Modi’s 11 years, 50 years of Emergency and Jokes
The BJP wants to show people how during the Congress rule Emergency broke down the system of the country, but their own people are failing their campaign
“Produce the witness on the next date”, the Judge said and closed my case file.
This is what I have been hearing for a year now.
I left the court room helpless, and checked out my X, formally Twitter, account.
My eyes fell on a piece, which reads about the BJP highlighting the drawbacks of Emergency.
I laughed because I had just come out of the court room where my trial has turned into punishment.
For more than a year now there’s no progress in my case and I am being told things have changed.
Emergency completes 50 years, while PM Modi has completed one year of his third term.
This country is living in an era of “Undeclared Emergency” since Modi has taken over as Prime Minister.
Fundamental rights have been suspended unannounced. The suspension is being implemented as if emergency is enforced in real sense.
The first year of Modi’s third term saw 419 incidents in which 1,460 Muslims were targeted. In 85 incidents 1,504 Christians were targeted.
The 85 incidents against Christians make it clear that Muslims aren’t wrong but something is definitely wrong with those who are targeting the minorities.
Even Dalits are becoming easy targets. In BJP ruled Odisha, members of Bajrang Dal assaulted Dalit men. They were made to crawl and forced to drink sewage water. Their heads were also shaved.
In another incident, three Dalit workers died from methane gas poisoning while cleaning the sewage tank of a dyeing factor.
In Madhya Pradesh, a 19-year-old girl was set on fire by the son of a man she accused of harassment.
In Andrha Pradesh, a Dalit professor was asked to sit on floor.
In Karantanka, UNO reserve happened when Hindu activists were tied to tree and then were thrashed after row over carrying cows.
The rising atrocities against Dalits across various states in India are worrisome for any progressive and civilized society.
As per the ‘Crime in India, 2022’ report published by the National Crime Records Bureau, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the atrocities against Dalits increased manifold in 2022 from the previous years.
Eight states that recorded the highest number of atrocities against Dalits are: Uttar Pradesh (15,368), Rajasthan (8,952), Madhya Pradesh (7,733), Bihar (6,509), Odisha (2,902), Maharashtra (2,743), Andhra Pradesh (2,315), and Karnataka (1,977).
This indicates that atrocities against Dalits continue irrespective of the political party in power. Uttar Pradesh under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rajasthan earlier under the Congress, and Bihar under the Rashtriya Janata Dal-Janata Dal United alliance could not curtail the increasing violence against Dalits despite their tall claims of social justice.
The inference to draw from here is that contrary to popular belief the issues Dalits face cannot be addressed merely in electoral/political terms. Dalit issues are much deeper and entrenched in social, economic, cultural, and structural domains.
While I kept scrolling, my eyes fell on a news from The Wire, where the Chief Minister of Delhi said in reply to a question in a media event organized by “Jansatta”, a Hindi daily of The Indian Express Group. Replying to a question on Kunal Kamra performing in Delhi, she said, “At his own risk”.
By this she meant, ‘We don’t know what people will do next’.
What if she meant, ‘People will be free to do anything after he performs’.
While she was pushed by a group of journalists on her remarks, she said, ‘He can come on his own risk’ but not on her assurance.”
Imagine these words have come from the Chief Minister belonging to a party, which is educating people on Emergency.
The BJP wants to show people how during the Congress rule Emergency broke down the system of the country. But their own people are failing their campaign.
The two big causalities of the emergency were “Right to speech and Expression” and the “Freedom of Press”.
Aren’t the two causalities today as well?
So what has changed?
Nothing in reality, and the BJP wants people to believe that things are absolutely normal. While the fact is, they are not.
This country is now afraid of jokes.
Hate speeches have also intensified, with 178 of the 345 incidents attributed to the BJP-linked individuals, including Prime Minister Modi and several chief ministers.
Two judges and a governor were also reported to have made inflammatory remarks, sparking concern about the institutional normalisation of hate.
In Utter Pradesh, a cop who kicked people while they were offering Namaz is being celebrated as a hero. Just because he kicked Muslims!!!
When the same officer made remarks on Holi festival, asking people who have problem with colors should stay at home, he became even more celebrated.
When asked how he is allowing Holi and not Friday Prayers, he said ‘Friday comes every week whereas Holi once a year’.
So being a policeman, whose duty is to ensure justice, is drawing comparison between the two.
When the “Executive” is working in this way where will the people seek protection?
The poor has no place to seek justice while for the rich everything is fine.
In the 1st year of Modi’s 3rd term, people are getting nothing but stampedes. In 2025 alone , five stampedes took place. 8th January: Tirupati - 6 deaths, 29th January MahaKumbh - 30 deaths, 15th Feb-NDLS Delhi -18 deaths, 4thJune: Bengaluru IPL - 11 deaths, and 29th June Rath Yatra – 3 deaths.
But for none the government took the responsibility.
Evading responsibility is the new game that the government loves to play. And, the mainstream media helps the government to win in this game.
The 11 years of Narendra Modi has made this country a living hell. Countries are issuing advisories, asking people not to go to India because of growing rapes. Rapes in India have become common. News reports about rapes flash on my timeline almost every day. Not a single day passes without rapes... some get reported, while some don’t.
[The writer, Raqif Makhdoomi, is a human rights activist and a law student. Views expressed are personal.]
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