How recent actions by governments, institutions, and sections of society risk derailing the promise of a Viksit Bharat
EVEN AS INDIA has just hosted the World Artificial Intelligence (AI) Impact Summit and our leaders continue to harangue about a “Viksit Bharat” — a developed nation by the time it celebrates a century of its independence — our national narrative appears to be dragging the country in the reverse direction.
It appears that we are not in competition with the developed or developing nations, but with regressive and orthodox nations, and we are actually trying to outdo them.
At times, it is our leaders who are taking untenable and regressive steps; at others, sections of common people — perhaps under the influence of such leadership — have no qualms about humiliating or insulting a particular community or residents of a particular area, such as the North-East.
I would like to highlight some examples of negative narratives doing the rounds over only the last one week. These involve the executive, the judiciary, the legislature, as well as common people.
Policy Decisions and Social Narratives Moving in Reverse
Let us take the example of Bihar first. Its Deputy Chief Minister, Vijay Kumar Sinha, has announced that the open sale of meat would not be permitted near educational institutions, religious places, or crowded public places.
Well, it is not the first time a ban on the sale of meat in certain areas has been imposed; it already exists in certain towns associated with religion. What is absurd is the reason cited by him for the ban. According to him, it is being done “to prevent violent tendencies among children”!
There is no study or data to suggest that non-vegetarians have more violent tendencies than vegetarians. He might also be surprised by the findings of the official National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5.
After surveying 33,755 women and 5,048 men, the NFHS-5 data showed that 71.8 percent of women and 83.2 percent of men confirmed consuming meat in India.
Then take the case of the Gujarat government. It has proposed making parental consent compulsory for the registration of a marriage. The government did not attempt to hide the reason for this unconstitutional measure.
It stated that “under the name of love jihad, a game is being played in the state” and that a “strong armour needs to be created for young girls”.
A few months ago, the Uttarakhand government had also issued an order for compulsory registration by all live-in partners, even though they might be adult consenting partners.
Communal Undercurrents in Society
The constant refrain about “jehadis”, “ghuspetiya” or “miyas” has already done considerable damage to the psyche of the people. A video clip on social media shows a group of people shouting slogans and trying to provoke a group of Muslims travelling in the same train compartment.
There is nothing wrong in shouting nationalistic slogans, but anyone can see through the motive of those people, even as small children watched with bewildered eyes.
Yet another video clip, evidently shot by students from Arunachal Pradesh, shows a couple calling the students “parlour workers” and using other derogatory terms for those from the North-East.
The couple appeared to be “educated”, unlike the street urchins in Uttarakhand who had lynched a boy from Tripura just because he “looked Chinese”. The couple not only threatened them but also attempted to throw their weight around by claiming that they were related to a political leader.
Judiciary, Politics and the Idea of Viksit Bharat
Let me wrap up with an instance of communalism seeping into the judiciary. Madras High Court judge G.R. Swaminathan recently attended a religious function — which of course is his personal choice — but what he said at the public event was stunning: “Those who don’t believe in spiritual gurus are rascals, fools and barbarians!” said the sitting judge.
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There have been other instances too where judicial officers have made public their personal choices — something they must desist from.
Coming back to the World AI Impact Summit, it was certainly not a suitable venue for the Youth Congress to stage a “shirtless” protest. The act depicts the bankruptcy of ideas within the leading opposition party in the country.
At the same time, the government has overreacted by arresting the youth, including the president of the Youth Congress, for raising “anti-national slogans” and for criminal conspiracy.
The above instances might not be related, but together they weave into a fabric of communalism, hate, and intolerance which is not conducive to the idea of expeditiously moving toward the goal of a “Viksit Bharat”. 
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Vipin Pubby
The author, a freelance journalist, is a former Resident Editor of Indian Express, Chandigarh, and reported on the political developments in Jammu and Kashmir, North-Eastern India, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab in his long, illustrious career.
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