Prime Minister Modi addressed a mega rally in New Delhi on Sunday, which aroused a lot of interest as it was understood that there would be some message for people across the country about the ongoing protests.
Debunking Some Statements From Modi’s Speech At Ramlila Maidan
- Statement: The Opposition and ‘Urban Naxals’ are behind the violence in the name of anti-CAA protests.
- Comments: The recent protests are not organized by the opposition parties or Congress. The protests are leaderless and an uprising against Modi’s ruinous policies like demonetization, GST, abrogation of Article 370, massive corruption, a ruined economy, unemployment, ruined institutions and an autocratic manner of running India in which there are only two true ‘desh-bhakts’, Modi and Shah. Anyone who disagrees with them is an anti-national. CAA was the trigger which has initiated this uprising. Majority of the protests have been non-violent. They have turned violent primarily in BJP-governed states (it gives reasons to believe that there is an attempt to discredit the protesters by Modi).
- Statement: Praising Police for the good work.
- Comments: The same police which did nothing against the violent lawyers in Delhi attacked and battered innocent students in Jamia University on ‘orders from above’. This has angered not just India but the world. PM Modi had identified the violent protesters from their clothes even before they had committed any offence. Such prejudices from a PM may be unique to Modi and India. About 15 people have been shot dead by the UP Police and their statements are that they have not fired bullets. Their behaviour in BJP-ruled states has been partisan and not ‘praiseworthy’.
- Statement: A rumour is being spread that all Muslims will be sent to detention centres. It’s a lie.
- Comments: But is this just a rumour?
- Statement: Unity in diversity is India’s speciality.
- Comments: Absolutely. I read this in school and believed it. Gandhi, Nehru, Patel and a host of other freedom fighters gave their lives in building a secular India. But this nation’s secular fabric is under attack through Modi-led government’s policies of ‘Hindutva’ and their vision of a Hindu-Rashtra. The CAA-NRC exercise is apparently in pursuance of this agenda.
- Statement: CAA doesn’t apply to any Indian be it Hindu or Muslim.
- Comments: The statement is absolutely true. The concern is not CAA alone but CAA+NRC. The twins can be used to nullify the citizenship of some of the people residing in India, particularly Muslims. This is a genuine fear for Muslims. The NRC exercise conducted in Assam resulted in immense waste of public money (over Rs 1400 crore) and losses for the poor trying to arrange documents, running after officials, wasting time and efforts, and even dying, in some cases, for this stupid exercise. NRC has been denounced even by Assam’s BJP government which is demanding a fresh NRC in Assam.
- Statement: There was no immediate plan to conduct NRC, and the government was being falsely accused of the imagined loss and harm it would cause.
- Comments: NRC has been put on the back burner by Modi now after coming under pressure from the demonstrators. But Shah had been claiming that NRC exercise would be completed in India before 2024.
- Statement: Burn effigies of Modi as much as you wish, but don’t burn public property or vehicles of poor people.
- Comments: Violence and destruction of property are wrong by anyone. However, Modi has failed to notice the destruction caused by the Police. For reference, please watch this video.
- Statement: Today, Mamata Didi has reached out to the UN directly from Kolkata. But until a few years ago, this same Mamta Didi was pleading to stop infiltrators from Bangladesh.
- Comments: Her statement is indefensible.
- Statement: Congress is upset and desperate because all prominent Muslim majority nations are respecting the government under me. Hence, they are dividing the country.
- Comments: It is a major lie spread by PM Modi that his personal charisma is responsible for foreign policy successes. Nations pursue their national interests, and foreign policy decisions are a result of that, be it India or Saudi Arabia or Bangladesh. Abrogation of Article 370 and the passage of CAA has eroded India’s democratic and secular credentials internationally. The article about Modi as ‘Divider-in-Chief’ was published in Time magazine, not at the behest of the Congress. Neither is Modi so great and nor is Congress so jealous!
Overall Comments
Modi’s Narrative: The false narrative being sold by Modi to Indians now is that CAA is very good, constitutionally valid, and NRC is not linked with it. The government has not given much thought to NRC as of yet, and people have been misguided by the opposition and intellectuals (anti-Modi) such as Ramchandra Guha to protest. At the same time, the majority supports Modi and his policies.
Truth: The leaderless masses, fed up with Modi’s handling of the economy, creation of massive unemployment and pursuit of divisive Hindu-Muslim agenda are protesting to force the government to focus on people’s issues rather than Modi’s vote bank politics and Hindutva agenda.
When Modi and Shah openly lie, and leaders like Yogi instigate Police to act in a revengeful manner, the UP Police DGP lies about the use of bullets and people like Kiran support the Modi regime; we have such tragedies where poor people are killed.