Six months is too short a period to judge the performance of a government. Given the high expectations with which it came to office, the administration of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi deserves a longer honeymoon period than is usually given to others. Modi came to power promising big change for India which for the past decade has been aimlessly drifting under the lackluster leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh. On the economic front, his government is not doing that badly though the inability or unwillingness to honor promises like return of black money from foreign banks has drawn unflattering comparisons with the previous government. But it is a different matter when it comes to the social front and some reports coming from India make for disturbing reading. Modi, it may be noted, entered the national scene with a long shadow cast by the anti-Muslim pogrom that took place in Gujarat in 2002 when he was the chief executive of the western state. The riots claimed more than 1,000 lives, most of them Muslim. Hundreds of thousands were displaced. If Modi did not abet the crimes, he is alleged to have helped the rioters by his inaction. He was reviled by human rights groups in India and abroad over this issue. In 2005 he was denied a visa by the US State Department. Even after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chose him as their prime ministerial candidate, he refused to express remorse for the 2002 bloodshed. This created the impression that Modi, who belonged to the most extremist wing of the anti-minority BJP, would try his ideology and policies at national level. BJP grew out of the bowels of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that stands for a theocratic Hindu state. But he campaigned on the inclusive theme of “sabka saath, sabka vikaas” (with all, development for all), and declared that he considered the constitution of India to be the only scripture. He refrained from all divisive or polarizing issues on which he won one election after the other in Gujarat. After becoming prime minister, he was prepared to vouchsafe for Muslims' patriotism. In reply to a question on Al-Qaeda's plan to reach out to Indian Muslims in a CNN interview broadcast ahead of his US visit, Modi said: “If anyone thinks Indian Muslims will dance to their tune, they are delusional. Indian Muslims will live for India. They will die for India. They will not want anything bad for India.” In that interview and later in a major speech abroad, he avoided his party's habit of equating one particular religious group with terrorism. But has this change of heart percolated to the lower levels of the party and government? The answer, unfortunately, is no. Not a day passes without one minister or party functionary making some controversial or inflammatory comments or suggestions that are calculated to poison the atmosphere and create communal discord. One day, one minister calls all non-Hindus “illegitimate” while another asks those who oppose the BJP policies to take the next available train to Pakistan. One minster praises Nathuram Vinayak Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, to the sky only to retract his statement after it raised a hue and cry. There were reports of forcible conversion of 57 poor Muslim families in Uttar Pradesh to Hinduism. External Affairs Minister Sushama Swaraj wants the Hindu scripture Bhagwad Gita to be declared the ‘Rashtriya Granth' (national book). The latest is the demand by some BJP lawmakers that a Hindu temple be constructed on the site where the Babri Mosque stood until it was razed by Hindutva zealots in 1992. All this is creating disquiet among minorities. Modi has to rein in his fanatical followers. He has to come out in public to reject the exclusivist world view of the RSS with respect to minorities. One can understand his deep aversion to Nehruvian economics but to challenge the consensus around which India's democracy operates is to invite trouble. He may be playing statesman on global stage but some of his followers, including ministers, are indulging in hate speech which, if unchecked, will only undermine India's fragile social fabric. Modi promised smart investments in infrastructure, business-friendly policies and openness to foreign capital. An India rocked by violence and tension over communal and caste issues will be an India unable to grow into its full potential. Modi promised “Good days” during campaign. At least he should ensure that bad days of the type Gujarat witnessed in 2002 don't return.
