BJP being a threat

I made a list on why BJP is a problem and a threat to democracy and pluralism. Discussed with Praveen that we should post a blog on this. Here are some points to try to convince people who probably did not follow the news or did not see all this as a whole chunk by the BJP.

• Ruthless misuse of investigative agencies

Modi government has perfected the misuse of central investigative agencies for their political ends. According to the data shared by the Union government in the parliament in July 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered 5,422 cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, but only 23 persons have been convicted – less than 0.5% out of which 5,310 cases were under Modi. (see https://thewire.in/law/ed-low-conviction-rate-caged-parrot-that-cant-get-anyone-to-sing) (see https://thewire.in/politics/it-raids-opposition-leaders-elections-2019-bjp). The government has put opposition politicians under house arrest and jailed them in order to prevent them from canvassing or participating in protest movements such as in the cases of TDP politician Nara Lokesh and former finance minister P. Chidambaram. Once the opposition politician defects to the BJP, the cases against them are dropped--Himanta Biswa Sarma, Mukul Roy, Ajit Pawar, Harshvardhan Patil are examples. https://thewire.in/politics/modis-raid-raj-janampatri-has-emerged-as-key-instrument-of-power-against-the-opposition

• Misuse of laws like UAPA to silence critics https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/10/how-terrorism-law-india-used-to-silence-modis-critics . How the UAPA is wrecking lives https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/how-the-uapa-is-wrecking-lives/article65296638.ece In recent days, cases filed under UAPA, PMLA and Section 153A are rising, while convictions have remained poor https://www.thehindu.com/data/data-uapa-pmla-section-153a-what-do-these-laws-have-in-common/article65871393.ece?homepage=true

• crackdown on media freedom and journalists. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/world/asia/modi-india-press-media.html

• Demolishing muslim properties of accused in crimes, mainly in Assam and UP. notice the word 'accused'. And there is no provision to demolish people's houses accused of crimes in Indian law. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/27/india-hindus-muslims-bulldozers-demolitions/ and https://thewire.in/government/assam-voluntary-demolition-madrasa-persecution-muslims . See persecution of Muslims in Assam and UP https://thewire.in/rights/can-himanta-biswa-sarma-and-yogi-adityanath-be-tried-for-crimes-against-humanity

• This one https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/16/india-modi-muslims-journalists-dissent-democracy-rana-ayyub/ contains many anti-Muslim actions by the government. For seven decades, India has been held together by its constitution, which promises equality to all. But Narendra Modi’s BJP is remaking the nation into one where some people count as more Indian than others. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/20/hindu-supremacists-nationalism-tearing-india-apart-modi-bjp-rss-jnu-attacks

• They have filed sedition cases for people(as many as 60) celebrating Pakistan's cricket match victory. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-59130556 And even filed an FIR for reading namaz at home without taking permission, which was later scrapped. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/up-moradabad-cops-scrap-fir-on-namaz-at-plot-owaisi-says-hope-people-101661866510137.html

• Intensified repression in Jammu and Kashmir. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/india-the-government-must-end-the-repression-of-rights-in-jammu-and-kashmir/

• Projects like Central Vista do not follow due process. The local body NDMC was totally bypassed, so nobody signed any paper showing that municipality laws are followed. No environment assessment impact was done, so clearance on environment was not issued either. In the covid time, when people were dying without oxygen cyliners, Modi chose to focus on Central Vista redevelopment.(see https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/05/13/blind-men-at-work-central-vista-is-an-illegitimate-monument-to-deceit and https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/05/19/bit-by-bit-trick-by-trick-how-central-vista-became-a-reality and https://thewire.in/government/central-vista-project-delhi-covid-19)

• No public accountability for initiatives like PM Cares Fund, said it is not covered by RTI. https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/10/28/explained-why-is-the-pm-cares-fund-so-controversial

• Sabotaging people during the pandemic https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/apr/28/crime-against-humanity-arundhati-roy-india-covid-catastrophe and Modi’s pandemic choice: Protect his image or protect India. He chose himself https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/modis-pandemic-choice-protect-his-image-or-protect-india-he-chose-himself/2021/04/28/44cc0d22-a79e-11eb-bca5-048b2759a489_story.html

  Also, Modi's policies profit big hospitals who sold vaccines for high prices largely unaffordable by the Indians https://scroll.in/article/1030719/how-the-centres-disastrous-decisions-on-vaccines-cost-the-lives-of-lakhs-of-indians

• Prison population of Muslims, Dalits and Tribal prisoners in India are disproportionate to their share in the Indian population. https://www.firstpost.com/india/ncrb-data-shows-muslims-dalits-tribal-population-in-prisons-disproportionate-to-their-numbers-outside-8775161.html

• BJP government argued that privacy 'not a fundamental right' https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150819/07244632004/indias-attorney-general-privacy-not-fundamental-right.shtml and later withdrew the data protection bill which was to be passed after privacy was deemed a fundamental right under India’s constitution in 2018 https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/03/india-government-to-withdraw-personal-data-protection-bill/

• At least 11 BJP-ruled states have passed a law https://thewire.in/communalism/haryana-becomes-11th-state-to-table-love-jihad-law-congress-protests-in-assembly which allows police to arrest a person marrying interfaith without a warrant. In short, a law to put Muslim men in jail when they marry Hindu women, even on consensual basis (see https://thewire.in/law/love-jihad-ordinance-communal-rhetoric-divisive-justice-ap-shah). However, no evidence was found by the government investigations in many states to support the narrative that Muslim men are coercing Hindu women to marry (Uttar Pradesh: https://thewire.in/women/up-police-report-adityanath-love-jihad-cases ; Kerala: https://thewire.in/politics/nia-love-jihad-kerala-hadiya ; Admission by the Union government: https://thewire.in/communalism/love-jihad-cases-govt; Karnataka: https://www.ndtv.com/karnataka-news/karnataka-officer-transferred-after-his-survey-showed-no-forced-conversion-2655110).

• BJP spends taxpayer money to spread hate-mongering against Muslims. The spike in 2017 in the state of Uttar Pradesh shows that BJP is responsible for this. (see https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/10/24/who-pays-sudarshan-news-to-spew-hate-speech-you-do-through-your-government and https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/07/21/yogi-government-spent-rs-160-crore-on-tv-ads-in-one-year-network18-hits-the-jackpot)

• BJP government has quietly tweaked rules relating to special economic zones – and the new rules specifically favour the Adani Group. https://thewire.in/business/modi-government-adani-group

• Banks wrote off loans worth Rs 10 lakh crore. Absconding diamantaire Mehul Choksi's company Gitanjali Gems owes banks a whopping ₹7,110 crore. https://www.thehindu.com/business/banks-wrote-off-loans-worth-10-lakh-cr-in-last-5-years/article65716883.ece

Remaining: Crony capitalism, Bhima Koregaon case, Pegasus spyware, Fake news and trolling, uneven application of law(Rapist like Ram Rahim and Bilkis Bano rapists get released, actually Ram Rahim was even given Z+ security cover by the BJP when he was out for 21 days https://theprint.in/india/dera-chief-ram-rahim-gets-z-plus-security-on-his-release-on-furlough/842642/, while activists doing good work are in jail), unemployment, inflation, environment degradation(India is at the least position in environment protection)