“Faith must be unconditional,” wrote Adolf Hitler, the German dictator who often boasted that his conduct was in accordance with “the will of the Almighty Creator,” adding, “faith cannot in any essential way be made dependent on arguments, proofs, reasons. Its content must be offered to the masses in the form of rigid dogmas.”
Hitler was responsible for the death of millions of people, not only Jews. He often spoke against intellect and reasoning, insisting that “we must distrust intelligence and conscience and must place our trust in our instincts.”
Nobody has a copyright on illusions of divinity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the latest to lay claim on those special powers endowed upon him by the “Almighty Creator.” Though he often said in the past that “the God chose me to do this work,” he explained his transformation from a human being to a divine agent in an interview barely a few days ago. He said:
“Pehle jab tak maa zinda thi, mujhe lagta tha ki shayad biologically mujhe janam diya gaya hai. Maa ke jaane ke baad in saare anubhavon ko main jod kar dekhta hoon to main convince ho chuka hoon ki parmatma ne mujhe bheja hai. Ye urja biological shareer se nahi mili hai, ye urja ishwar mujhse kuch kaam lena hai, isliye mujhe vidhya bhi di hai, samarthya bhi diya hai, nek dili bhi di hai aur prerna bhi wahi de raha hai, purushartha karne ka samarthya bhi de raha hai aur mai kuch nahi hoon, ek instrument hoon jo ishwar mere roop me mujhse lena tay kiya hain, aur isliye main jab bhi kuch karta hoon to main maanta hoon shayad ishwar mujhse karwana chahta hai…”
This translates to:
“When my mother was alive, I used to believe that I was born biologically. After she passed away, upon reflecting on all my experiences, I am convinced that God has sent me. This energy could not be from my biological body, but was bestowed upon me by God. The God has given me the skills as well as the strength; he has given me nobility as well. He gives the inspiration as well as the robust will. I am nothing, just an instrument that the God created to get certain things done… whatever I do, I feel the God is executing that through me.”
This was not a strange idea flitting through his mind in a rare emotional moment. He repeated this in another interview to a Hindi newspaper, saying, “I believe I have been greatly blessed by some divine power, which has made me a medium public welfare.”
His supporters claimed he was perfectly suited to perform the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya because of the special powers he possessed. The Vishva Hindu Parishad chief, Champat Rai, described Modi as an incarnation of Vishnu and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat called him a “tapaswi”. The Cabinet later passed a resolution saying, “Today, we can say, not through political perspective, but spiritual perspective that destiny chose you for the pran-pratistha of Lord Ram who is pivot of India’s sanatan culture and global influence.” Even Bharatiya Janata Party chief J.P. Nadda had said, “Narendra Modi is Surendra Modi. He is the lord of gods.”
Dogmas are best left unchallenged. But a dispassionate analysis of the political career of a leader, who occupied top posts like the chief minister of a state and the prime minister, may help lesser mortals decode what being a special envoy of the God means.
Modi shot into national prominence when he was appointed the chief minister of Gujarat in 2001. Within months, one of the worst communal riots took place in Gujarat, resulting in hundreds of deaths, arson, rape, and widespread destruction. Modi faced allegations of administrative inaction and several BJP leaders. including his Cabinet colleagues, faced trial for their involvement. It is difficult to guess what the divine will was but the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee felt compelled to remind Modi of rajdharma.
There were allegations of discrimination against the survivors struggling to rebuild their lives in relief camps as Modi took out a Gujarat Gaurav Yatra.
Modi’s tenure as chief minister was marred by allegations of coercive politics, with Congress MLAs being regularly suspended from assembly. The Congress also accused Modi of pursuing a pro-corporate policy and even submitted memorandums to the President for giving land worth Rs 1 lakh crore to corporate houses at cheap rates. He relied on reckless privatisation, making education and healthcare costly for the poor. His sensational claim of discovery of a huge gas reserve in the Krishna-Godavari river basin turned out to be false. There were several cases about fake encounters and surveillance upon a young girl which the Gujarat government had to deal with. But Modi succeeded in hawking the Gujarat model in the run-up to the 2014 parliamentary election and became the prime minister with a thumping majority.
Though it is for the people to decide whether they find divine nobility in his conduct as the prime minister, the Modi-led Central government took some controversial decisions. These decisions bore Modi’s personal imprint more than the collective leadership of the BJP.
For instance, the first major controversy erupted when the historic Land Acquisition Act was sought to be diluted, triggering a massive protests by the farmers and the Congress. The clauses relating to consent and social impact assessment were targeted but the political resistance from the Congress aborted the ordinance that the government brought.
The lynching of Muslims triggered widespread protests. Many writers, artistes, and other celebrities returned their awards in protest. But lynching and vigilantism continued, without any firm and decisive intervention from the prime minister.
Demonetisation came as a debilitating blow, sending shockwaves across the nation and jolting economists who unanimously predicted adverse impact on the economy. The Indian economy indeed got derailed, destroying small businesses and informal sectors. Millions of jobs were wiped out as the nation suffered for years, but Modi stopped discussing it even as none of the stated objectives were achieved.
Allegations of wrongdoing were levelled against the prime minister in the Rafale deal but no investigation was allowed.
Separately, nobody knows what happened to the investigation in the Pulwama attack, which killed 40 CRPF jawans just before the 2019 election. Modi exploited the tragedy, along with the surgical strike into Pakistan, for votes but no answers to questions about security lapses and how the RDX-laden car reached the spot. Very serious questions raised by the then Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik have not been answered.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, lakhs of people died in India. The pandemic years witnessed exceptional mismanagement by the government as thousands of patients waited outside hospitals in most cities for want of bed and even oxygen. A shortage of ventilators deepened the crisis.
The leader with divine powers not only asked the people to bang thalis and light up candles, he ordered sudden lockdowns, triggering an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Trains and buses were suspended, leaving millions on the road, walking hundreds of kilometres to reach home. Countries with leaders having no divine powers managed both the epidemic and economy much better.
Farm laws were introduced creating panic among farmers. Lakhs of farmers sat on the outskirts of Delhi (they were not allowed to enter the nation’s capital) for over a year in extreme weather; 700 protesting farmers died but the prime minister didn’t utter a word of condolence. Even the parliament didn’t allow an obituary reference. The laws were withdrawn for a very mundane reason – elections in states.
Allegations of illegal surveillance on politicians, judges, journalists, and activists through an Israeli system called Pegasus triggered a massive political storm, but a thorough and independent investigation was disallowed.
A unique protest emerged in Delhi as internationally acclaimed wrestlers sat in protest against a BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, alleging sexual exploitation and harassment. However, the prime minister neither uttered a word nor sacked the leader from his party.
Manipur witnessed horrors and mindless violence but the prime minister refused to visit the state. Was this apathy ordained by the God?
Sanjay K. Jha is a senior journalist.
