Can We Afford The Price of Ignorance?

Mission shakti

Before mass leaders seize the power to fit reality to their lies, their propaganda is marked by its extreme contempt for facts as such, for in their opinion fact depends entirely on the power of man who can fabricate it. ~ Hannah Arendt

After a day of hypnotised hijack of the nation by the announcement of “Mission Shakti” (which unfortunately worked more for the Supreme Leader and less for ISRO) it is indeed both amusing and sickening to see millions saying that “It is Modi’s India which is developing”. Though the millions belong to a particular mindset, which for a democracy is acceptable, but what is unacceptable is that, the ones who stood with science and Indian Space Research Organisation, did get little glow and glamour, as compared to our Supreme Leader. The other thing which compels me to be against the publicity, is the quick hijack of the public, instead of the availability of colliding critical questions

For a country to stand strong, criticism is the fundamental pillar and stands even taller than any particular ideology. Sadly, the time today is too die hard to criticise criticism. The nation is in a volatile state because the success is being utilised by the superior demagogues to trigger a large number derogatory actions and the humongous aura of advertising success hides all the actions breaking the nation into million parts. Thirdly, saying India as “Modi’s India” is one of the most offensive tasks that the right wingers and their supporters do to satisfy their own hunger of advertisement and oppression.

Few questions that we should keep on asking the Supreme Leader to make him remember the value of criticism, since he said “Criticism is essential for democracy” (yet he’s the only one who rejects it more than anyone else) are:

● Every nation is a work of cloudscape, which keeps on changing, and it is possible because of the available flexibility. Similarly, imagine a picture having a sphere with strong strokes on its borders only, but the interior is left without any colour or with bad strokes. The picture would look much worse than the viewers deserve. India, as per our Supreme Leader, is strong in terms of defense but can’t we ask him that why the interior is so vulnerable? Strength on the border and space is good but what about the minimum requirements that the citizens need to dream to get the chance to join and work for the the same defence force and space organisation?

● To be frank, no sane human being would agree that a country is of the Supreme Leader but sadly, there still is irrationality. On the same hand, in today’s India, for one success of ISRO, let’s congratulate them only, from the core of our heart and ask the Supreme Leader that as per promised, where are the jobs? Why is the nation suffering for the highest rate of unemployment?

● With decreasing Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and increasing Private Sector Industries, the motive of the government is quite clear. Money is being drained from the pockets of millions to be supplied to the industrialists. Airports are being privatised, banks face merging, closure of telecom industries, keeps on increasing the number of jobless citizens. Today the economy of the nation is being ruled by capitalists with little or no concentration to the lower and middle class. So, after five years of silence, why is the nation filled with more jobless citizens than the pre – 2014 era?

● Policies of the government help in construction of a nation uniformly, but the post 2014 era, has seen deterioration in the results of maximum policies that have been released by the present government. From the nefarious demonetisation leading to death of more than thousand in the ATM line, along with zero success in getting the non taxable back to the bank, is the biggest failure of the present government’s era. Through various mediums, the leaders said that “the motive of demonetisation is to get the non taxable money”, but the failure today says that the only motive of demonetisation was to make the country more poor and vulnerable.

Within three months, the government implemented GST, and a country which has suffered from the wrath of demonetisation, it is completely irrational, from an economist’s view point, but pre planned from a politician’s view point. Irrational because, a nation where the economy has been lowered by demonetisation, how can GST be logical since it adds more money? Pre planned because the leaders knew that the country would suffer along with its capitalists and money drained from the pockets of citizens could help in filling the pockets! After all the moves which were utterly evil, who would take the responsibility? And how would the country stand back?

● Atal Pension Yojana (APY) was started to benefit the citizens belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) and initially it was promised that they would be given money from the extracted money after demonetisation. But here too, the promise has not been kept. According to the rule, the zero account balance holder should take loans of Rs. 5000 to start his/her business and that is the most frustrating thing. Taking the poor inside the grip of loan and then giving just Rs. 5000, which is not at all enough to start a business and then to give the money with interest back to the bank. So naturally, the poor citizens would fail to stand strong and who would be responsible for this?

● Dear Supreme Leader! Who would take the responsibility of the increasing hatred against the minority and the ideology of secularism itself? Oppression of every voice which speaks against the party ruled by you, is the picture of what your supporters claim as your India. Ladies and Gentlemen! After post 2014, the country, which is the land of more than hundred cultures and ideologies and believes to accept everyone of them, has been divided into two poles only and the content which lies in between are being fabricated to benefit the people belonging to power. Why is this happening? Shouldn’t we ask? It is not a chapter which is bad and therefore should be ignored! In fact, this situation demands more attention to criticise it more sharply. But sadly, critics either sell themselves or they are killed in today’s India.

● “Shocking beyond words! Jean Dreze is a saint-economist, a potential Nobel awardee who lived in slums, written and done more for the poor than any economist, shunned all power and glory, took up Indian citizenship, is a pacifist. Nothing can be more shameful than arresting him” tweeted by Yogendra Yadav, political analyst. The incident which happened today is just one of the examples of the illegality of the powerful that is happening. From the death of Gauri Lankesh and other activists, the arrest of G. N. Saibaba, thrashing of the professor in Andhra Pradesh for criticising the Supreme Leader and his actions after Pulwama incident to the arrest of Jean Dreze, the picture of today’s India is a replica of the India of the emergency period.

● Release of the prime criminal of Gujarat Riot, Babu Bajrangi, who said, “when he slit off a pregnant Muslim woman’s stomach, he felt like Maharana Pratap”, is not at all surprising in today’s India. What is surprising is that only few stood against the decision and others denied to even telecast it! Who would take the responsibility?

The point is, the country has been deeply sedated with the medicines of fascism and so, the identity of the nation is drowning. We cannot afford to be a country which oppresses difference and neither can we tolerate anything which is delusional to suffocate the nation.

Kabir Deb is a published writer and poet. Born in Haflong and completed his Masters on Life Sciences from Assam University. His work has been published from different national and international magazine like Different Truths, Counter Currents, Reviews, Cafe Dissensus, Spillwords magazine and his works rely on political activisvm.

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