Modi’s politics of tears

Bhabani Shankar Nayak

Mr Narendra Modi often cries as if tear drops can replace misgovernance and hide the failures of his government. The display of tear drops help to build a persona of human feelings. There is no scientific way to measure whether his tear drops reflect sincerity or master act of political strategy to hide Hindutva politics of hate. This is an old strategy of politicians to weep in order to manipulate public and manufacture their humane qualities. It is becoming a permanent feature of Modi’s politics to hide his broken promises to the people of India. Historically, fascists display their emotional side more often to decorate their rhetoric and hide their ruthless leadership under the tear drops. The sinking democracy, loss of public trust in Modi, awful economic crisis, social and economic conflicts are serious signs of a fractured republic in India under the BJP government.

The political journeying of Mr Narendra Modi from Gujarat to New Delhi is based on well-crafted propaganda full of deceptive image making and promises. His political success based on his ideological politics of Hindutva and policies of crony capitalism have accelerated deaths and destitutions of many Indian citizens. His tears did not fall neither during the death of Hindu karsevaks in Godhra nor for the Muslims died in 2002 Gujarat riots. The political dividends provoke Modi’s tear drops. He has used tear drops as a potent tool to accomplish his political objectives. Mr Narendra Modi’s tear drops are master classes in acting to revive his lost glory as a visionary strong man in politics.

Historically, Adolf Hitler, Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher have used tear as a tool of ruthless politics. The merchants of power have used wet eyes as a strategy to hide the failures of their political leadership and sinister politics. The tear shedding is a profound political expression and not an emotional human outburst for these reactionary, authoritarian and fascist leaders.

The acting skills and propaganda can help the actors in cinema, but politics of performance cannot stay away from everyday realities of people and their lives for long. The material crisis represented by the rise of mass poverty, hunger, homelessness and unemployment brings back leaders from their dream journeying of power to the pedestrian path of democratic accountability. The tear drops of Modi might be providing illusionary relief to the fraudulent politics of the BJP and RSS but no weeping can save Mr Narendra Modi led BJP government from its quick fall. The farmers movement in India reveals the working-class consciousness and exposes the hollowness of Modi’s politics of tear and his diversionary tactics.

In larger philosophical landscape, the political tear shedding emerges when democratic politics of representation based on people’s needs and desires no longer have a material foundation. Tear drops mark the end of politics of reason, debate and disagreements grounded in evidence. In the market driven cultural politics of Hindutva, the RSS and BJP is trying to create a long-lasting emotional space independent of material reality of people and their everyday sufferings in India. The mass media is accelerating such a transformation in which emotive issues take precedence over everyday necessities. The media manipulates public mind by creating scenes of external threat to national security, heritage, culture, religion, unity and sovereignty of the country. Such propaganda signals to people that we need a strong leader to overcome these crises. The same propaganda machines also offer Mr Narendra Modi as an alternative leader based on strong vision.

The times of tide reveals the cowards in politics and puts all strong men and their political propaganda in the dustbin of history. As time progresses, the people of India realised that Mr Narendra Modi is a political conman of capitalist forces in India. He has no feelings for the people and their country. He is only interested in false propaganda and capture power through electoral means to facilitate the deepening of capitalism which marginalises masses in India. The people of India learn from their everyday realities that BJP and RSS cannot govern and represent their interests. The regular weeping scene of Mr Narendra Modi is a product of such a situation in India.

Modi’s tear drops are political and lacks human emotion. His weeping is a strategy to overcome the crisis created by his ideological politics of Hindutva and economic policies.  It is time to expose Mr Narendra Modi and his politics without substance.