If he has ambitions to become the Prime Minister of India, then he and his
supporters need to go back to the drawing board and begin planning for the next
election cycle.
Even though huge crowds are showing up at his rallies for his oratorical skills,
it will not likely to translate into votes. Modi represents a small percentage
of Indians who have everything to gain from the business deals including the
short-sighted industrialists, but ultimately all the gains will be lost if the
cohesive structure of the society remains busted.
What good is the prosperity when fellow Gujaratis live in apprehension and fear
of the other? What good was the
prosperity of Germany when everything collapsed anyway? Like Modi; they focused on growth rather than
the social structre.
A handful of Hindus may rejoice killing Muslims, and similarly a
few Muslims may cherish killing Hindus, shame on them. Unchecked, these act
will do more harm to the fabric of society in the long haul than the economy. Do Indians have to live in fear of the other;
is that the India we want? There is a dire need for truth and reconciliation in
India. Modi has not done what it takes for the head of a state to do; to give
hope and a sense of justice to the people of Gujarat.
Modi's followers in the US have poured in millions of dollars to buy favors
from the men and women on Capitol Hill and the Senate -- it's all down the drain
now. Being ethical is critical to these representatives
and the influential Republicans like Pete Sessions, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and others have quickly distanced
themselves from the Indians who abused their name and their seal. They gave a
false impression that the Republican conference was a sponsor of the event
where Modi was going to speak via Satellite.
It is wrong to believe that they can fool these representatives; instead,
they will make a fool out of these Indians and collect all the needed funds for
their campaign, but will not fall into the trap of questionable ethics, and
that is what keeps American going.
If these guys spend money on building a better India than tearing it up, they
will do some good. What does "building a better India" mean? It's building a
cohesive India, where no Indian has to live in apprehension or fear of the
other. The great idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum has been torn into pieces by the
BJP to treat Non-Hindu Indians as lesser Indians than themselves, this not only
goes against the constitution but the very essence of Hinduism that they
purportedly claim to represent exclusively.
Swami Vivekananda appreciated the idea of equality taught in Islam, and
I wish he had propagated the wisdom of Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum; i.e., that the
whole humanity is one family and therefore all must be treated equally with
dignity.
The US Congress has introduced a bipartisan resolution (H.R 417 ) calling on the US government to
continue to deny the visa to BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate on the grounds
of religious freedom. Even if Modi were
elected, which is seriously doubted with the looming Nakshatras of mistakes, it
would be an embarrassment to India. The United States Government will continue
to deny the visa; his moral wrongs outweigh his business success. He cannot
count on the Jewish or Israeli support either, when the time comes, they will
remember Modi as an admirer of Hitler, the killer of 6 Million Jews.
Modi's speeches have become a fodder for the nightly comedy shows. He has made
gross mistakes on Indian history, geography and even got mixed up about the key
personalities of his own party. Modi banned a movie called Fanaa from
being shown in his state because the Bollywood actor had disagreed with him on
a political issue. How safe would freedom be under his governance?
With or without Modi, India will march forward as it has been for thousands of
years, and will continue till eternity. Narendra Modi needs to demonstrate
leadership and sincerely subscribe to the value of Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum and
treat every Gujarati as a part of the whole family, if one is hurt, everyone is
hurt and must be cared for.
The BJP on the other hand needs to honor the freedom of every Indian, the
freedom to drink, eat, wear and believe whatever one wants to believe. Whether
you are a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain or Buddhist, you should have the
right to eat beef, goat, camel, pig, lamb, fish or vegetables, and that should
be entirely your choice and not government's imposition.
If my kids are hungry, I would rather convert to a religious group that offers
food to my kids, and I should have the freedom to convert to any religion that
offers me the money to take care of my needs. What's wrong with that? Politicians
change their loyalties for power in India every day. If I go out for
lunch or dinner with female friends on Valentine's Day, what is your problem,
what difference does that make in your life? My Indianness does not change a
bit with my belief, and what I eat or wear. Modi needs to believe and speak up
when one's freedom is violated.
He has five more years to change and practice goodness. He needs
to finish his term serving Gujarat and earn the respect from every Indian. I
suggest he withdraw his candidacy and save himself and his supporters from an
avalanche of embarrassment.
A few Indian Americans need to understand freedom and become the peace
Ambassadors to India. Instead of funding bigotry; they need to promote
religious freedom that they cherish here in America but want to deny it to
others in India.
Here is a proposal for Modi
1. Restore the lives of refugees uprooted in the riots, find them minimum
housing and a path to earn a livelihood. Let them be accommodated amidst all
others with caring attitudes, in the long run we have to build de-segregated
societies for the good of all.
2. Inclusive governance, to include Muslims on the internal advisory of the Chief Minister to make security decisions on a voluntary basis with nothing to gain.
3. Justice to the families of the ones who have lost their lives, both Hindu and Muslim without discrimination.
4. Find the truth about burning of 59 passengers in the train in the most transparent way - to bring closure to doubts on both sides or acknowledge the findings and live with it.
5. Punishment for anti-Muslim and anti-Christian attitudes in the state machinery, just like the strong anti-corruption rules instituted by the Chief Minister.
6. Meet with local Muslim, Dalit, Sikh, and Christian leadership on a regular basis, not to appease them, but to hear them out and prevent injustice to them.
7. Earn the goodwill of the people affected by restoring their lives and seeking forgiveness from them.
Remember, Muslims and other minorities are not looking for favors or handouts, but just fair treatment, and an opportunity to be productive citizens. If Mr. Modi can demonstrate that he is a good human being, and put in to practice the above seven points for the next five years, he would earn the goodwill of the people and could hope to be the Prime Minister of India for several terms.
Jai Hind
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