Two faces Studied silence and occasional sound help create a culture of impunity

Narendra Modi., File photo.

The Editorial Board   |   TT  |  11.01.22  : It is only logical to believe that sound is inimical to silence. Yet, there can be a unique, troubling situation when sound, ironically, complements silence. The vice-president, Venkaiah Naidu, had stated recently that hate speech violates the country, its ethics as well as its constitutional ethos. Mr Naidu’s remark — a welcome sound — stands in contrast to the studied silence of the regime on the toxification of the nation’s body politic. The prime minister, as is his wont, seldom speaks up against hate campaigns; his government, perhaps on his cue, prefers this kind of grey silence. The net result of the occasional sound — Mr Naidu’s statement is an example — and the studied silence is, as several critics have pointed out, the creation of a culture of impunity that protects and patronizes vigilantes who believe in disseminating the rhetoric of polarization. From self-proclaimed holy men to young, technologically-savvy Islamophobes, a large number of Indians have been emboldened by the indifference — complicity? — of Narendra Modi and his government to target, humiliate and assault Muslims and Christians in what is supposed to be a secular country.

The doublespeak is integral to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s strategy, especially when there is an election to win. Holders of benign constitutional offices would continue singing hosannas to India’s inclusivity and civilizational ethos while the wielders of real power go about inflicting damage on these very templates. The consequences of this institutional indulgence are there for all to see. India’s inclusive social fabric lies in tatters, with orchestrated hatred corroding the foundations of collective fraternity. If this fragmentation remains unchecked, the eventual collapse of the pluralist Republic dreamt of and realized by the founders of the nation would be inevitable. International collateral damage is mounting too. Mr Modi’s unwillingness to check these predations has given Imran Khan, the leader of a country not quite famous for either democracy or religious neutrality, an opportunity to point fingers at India. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has been scathing in its recent report on the persecution of religious minorities in India as well. Neither global concern nor criticism is likely to mend the ways of India’s venom factory. Indians who believe in the foundational idea of democracy and secularism — they are still in the majority — have to reverse the polarization and punish its agents themselves. The forthcoming elections could be an opportunity for Old India to stand up and be counted.