawahar Lal Nehru in his all political rallies; was forced to learn history of India and how the foreigners look at India.   Steny Hoyer said, “India, like America, is proud of its ancient traditions to secure a future according to Gandhi’s teaching and Nehru’s vision of India as a secular democracy where respect for pluralism and human rights safeguard every individual.” He also recalled that Nehru on the eve of Independence had spoken of Gandhi’s ambition “to wipe every tear from every eye” and that “as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over.” "In that sense, the work of our countries is not over."

A shameless and self praising Modi after that spoke in 8-10 Indian languages, “All is well in India”. He is Promoting Transparency, Public Participation & anti corruption by Gutting the Right To Information, turning the CBI & ED into agencies that gives Free Ride to the politicians & corporates that are on his side of the political divide!

As per the Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). The Worker Population Ratio in India from 49.9% in 2014 stands at a record low of  46.8%. Employment Rate of 50.80% in 2012 and is now at a record low of 46.80% in 2018. The unemployment is 6.1% with 31 million unemployed is highest in  45 years.

Recent Gallup survey revealed a big decline in the percentage of Indians who rate their lives positively enough to rate it as "thriving" since Modi assumed office. “Beginning in 2015, rural Indians began reporting increased difficulty paying for food.” More than one in four rural Indians (28%) reported not having enough money to pay for food at some point that year (compared with 18% of urban Indians who reported the same hardship).”

India Tops the Global Charts in;  Malnourishment, Blindness, Diabetes, Leprosy, Environmental Pollution, Traffic Accidents and Suicides by Farmers. Lags behind; Bangladesh in Human Development Index, Nigeria in Global Hunger Index, Sudan in Human Capital Score, & Pakistan in GDP Growth Rate.

GDP from over 8% in 2014 has fallen to below 5% in real terms. According to RBI, GNPAs of banks (bad loans) have gone up from Rs 2.63 lakh crore  in March 31, 2014 to Rs 10.39 lakh crore as of March 31, 2018. A nearly four-fold increase under Modi regime.

According to Modi, Still “All is well in India”!

Modi all these years as PM of 1.35 Billion Indians has miserably failed to understand that “Leaders are defined by what they do, not how much they talk and how well they dress up”. After the euphoria, showmanship, theatrics and symbolism at Howdy Modi; when Modi landed in New York for country’s business, despite calling Trump his close buddy and acting like his campaign manager with Indian’s money at Howdy Modi failed to get the Indo-US bilateral Trade deal signed. India had been expecting reinstatement to the Generalized System of Preferences, under which it gets better access to the US market, which was revoked in June this year. This also never materialized, This means that nearly 2,000 products, including auto products and textiles, and up to $5.6 billion in Indian exports can no longer enter the United States duty-free. As a consolation prize; Trump crowned Modi as Elvis Presley and Father of India knowing it too well that Mahatama Gandhi is the Father of the Indian Nation since its birth. Pathetically Modi accepted both the Titles awarded to him by his close buddy Trump without raising any objections.

The worst is Modi failed to get Trump’s statement that “Kashmir is India’s internal matter”. Rather Trump made a statement that India and Pakistan should sought out Kashmir issue amicably. Also he again retreated his past statement that if both leaders of India and Pakistan agrees, “he is willing to mediate on the issue of Kashmir.” That makes “Kashmir” bilateral issue rather than internal issue of India. Saudi Arabia that was supporting India till Feb. 2019 on Kashmir, supported the resolution of OIC that represent 57 states on 9-25-19 calling on India to “rescind” its actions revoking Article 370 in criticizing the government’s actions there. In 2017 Saudi’s conferred the highest Civilian Award to Modi during his Riyadh visit. In early 2019 Saudi Prince MSB called Modi his elder brother during his visit to India!   It’s the biggest Diplomatic failure for Modi in the international arena.  

Modi must stop doing circuses in foreign countries; a new rather vulgar trend he started in 2014 is hurting India & NRI’s image in the world. Many Indian PM have visited USA many times in the history, yet they keep expenditures in mind. After all the Indians pay taxes for their expenditures. PM Nehru’s visit to the US in Nov. 1949: without any special PR campaign, NRI crowd management or hyped-up media publicity a large crowd of Americans not Indians  only gathers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to listen to his speech. Now, 50,000 Indian / Indian origin dead souls gathered to hear Narendra Modi’s blatant lies in a multi million dollar circus  sponsored by Modi’s Indian corporate friends & NRI rich supporters and Indian taxpayers in Houston. Entire mainstream Indian media & blind followers of Modi are calling it as a huge success and Modi’s greatest accomplishment. Modi & his supporters can not change the history that Jawaharlal Nehru remains the only Indian Prime Minister to be greeted on arrival at the airport by a US President —and it happened twice: President Harry S Truman in 1949 & President John F Kennedy in 1961 both received him off the plane.

Howdy Modi rather “Rowdy Modi” was not even Howdy India. Modi has impaired vision of secular democracy where respect for pluralism and human rights for every individual is safe guarded by the state. He has failed miserably on this account. Even his vision of Hinduism is impaired because Religious texts and History can not be read and understood in dreams.  By hosting Modi in Houston; the Indian-American organizers have insulted Houston; an inclusive city where every 4th person is an immigrant, with 145 languages, 70 countries menus & people from more than 100 countries are living in peace and harmony. Majority of these financially successful NRI’s still feel as they are 2^nd grade citizens of America. The only way they can have lime light to boost their ego is by posing with corrupt leaders of India in USA and getting garbage civilian awards from India. The same type of politicians in the first place forced them to leave India because of their impaired vision of Democracy, Freedom and corruption free governance.

Dave Makkar

Social & Political Activist

davemakkar@yahoo.com

THE INDIAN PANORAMA NEWS

Sep. 27, 2019

New York, USA

Hinduism & Other Religions are the Two Wings of the Same Bird Called India

I am a Hindu & living in America since 1996 and I always say I am proud to be an American first than Hindu. When I look at the statistics I find 72% of Americans are proud to be an American and in India only 18% are proud to be an Indian. In America people understand, respect and honor that America quote unquote is a Christian nation, but at the same time it is a Muslim Nation, a Jewish nation, a Hindu nation, a Buddhist nation, a Sikh nation, a Mormon nation and a nation of non-believers also.” 

No one including the state or federal government has forced me or other Americans to be proud of being an American than why after 70 years of Independence majority Indians are not nationalist and are not proud to be Indians? Why they are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhist etc.

Unfortunately India lacks an identity that supersedes caste, ethnicity, religion and region, which can unify all its citizens as equal members of a shared Nation with a shared destiny reached through common goals. The multi-fractured nature of Indian society goes beyond the healthy human disagreement and debate inherent to a healthy democracy, instead prompting the question whether India’s 1.33 billion citizens; Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Christian further sub-divided into more factions Punjabi, Gujratis, Maratha, Jat, Ahir, Shia, Suni, Tamil, Kannad, Bhapey, Lubhaney, Digambari, Shevetambari are actually want to be “Indians’.

Most pathetic are Hindu’s with 72% of the population; they are Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Kannad, Bihari, Maratha, Haryanvi, Himachali etc. Than they are Arya Samaji’s, Vaishnavs, Brahmins, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Dravidians, Jats, Ahirs, Yadavs, Khasi, Dhogra, Kurmi, Dalits etc. None of them wants to stand on one platform or have one identity “Hindu” and prior to calling themselves Hindu’s that they are Indians first. Dalit Hindu’s that is almost 20% of the total Indian population do not want to be associated with upper caste Hindus or Hinduism as defined by them because for centuries Dalits have been treated inhumanly by upper caste Hindus. Even a great majority of the upper caste Hindus are not with the Hindus that wants to redefine Hinduism and its history.

If one combine Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikhs & Buddhist Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes together they are 25% of the India’s population. On the other hand upper cast Hindus that believes in Hindutva invented by the likes of Savarkar’s and Golwalkar’s are less than 30%. Their numerous religious organizations like RSS, VHP, Hindu Mahasabha, Bajrang Dal, Ram Sena etc. and political wings mainly BJP & Shiv Sena; all believe that they can tolerate Sikhs, Buddhist & Jains because India is the birth place of these religions. But they are not willing to accept followers of especially Islam and Christianity as Indians because these religions were born out side India. How these misguided less than 30% Hindus can dictate that India should be governed under their Hindutva when more than 70% Indians do not agree with them?

The largest minority “Muslims” with 18% of the population; are Shia, Sunni, Wahabi etc and none of them wants to stand on one platform or are Indian’s first. The worst is they believe in the interpretation of Islam as being done by Muslim feudal lords and dictators of Middle East & other Islamic countries. Than the Savarkar/Golvalkar types Hindus and their religious & political organizations have alienated them more by destroying a disputed Ram Bhumi Babri Masjid in 1992 and by killing Muslims in Gujarat under CM Modi in 2002. Now Modi is PM of India and has never shown any remorse for the organized killing of Muslims. The worst is those that did the organized killing were let go free or are on bail and have not been punished even 16 years after the reprehensible crime.

Christians the 2^nd minority with 6% population are also divided in different sects and hardly feels that they are Indians first. The reason being the believers of Hindutva not Hinduism  and their leaders keeps on reminding them that they don’t belong here, they are foreigners.

The 3^rd  minority; Sikhs with 2% population are constantly reminded by Hindutvawadi’s that they can tolerate them because Hindus and Sikhs share some common ancestry and for Sikhism being born in India. Despite caste system is forbidden in Sikh Holy Text “Sri Gurugranth Sahib Ji”, Sikhs are known as Sainis (Kshatriyas), Rajputs, Ramgarhiyas (artisans), Ahluwalias (formerly brewers), Kambojs (rural caste), Labana (merchants), Kumhars and the 2 Dalit castes; Majhabis (chuhras) and Ravidasias (chamars). Sikhs numbering about 27 million worldwide, approximately 83 percent live in India. Majority of the Sikhs living out side India and a substantial population living in India; do not consider themselves as Indians and wants their own country Khalistan to be carved out of India. The blame for this squarely lies with the preachers of Savarkar or Golwalkar’s Hindutva that instigated Sikh genocide in 1984 when Indian PM Indra Gandhi was shot dead by her Sikh bodyguards. Till to-date  even after 34 years the people responsible for this genocide has not been punished and Sikhs are still waiting for Justice.  

It is very unfortunate misguided, dishonest, corrupt, half or not educated at all Hindus,  Muslims, Christians and Sikhs that do not understand Hinduism or Islam or Christianity or Sikhism or humanity at all; have become top political & religious Leaders and pushing India towards a civil war in the name of religious supremacy.

The current ruling party BJP; the followers of Savarkar/Golvalkar should be aptly named ”Bharat Jalao Party” (Break India by inciting ethnic violence) for spreading misinformation, fabricating history, inciting hate for minorities including Dalit Hindus. The Hindutva they want to impose has nothing to do with Hindu religion. Its top leaders mostly uneducated are telling especially Hindu women what to eat, what to wear, how many children to produce, they can not marry a non-Hindu  and a marriage for them is a contract of slavery with her husband controlling her life. For vote politics they are inciting violence in the name of Cow in majority of the states of India; killing people or instigating mob lynching for suspected of eating or carrying beef. In north eastern states & Goa they are assuring the residents cheap and steady supply of beef! They are also denying the fact that to-day India is the number one beef exporter in the world and 95% of the slaughter houses for export are owned by upper caste Hindu’s.They are also insulting their own idol Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a great legend with an extraordinary aura that said, "If India is not secular, then India is not India at all." 

Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh leadership representing the largest, second largest, third & 4^th largest sections of the society; must understands that all the religions of India are the two wings of the same bird called “Indian Public” made up of practically every religion of the world. Why don’t they stop killing this bird in the name of Ram or Allah or Christ or Wahe Guru whatever they believe in? Why they want to impose ill-defined radical Hinduism or Islam or Christianity or Sikhism on India when majority of the Indians do not want that? None of them has ever thought about integrating all individuals of different religions, regions and factions of Indian origin on one Indian Platform as “Nationalist Indians”?

Indians can learn from America. It is an open and diverse society; all of its members are equal with the right to identify themselves with America’s “Founding Fathers and Freedom Fight Hero’s”. An African-American Barack Obama son of a Kenyan Muslim immigrant and native white American mother; can speak with pride of George Washington the father of the nation and Hero of the American Revolution War of Independence against the British Rulers. Obama a Democrat also has the right to speak with pride about Republican Abraham Lincoln who enacted the Emancipation of Declaration ending Slavery which later paved the way for Equal Rights for Blacks in America. The people of America elected Obama as its first African-American President by ignoring the race factor. This is the definition of a Democratic nation; multi cultural and multi racial here a person joins it by acquiring citizenship by birth or naturalization and from that moment on is the heir to all its cultural and social history. May be Indians can learn some thing from American experience. 

Every Indian Leader Religious, Political and Business and the intelligentsia must unite to put an end to the human sufferings of the millions of Indians rather than spreading hatred in the name of religion invented or misinterpreted by them. They must pay attention to the vast majority of Indians whose voice they are ignoring. In the Parliamentary Elections their voices are barely heard because all the Indian Politicians are promoting their 18^th- 19th century policies based on caste, religion, region  and backwardness not nationalism the “Indian Identity”. They are the sane and rational India with their hopes for better future, looking for progress, prosperity along with peace and harmony among all citizens.