India's new Parliament - Mass graves, vanity and Fascism

New Indian Parliament house was inaugurated by Prime minister Narendra Modi in bizarre ceremonial ritual. Built with a budget of $110 million is a vanity project of Indian authoritarian Prime Minister who has worked hard to destroy India's secularism and its Democracy, Economy, sociopolitical tradition and social fabric. The new Parliament House is part of $2.8 Billion 'Central Vista' project of redesigning national capital. The new project is being built by demolishing several existing cultural & historical buildings like National museum and National center of Arts.

Built during the Cataclysm of public health emergency

The project was built during the cataclysmic period of Covid-19 pandemic in India which overran its weak & almost non existent healthcare system. Official Covid-19 deaths are gross underestimate & deliberately undercounted by Indian Government (1, 2). Uncountable number of Indians died at the peak of Delta wave when Hospitals ran out of medical oxygen (1, 2). The economy had come to a stop due to fears of virus and also planned govt shutdowns to contain the pandemic, that included stoppage of work & employment in most sectors of country. But in a cruel irony, the vanity project was built in this period of great public health emergency under the dictatorial whims of Modi regime. 

Mass Grave during Covid-19 pandemic. 

Modi who is regular speaker to public through his propaganda TV and Radio shows 'Mann ki baat' (English translation - hearty conversation) disappeared for a while as regime was resented by public due to gross healthcare and economic mismanagement during the pandemic. While mass deaths were occurring in country & nation suffered grave financial loss, the construction workers were busy in central Delhi building new Parliament building.  

Democracy in Peril and rise of religious Fascism

India is a Potemkin Democracy with controlled elections like Russia and Turkey. Most of Indian Parliamentarians, especially ruling BJP party, are criminals, Mafias and fanatics. Prime minister Modi is himself involved in Gujarat massacres of Muslims, and the ruling BJP party & its religious militias (like RSS, BJP, Bajrang Dal etc) are responsible for orchestrating religious riots and targeting of Muslims, Christians & other minorities across the country. Political opposition is targeted through investigating agencies & intelligence to maintain a tight totalitarian grip on national discourse. 

For a Potemkin Democracy, India gives a charming outside image of a functional Democracy. The Parliament which is supposed to be supreme legislative body is now controlled by one party system dominated by ruling BJP party. And even in conventional sense, Indian Parliament now has little significance as legislation is written by Prime minister's office and rubber stamped through parliament. Parliamentary committees hardly discuss & scrutinize new laws and are whisked with a rubber stamp in parliament (1, 2, 3). The parliamentary authority has been eroded just like erosion of independence of other institutions like judiciary & investigating agencies. Opposition party politicians regularly stage walkouts and protests to oppose illegal and unconstitutional laws of ruling party. Opposition lawmakers are also suspended from Parliament by ruling party to suppress dissenting opposition. Recently, a major opposition lawmakers, Rahul Gandhi, is expelled from Parliament by employing Kangaroo courts to convict him on rudimentary charges. Major opposition political parties boycotted the ceremonial inauguration of new Parliament, writing a collective letter explaining their decision. 

The civil liberties and fundamental freedoms of people are under attack as govt use extraordinary measures like anti-terrorism and sedition laws against peaceful protesters. The internet is routinely suspended in various parts of country, purely on executive orders of govt citing national security threats. Social media companies (Elon Musk's Twitter and Facebook) act hand in glove with Modi regime to suppress public opinions unfavorable to ruling regime. All these heavy handed tactics have created an environment of fear in India civil society. The Muslims, Christians and Liberals are hounded by Government & their religious militias, portraying them as enemy. Liberal activists and whisteblowers are murdered and/or sent to jail till eternity. The regression of India reflects in various social & economic metrics like Press Freedoms, UN human development, Hunger, Democratic norms etc.

Economic stagnation and environmental destruction 

China is authoritarian state and Chinese regime try to project its legitimacy through economic, geopolitical and technological expansion. While population is brutally suppressed, the Chinese regime touts the economic successes of last two decades (abetted by western corporations & governments) of becoming a global manufacturing house, vast infrastructure (like world's largest high speed Rail network) and technological progress. China in now becoming a leading nation in green energy, electric vehicles and related technology. China has also expanded its economic might by building vast transport infrastructure (through projects like BRO) in countries around the world. All this is a part of its imperial ambitions.

In contrast, India's economic growth is facade just like its Democratic system. PM Modi came to power on promises like making India a global manufacturing hub (like China), building smart cities, building high speed rail networks like China & Europe and making economy transparent & free from corruption. All these promises remain elusive & distant memories (1, 2, 3). The wages for most poor Indians have hardly grown in last decade. The manufacturing as a share of GDP remains stagnant in last decade and half of the country's labor force is burnt down in wasteful agriculture sector. The climate of fear is driving entrepreneurs to migrate to western countries for better future prospects. India once seen as a bright spot in regional emerging markets, it is now overtaken by nations like Bangladesh and Vietnam. The per capita income of Bangladesh (once regarded as poor backward state) has now outpaced India.

India now has most polluted cities in the world including the National Capital New Delhi. More than two million Indians die from Air pollution caused illnesses every year. Indian rivers are heavily polluted including Yamuna river which flows through national capitol. The river is so toxic that it cannot sustain water life. More than half of Delhi's population lives in slums or illegal colonies, and many are homeless, sleeping on sides of roads (1, 2). Wasting millions and billions on projects of vanity while the people of country starve is a classical sign of a politician having lack of empathy. 

 

Yamuna river in national capital is highly toxic. Govt has made little effort to clean the polluted rivers.

While the Indian state & economy is in regression, the Narcissistic Prime minister seeks legitimacy by foolhardy policies, grand ceremonial events and festivals. Most of these events are based on religious overtones to appeal the majority Hindu nation. PM Modi also has an obsession to be seen as greatest leader of India which he thinks can be done by outmatching Jawaharlal Nehru, the first PM of independent India. 

India's #metoo movement crushed 

Brij Bhushan Singh (top image) is a Parliamentarian of ruling BJP party who also attended the ceremonial inauguration of new Parliament. He is accused of sexual harassment by Indian athletes (bottom image) who have been peacefully protesting just few miles from the site of new Parliament. The athletes, women wrestlers, have accused BJP MP (who also heads India's wrestling federation) of using threats and intimidation to silence the protesting athletes. The athletes won medals in past Olympics and were greeted as heroes by Modi himself but now face brunt of the police to break their protests. 

Similarity Modi and Erdogan - Modi is a self brandished Hindutva global leader. Erdogan brandish himself as leader of Islamic world. Both countries are plagued with failures, corruption, economic decline and erosion of rule of law. Erdogan built his Presidential palace costing $615 million. In this photo, Erdogan walks through 16 Armored warriors in ancient costumes, representing 16 empires of Turkish past. Photo - Modi invited 21 Hindu seers for blessings in new Parliament. Both Modi & Erdogan have torn apart the secular foundation of their countries.