
Few people stop to
consider it, but division is a natural state that teaches us the importance of
the old saying, “United we stand, divided we fall”. It’s not altogether bad,
then, if you have a plan with what to do afterwards. The thing is that divisive
sentiment is not all that rare, so when someone rails about conspiracy theories
to divide communities, we need to look at the evidence carefully. In this
country we are all free to say whatever we like, subject to some exceptions of
course. I’ve been in so many situations where the persons speaking to me
(haranguing me, more like) is not listening to my response at all. They’re just
banging on about what they believe I’m guilty of, usually something criminal,
in intention if not action. In short, they’re pushing only their point of view
because their feel their story is the only one that matters. My explanation is
usually dismissed with contempt. But that’s all right for them because I have
nothing worth hearing.
Let me say I have
nothing against this. It’s normal when two people or two sides are arguing,
whether in school or in Parliament. My friends in the opposition always begin
with the premise that we have nothing worth saying, we have done nothing worth
praise. And I must admit that we’re not very far behind. But hyperbole is very
much a part of democracy (Americans go a lot further than us), we are all
individuals with our own ideas of how the world should be ordered. At the same
time we should not forget that we have things in common as well.
The hard truth is that
there are many divisions among us and there is no point pretending otherwise.
That is how we were exploited by our alien rulers in the previous 20
generations to keep us under control. Also, some of these aliens are still
among us though they are not ruling anymore and it is both unfair and
mischievous to accuse me or other well-meaning people of hate speech when we
point this out. What we’re saying is that there are many threats to our way of
life from within the country and without, and we should face them united. There
should be no objection to that if everyone feels part of the whole. If they
don’t that could become a problem. Are we wrong to point that out?
About this unity
business, I feel that we’re strong individually but we could be a lot stronger
if we showed more solidarity and behaved like a team. It’s a thing we realise
only when we actually come together as one. This is a bit like all those
strands of thread on a loom before the weaving starts. The threads are placed
according to a plan, so the weaver is working to produce a design that has
already been worked out. Without that they are just so many disparate threads,
easily snapped, easily replaced, weak in their separateness.
Just look at China, it spans a continent, three times our size, spread across five time zones. Actually, they have only one time zone, one language, one script, one party for unified direction. And see how far they have gone in the last 30 years.
Once that cloth is
woven, though, it’s a different story. The threads are part of a larger
framework, much stronger for the bond, and indivisible. No one sees the blue
thread or the yellow thread but the whole cloth where each strand has its
place. You see where I’m heading with this? This is what causes all the
trouble. When these liberal bleeding hearts whine about how we spread division,
all we’re doing is to point out the differences, in faith, in language, in diet
and in political affiliations. And how much stronger we would be in our
determination for the nation. We’re not mocking these different people or
marking them, we’re simply trying to, okay, let me explain.
Just look at China, it
spans a continent, three times our size, spread across five time zones. Actually,
they have only one time zone, one language, one script, one party for unified
direction. And see how far they have gone in the last 30 years. Even standing
still, they move quicker than most societies. The wealth they have created both
inside and outside the country is incredible. And it has happened because China
has a single leadership with a singular vision. They don’t pamper religious
minorities either.
That is what I’m
talking about and that is what we’re trying to achieve. I have nothing against
minority religions and minority beliefs. I do wish, though, that they were more
compatible with us. That’s the gist of our message to them but they spin it
into a saga of hatred. All we ask for is a little tolerance but what we get is
a recital of irreconcilable differences. It can be frustrating; more than one
of my friends have suggested importing a made in China steel hand to show them
the error of their ways. I usually smile at the suggestion. Obviously we can’t
do it their way, we’re an open society. And, really, we don’t have to, there
are other ways that suit our anarchic temperament better.
But however we go
about it, we do need a master narrative, like an overarching roof to show that
we’re Indian. There’s nothing sinister about the project, it’s like singing in
harmony. The trouble is our, well, neighbours, want to sing a different tune.
They don’t understand that without a common plan we are left only with
confusion about direction and ambition. We’ll be returning to the lost decades.
Have you ever seen a cart with five yokes, with five horses hitched to them?
No, and the reason is that it would be a complete disaster. But let me stay
with this a little longer, there is more to explain.
Socialism, for
instance, used to be the buzzword for a long time, even though it gradually
shifted from its original motive of redistribution of wealth and power to
handout state. It became the Great Equaliser, making everyone equally poor and
equally miserable. But while it lasted, everyone was on board that train until
it went off the rails, making a bad situation catastrophic. The point is that
everyone sang that song, even if badly. To our great sorrow, only some people
join in our hymn to the future. We sing of prosperity for everyone, with
everyone but there is a loud silence from some sections.
This is where some of
our more devout friends have gone overboard, trying to rope in the reluctant
and recalcitrant. They may have resorted to force in their enthusiasm. I don’t
know, the jury is still out, the verdict is pending. Now, I’m not excusing the
coercion or the violence that has been exercised, however noble the objective,
but maybe there were mitigating circumstances. We should look into this matter
deeper before we condemn our brothers and sisters. They are among our most
sincere and honest supporters and we should stand by them in this hour of
trial. But I will say this; if the law finds them guilty we will accept
whatever burden the courts lay on them. We are, after all, a nation of
laws.
My friends, patriots
and citizens, I hope you understand that we are moved not by hatred but
inspired by a vision that our greatest sages have articulated so eloquently.
Who doesn’t want to see their homeland bloom like the lotus in the morning sun?
This is why we try to persuade all patriots to join the common cause. Their
faith doesn’t matter, only their single-minded devotion.
We are divided. No one
can deny that. I speak as one who has spent over 30 years in that maze, trying
to find a way out of it. Believe me when I say that the only way is unity, a
lesson we have been patiently repeating for more than half a century. We are
willing to show everyone a way of life that is in tune with our deepest cultural
traditions and at the same time ensures that the larger interests get first
place. As you can see, dear friends, this message is finally getting through to
our brothers and sisters everywhere. A patriot who had the public interest in
his heart would applaud us, though we are only doing our duty, but we have been
relentlessly abused, reviled and vilified, sometimes physically assaulted, by
interests who say we are trying to destroy the diversity that is a hallmark of
our history. If only they heard themselves.
Diversity is one of
our outstanding attributes and greatest strengths. We have never denied it. We
may be the only country with 22 official languages and more than a hundred
other major linguistic groups, more versions of the Ramayana than fingers on our
hands. We celebrate these and other differences but there is diversity and
there is division that is the prelude to chaos. Our critics seem blind to this
last development, which we have watched with dismay in the last 40 years even
as we doggedly continued with our mission praying that Bharat would wake up
before it was too late.
The illusion was
masterfully spun but, as a great man said, you can fool all the people for some
time only. People finally realised that what they were seeing was wholesale appeasement
masquerading as diversity. Their response since then has been hearteningly
forthright. The deceivers are getting their just deserts. And what have we got?
More abuse, more lies and more doublespeak even as more and more of them echo
our sentiments, blissfully unmindful of their hypocrisy. What do you think
would have happened if we hadn’t done our duty? We would have been universally
hailed for subscribing to the delusion of a carefree bacchanalia of fellowship.
We chose the hard way and we paid the price, gladly.
Was it painful, our
prolonged ill treatment for pointing out the obvious? It was, but we don’t
regret it for a moment. It was necessary to run that gauntlet for we had a
message to deliver. We are grateful, dear friends, that we were able to get it
to you in time and also that you knew what to do with it. The reward for our
toils has been more than we ever dreamed of but we know that you have also
given us your trust and a great responsibility. I can make you only one
promise. It is graven on our hearts and we will treat it as a sacred mission.
If we fail it won’t be for want of trying.
My friends, citizens
and patriots, you have given us your marching orders and we will move heaven
and earth to make your dreams come true. That is a solemn promise. We will
allow no obstacle deter us from our path on which we will always be guided by
the Constitution for we are above all a nation of laws.
I can’t stress this point enough, for our
ill-wishers are trying to paint a picture of a ruling party that has contempt
for law and order. We are accused of using the police and other agencies to
target and hunt down political opponents, foisting cases upon people who don’t
agree with us and overlooking the sins and crimes of our supporters. In short,
they are accusing us of promoting a combination of Animal Farm and 1984
(I do read sometimes), in complete disregard of the Constitution. My normal
reaction would be to shrug and brush off the lies and get on with the job. But
I think you deserve better, dear friends, so bear with me for a while.
When we first took
office in 2014 we swore to clean up a system where corruption had become the
normal mode of operation. Everything had a price, everything could be bought,
including the nation. All that was needed was an open wallet and the patience
for negotiation. There were so many hungry mouths to feed that someone was
always in line. If the investor was adventurous enough he could shop for the
best bargain. Let’s say the fertiliser minister needed a cash infusion. You
could offer to help in return for a licence to set up a plant, or pretend to
set up one, import the product and sell at a premium or as a Made in India
product. Or maybe health insurance seemed a better bet because of a vast new
government scheme. Perhaps a coal mine offered a more secure opportunity. They
were nothing if not flexible; they believed in options for the customer. Well,
we put a stop to all that. Since we took office there has not been even one
media report of government corruption.
That was not enough,
however. We had to do more for this cycle would stop only when the offenders
were caught and punished. When it is clear that crimes have consequences, fewer
people will be ready to take the risk and we will be able to restore the sense
of rightness in public life. So we launched a series of prosecutions against
the suspects, and guess what? A lot of them had been ministers in the previous
government or powerful civil servants. The moment we began investigations there
was predictable outrage from the suspect parties of persecution, witch hunt,
using government agencies to harass, frame and muzzle anyone who had the
courage to stand up to us, and so on.
We welcome different opinions, we always have, see our record. It’s just that when there is a threat to national security or law and order we can’t just stand by. It’s our duty to take action.
Bogus theatrics, dear
friends, but you know that. Still, when it goes on without pause the clearest
minds get clouded by doubt. When weeks and months pass without filing charges
two kinds of suspicions emerge. One is that there is no evidence and that we’re
desperately trying to hang on through procedural delays, the other is an
impatience with all this preoccupation with appearances, followed by a demand
for summary action.
To the second line of
thought I can right away say “Sorry, we don’t do this, we have to follow the
law to the letter.” I have said many times that the Constitution is our guru,
our secular Gita that applies to everyone regardless. We cannot ignore it
merely to secure a conviction here or there. And besides, how is it fair to
demand a conviction in violation of the facts? That too is corrupt practice.
As for the first, only
someone who has investigated financial offences can understand how difficult it
is to find clinching evidence. These transactions are neither recorded nor
booked, there is usually no paper trail or anything leading to the crime, only
suspicious circumstances. So we file requests for more time to investigate,
pass the case from one agency to another that is better equipped, longer
interrogations, pleas opposing bail lest the suspects tamper with witnesses and
evidence, and so forth. Some of these things seem to be denial of justice but,
really, we’re just trying to preserve the integrity of the case. In addition, I
must stress that my government has followed court orders to the letter even
where grave matters of national security were involved. The only cases we have
filed are those that might lead to a conviction and every action we have taken
is strictly legal. In any case the court is our master in this instance.
Whatever they order, we do that.
There is a lot of talk
in some sensitive circles about the frequent use of tough sedition laws and
prohibitory orders to crack down on dissent but I take exception to that. We
welcome different opinions, we always have, see our record. It’s just that when
there is a threat to national security or law and order we can’t just stand by.
It’s our duty to take action. The problem is that the word “duty” is something
a lot of our liberal friends really don’t understand. It means sometimes you
have to do things you don’t like because there are no good options. Our own deepest
cultural traditions tell us that an errant child must be shown the right path.
We believe that if you spare the rod you spoil the child. So though our ways
may seem brutal, at bottom we are activated by a loving concern for people who
don’t know better.
I think it’s also time
I clarified our approach on something else that makes our liberal friends
apoplectic, arrest and denial of bail. I must point out that we don’t deny
bail, we have no power to do so. We simply request the courts to that effect in
the case of suspects who we believe have the potential to disrupt public order.
We have no interest in arresting or detaining people for long periods in jails
that are overcrowded to begin with. Sometimes, though, we need that interval to
convince suspects to mend their ways and give up their more refractory friends.
If the court agrees to the extension, is it fair to blame us for presenting a
strong case? That is our duty, after all, carrying out the court’s orders.
We have been accused,
dear friends, of politicising faith and using it to drive a wedge between
communities. But all we did was practise it and with pride. We made it clear
that we knew where we belonged, unlike the secularists who loudly denounced the
exploitation of faith for political mobilisation while doing it themselves
through so-called minority outreach, with promises of protecting their
interests. As if anyone needed any protection over and above what the law
offers and the Constitution guarantees. These people were the originators of and,
at one point, masters of communal politics, but the public sees them for what
they are. Their days are over but they
still keep pointing the finger at us, as if anyone is going to believe them
now. It makes me sad to see the gibbering ghosts of a movement that define us
for a long moment in our history, and sadder that we have no worthy adversary
to keep us on our toes.
We are embarked on a great journey to raise our country above all others and we will definitely make mistakes on that road. It is made all the harder when there is no one to correct us. But we will persist, with your grace and support, dear friends. You have given us the honour and the burden is a heavy one but we will carry it for as long as you endorse us. I hope your blessings will be with us.