Looking at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Pakistan’s perspective, we see a leader that reeks of Hindu fundamentalism and populism, someone who is determined to destroy the secular constitution of India and set up a Hindu State that has no place for minorities, particularly the Muslims. Picture comes to mind thinking about Modi who through the use of populism has provoked religious sensitivities, has incited the latent fears and exploited the underlying fissures in society and has managed to gather steam and is riding on a wave of popularity based on negativity. You see a leader that has managed to capture political and administrative power and put his goons at the helm of affairs in ministerial and strong administrative positions with judiciary lamely following suit and obliging.
Supposedly, India remains a secular state and a multi-faith democracy. Religious minorities account for roughly 20 percent of the country’s 1.4 billion people, who include about 200 million Muslims and 28 million Christians. But beneath the country’s perceived inclusivity runs an undercurrent of Hindu nationalism that has been systematically promoted through state patronage and has gained strength during the rule of Prime Minister Modi.
Modi has encouraged the surge in communal violence against all minorities in recent years but the largest minority, the Muslims have faced the worst kind of atrocities committed against them. A number of new laws have been enacted that adversely affected their daily lives and interfere with the religious garments they wear, the food they eat, where and how they worship, and even whom they marry. Modi, the Butcher of Gujrat, is a criminal who has been iconized not only by his cult following but is also aided by the full potential of the political, economic, administrative and judicial apparatus to put him on a pedestal as saviour of the Indian nation.
Modi has created a personality cult around him. Despite bad governance and several political setbacks, Modi’s charisma and popularity helped the BJP return to power in 2019 elections. The BJP sought votes only in Modi’s name and won. This has created a fascist monster who is using influence of his personality cult to destroy the secular fabric of India and create a Hindu state. Inspired by Modi’s policy of hate, otherization, exclusion and fanaticism, his blind followers are playing havoc with the hapless minorities of India, particularly the Muslims.
There are many instances of criminal leaders who are highly dangerous because of the divisive and hate infested ideologies they propagate yet who are admired or even loved by people who feel supported and protected by them. It is mind-boggling to see how criminal governance structures who use violence enjoy so much legitimacy as Modi does in India. Government backed criminal use of violence, contentious, disruptive, discordant and acrimonious discourse to wipe out opposition and other elements who may not fit their own myopic, narrow and intolerant ideology, should not be acceptable at any level both internally by the population and externally by the rest of the world.
In Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the situation is even worse. Two provisions in the Indian Constitution, Article 35-A and Article 370, retained Kashmir’s autonomy and recognised its special status. They formerly preserved the rights of the ‘permanent residents’ of Kashmir from displacement and any attempts to change the demographics of the state. India unlawfully annexed Jammu and Kashmir by rendering it a Union Territory on August 5, 2019, to be directly ruled by the Central Government, in violation of international law. India has violated the obligation to maintain public order in Jammu and Kashmir through flagrant human rights violations in the region. Since Modi took office in 2014, a practical genocide is taking place in IIOJ&K and yet there is complete silence in the international community as India becomes the favoured partner of the U.S.A as a counterweight to China.
India has political issues with all its neighbours, particularly with Pakistan who refuses to accept India’s bullying and hegemony particularly when it comes to accepting India as the net security provider in Asia and the Pacific. India leaves no opportunity to blame Pakistan and instigate violence and accusations against its eastern neighbour. Modi has specially used the Pakistan and terrorism threat with great success both internally and externally. There is a possibility that as the general elections come closer, Modi may try to again use the Pakistan threat and indulge in a Balakot type of misadventure or threaten war to gain cheap popularity and votes of Hindu voters. Whether Modi will be tempted to use the Pakistan card will depend on how the internal politics evolves as the General Elections of 2024 approach closer.
His ideology of strident Hindu nationalism, combined with promises of economic development, remains a big draw with voters. Almost 13 months before the next General Election, Modi is already in pole position and is projecting himself as “lone worrier” against a large number of opposition parties who all want to remove him from power. This was clearly evident from his recent statement in the upper house of parliament when roared that the nation was witnessing how an individual was strongly facing many, thus setting the tone for the 2024 elections. Modi is appealing to the voters on the slogan that he was living for the country, the directionless opposition is struggling to find a common platform to take on Modi. It suits BJP to have this narrative of one leader (Modi) taking on the fight with a long list of opposition leaders. Modi versus the rest. 
The writer served as Ambassador of Pakistan to China, European Union, Belgium, Luxembourg and Ireland, from 1993 to 2020. She can be reached at naghmanahashmi40@gmail.com
Why do you want India to be a “secular” country? Do you want India to empower the wannabe foreigner gang/legion members who have Yahoodi names (bit Romanized in case of Christians and bit Bedouinized in case of MohMaddens) and who hate everything native and consider those who caused generational trauma of loot, plunder, rapes and genocide on natives of India? If roots of native spirituality, Dharma, culture and celebration of achievements of native ancestors then Indians will have faith like Afghanistan and Pakistan, acrowd of rootless parasites who can’t form a nation. If nation building by nurturing roots is anti-secular then let India not be a secular country.