A New York Times article worth reading.

[Deleted]

It is on the Indian prime minister, Modi. (Ha, I misspelt the word 'minister' and it turned it into 'Monster' which is much more apt). I shudder at how fascist leaders undermine democracy. India is becoming a dangerous place.

www.nytimes.com/2023/03/18/opinion/modi-india.html

[Ava]

Thanks @astrokeen

I'd rather not sign up for NY Times...any other articles about him that you find accurate?

[Deleted]

Ava, sorry. Here's another article - it's an interview with the writer, Arundhati Roy. Read any part of it.

edition.cnn.com/2022/06/22/opinions/bjp-hindu-muslim-democracy-modi-arundhati-roy/index.html

[Ava]

Thank you @astrokeen

This is all terribly alarming and scary.

"There is also a new anti-Muslim citizenship law, a sort of refugee-manufacturing policy in which those who cannot produce a mandated set of 'legacy papers,' which few people have, can find themselves deprived of citizenship. Nearly 2 million people in the state of Assam have already been struck off the National Register of Citizens. Massive detention centers for those who have been stripped of citizenship are being constructed all over the country."

This is why I have been fearing the push for digital ID and digital citizenship around the globe. The agenda is always couched in language about helping the underprivileged and tracking them to ensure they are properly cared for, but the reality is about alienating and brutalizing them.

"A Bollywood actor and BJP member of parliament suggested that I be tied to an army jeep and used as a human shield by the Indian Army in Kashmir. They really should try that."

That is so SAVAGE. As bad as things are in America, I've never heard a prominent actor or politician say anything that bad. A lot of this reminds me of the brutality of bride burning. A sort of cold-heartedness that is prevalent throughout the culture? Whatever happened to Ahimsa?

"The dream worth dreaming is to see our world moving toward a shared understanding of justice, however slowly, instead of racing away from it at the pace we are."

Well said.

[Deleted]

Ava , Roy is an amazing writer and political analyst. The actor she refers to is a minor actor who is completely mad. He is always in the centre of a controversy because of his twitter outbursts. He is abhorred by many who balk at such utterances while others will chuckle and ignore. Because he favours Modi, he is not taken to task for inciting violence while others are arrested for criticising Modi. There are, unfortunately, people like him in politics. Note how Suella Braverman in the UK speaks gleefully of shipping refugees to Rwanda to be housed in detention centres. Fascism brings out the worst in people. It is, indeed, shocking how violent Hindus can be.

I can only imagine that Roy hasn't been arrested thus far because of her international standing.

Agreed that digitisation has the potential to do great harm. We're not robots to be straight jacketed within narrow boundaries, our histories and circumstances forgotten. Unfortunate outcomes occur in places which transition haphazardly to digitisation and people lose their citizenship in the process.

[Deleted]

Ava , on the 23rd, when Pluto entered Aquarius, Rahul Gandhi (Grandson of India Gandhi), the keenest voice in the opposition who was asking Modi to explain his relationship with a billionaire (Modi did not respond) was disqualified and, therefore, expelled from parliament. This was because of charges he was convicted on over 2 years ago which are under appeal. This manoeuvre of Modi's is considered to be a massive nail in the coffin for India's democracy. But may bring about change as it has united the opposition parties.

[Ava]

I hope it does bring the desired change @astrokeen.

I wonder if Gates is the billionaire in question? He's a big fan of Modi's:

"My conversation with the Prime Minister left me more optimistic than ever about the progress that India is making in health, development, and climate."

www.gatesnotes.com/My-meeting-with-Prime-Minister-Modi

I heard a funny word the other day: "philanthropaths." Billionaries are working together under the guise of humanitarianism to establish autocracy in various countries, for their own profit and benefit. What's happening in India is similar to what's happening around the globe, we're all just moving at different paces.

[Deleted]

Ava, nope this is an Indian billionaire, Adani, whose wealth has skyrocketed during Modi's era of crony capitalism.

Ha, ha! "Philanthropaths' is a good term to describe big philanthropists who use that guise to mask their colonial endeavours.

[Ava]

Crony capitalism is the worst, @astrokeen .

I wonder what is happening in the world. Why so many bad leaders? Why now?

This article draws a comparison between Netanyahu and Modi...
www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/pro-democracy-protests-in-israel-are-there-lessons-for-india

Despite the bravado, there is every likelihood that Netanyahu will be forced to take back the proposals for overhauling the judicial system of the country. The protest has been going on for far too long, has remained too strong and widespread for him to ignore the resounding chorus of criticism.

Democracy in Israel will survive though it is passing through a very rough patch. The question is whether India will be that lucky. The Narendra Modi government has already begun its assault on India’s Supreme Court, even though India’s Supreme Court has been half as active as its Israeli counterpart in curbing executive overreach.

India’s Vice President and law minister are openly and repeatedly criticising the Supreme Court and advocating the government to adopt the same Netanyahu formula of ‘Parliament is Supreme’ for India.

Sooner than later, India will face this serious attack on its struggling democracy. Unfortunately, the present state of India’s civil society and key institutions like the judiciary and police forces does not give much hope for an Israel-type protest to emerge and become successful in protecting the supremacy of the Constitution.

[Deleted]

Ava, I agree that such mass protests are unlikely to occur in India.

[Deleted]

Here's another superb piece of writing by Arundhati Roy. I take comfort from her presence in the world. She elucidates how much damage Modi has caused to the Indian psyche, transforming people into violent hate mongers who operate with impunity.

scroll.in/article/1055943/arundhati-roy-the-dismantling-of-democracy-in-india-will-affect-the-whole-world

[Ava]

This is excellent, @astrokeen . As a catastrophist myself, it's satisfying to read someone willing to lay out the problems in very stark and unapologetic terms.

I do just wonder about this part:

"Still, the world’s powers choose to give Modi all the oxygen he needs to destroy the social fabric and burn India down. To me, this is a form of racism. They claim to be democrats, but they are racists. They don’t believe their professed 'values' should apply to non-white countries. It’s an old story of course."

I'm in no position to gauge whether or not there's racism, but I do think fascism (governments run by corporations or non-governmental organizations ie NGOs) is currently in the process of taking *everyone* down.

There IS a conspiracy, there's cooperation between the power players, and it always enriches them, and it bankrupts democracy in the process.

[Deleted]

Yes, exactly! It also highlights how liberal countries who purport to stand by human rights will support despotic regimes for favours, such as trade deals to exploit India's markets and buying power.

Sept 15, 2023 12:50:42 GMT Ava said:

This is excellent, @astrokeen . As a catastrophist myself, it's satisfying to read someone willing to lay out the problems in very stark and unapologetic terms.

[Ava]

It's pathetic. I don't know how we are ever going to get out of this downward spiral @astrokeen.