Political rhetoric is getting more toxic by the hour and truth being the biggest casualty
Communication is to relationships as breathing is to living. With modern technology and AI, we are bombarded with built-up false narratives and deep fakes. The political manifestos of most parties are promulgated, and the campaign of the selected candidates has started.
Our national emblem is inscribed with Satyamev Jayate (Truth alone triumphs). Since the electorate is skeptical of the many promises being made, with past experience of political rhetoric, which is getting more toxic by the hour and truth the biggest casualty, we find everyone making blatantly communal statements and allegations fortified by social media.
It seems the ruling party wants to destroy all opposition using all the agencies at its command and all means. For example, PM Narendra Modi invariably talks of Congress obliteration and alleges the whole country is talking about giving BJP 400 seats as the Opposition wants to stop him from doing good work. The nation has made up its mind to “clean you (congress) up!” Rajnath Singh states that in a few years after 2024 if we take the name of the Congress, children will ask who?
As regards a level playing field, who stands a chance if confronted by the CBI, ED, Income Tax, NIA and all the national agencies and police relentlessly, with draconian laws applied like UAPA, PMLA among others used against any opposition. Courts are getting more and more involved due proliferation of cybercrimes, technology and digital data gathering/creation whilst justice for the common man is getting more remote.
The Supreme Court declaring of Electoral Bonds unconstitutional, silence of the media and investigative agencies, refusal of RTI information from the SBI, the raids and consequently politicians jumping ship en masse to join the BJP, even the BBC after airing a documentary on Modi was raided and slapped with income tax queries and then the deal to permit news gathering in India for its English channels whilst surrendering its local India broadcast to Indian control, the arrest of all the key ministers in the AAP and even its chief Minister in the ever broadening Delhi Excise Liquor Scam, the PMLA charges on Mahua Moitra in the original cash for information are the modus operandi examples.
The Election Commission dares not take any action against the PM or ruling party breaching Code of Conduct rules. All parties give tickets to candidates with criminal charges as usual despite the Supreme Court warning that they may institute contempt of court to clean the electoral system.
In north Goa, we have well-known Ramkant Khalap from the Congress and Shripad Naik from the BJP. The South has fresh representation in Pallavi Dempo for the BJP and Viriato Fernandes for the INDIA bloc, she from a respected family corporate organization that has done a lot for Goa and is personally well qualified and experienced in administration and social services, whilst he is a respected naval veteran who has already done a lot of grassroots work and is also well qualified and experienced in all aspects of administration due to his services background. The revolutionary Goans Party has also put up its candidates in North and south Goa.
Since liberation there have been serial defectors. The last Assembly elections where the BJP won, the Congress had 11 elected members out of which 8 including Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo all switched over to the BJP and became its greatest cheerleaders. They had all before being elected taken a vow before God, visiting churches, temples and mosques to stay loyal to the Congress.
So many MLAs have switched sides many times. The shameful part is that the electorate of these Satraps still remain their loyal followers. The paradox of our democracy is communal condemnation of minorities, blamed without evidence, condemned without reason driven to fear and made to feel like outsiders in their own land. But the PM says the Constitution is the Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bible and Quran for his government.
The state-patronized Hindutva foot soldiers are no more subtle but boastful and arrogant and with all the mainstream media, corporates, enforcement agencies, police, and all other authorities captured, even the Supreme Court sought to be overwhelmed, there is fear that we may land up to be an affluent Hindu Pakistan if the polarized people of Bharat are unable to see the truth.
There is no equitable justice. All the Opposition is declared corrupt and arrested/behind bars. The courts are cleverly made use of as they have to rely on the agency’s reports. The draconian laws legislated and targeted have had devastating effects.
The checks and balances are removed. Most Bills are bulldozed without proper discussion in the Parliament. The police and agencies arrest/investigate or not anytime at their own discretion. Ridiculous to find FIR of rape against adults living together for years on grounds of refusal to marry.
Freedom as guaranteed in our Constitution is suppressed like eating meat during auspicious Hindu periods, wearing skirts/jeans may be anti-national. There is silence on many contentious issues, now primarily on the Electoral Bonds Scheme, one of the biggest frauds on the people. Will the people ever be permitted to know the deadly ramifications and the truth?
