Hinduphobia is real, and NaMo needs to act now
In less than 24 hours, three seemingly unrelated events happened: a) The Print wrote a condescending article on Hindu statues b) Twitter, once again, blocked a pro-right account @TrueIndology c) I met a girl who was "center of left" but didn't know what it means. If we look closely, they all have a common thread - wannabe liberals don't know basics; smart liberals suffer from Hinduphobia. And, former refers to latter for everything. As a result, young Indians detest Hinduism and it is on PM Modi.
When he brings Sadhvi Pragya into mainstream, he loses narrative
Modi likes to win. Every word he utters, every word he doesn't, every left facing photo-op he does, every right facing photo-op he doesn't - all that is calculative, deliberate, and practised to death. He is a showman and would say anything his audience expects him to. Army, terrorism, Pakistan, Sadhvi Pragya. Wait a second, why Pragya? Unlike Yogi, she can't garner votes. And, there are no takers of her brand of Hinduism. The moment Modi brought her to mainstream, he did young Indians a disservice.
We want religion and vikas both
To recall, in 2014, he urged us to vote for development, while claiming he is a Hindu nationalist. In 2019, he wants us to vote for him because he is a nationalist, while his ministers claim they have brought development. We voted for him then, we are supporting him now. But, as an urban Hindu, I want both - I want development and I want us to follow the Japan model. I want us to take pride in our culture while being scientific about it. I want Modi to set the narrative right.
Ever-increasing cabal of LeLi, and skewed definition of secularism
While Modi is failing miserably in righting the wrongs - our History books haven't been corrected, Sanskrit isn't mainstream, we didn't get the Ram Mandir we deserve - the cabal of Left Liberals is getting stronger by the day. They are influencers, have the capability of brainwashing youngsters, have a skewed definition of secularism, believe Hinduism is regressive and peddle lies. It is the same gang which believes hijaab is a choice, and sindoor is regressive. Correction: Both are a part of patriarchal society.
Don't underestimate the power of media by sidelining them
Let me first tell you who these left liberals are. They are journalists, scholars, Bollywood babas, comedians, and activists. And, what do they all have in common? They all have a platform, and they all have a voice. On the other hand, the defensive Modi has stuck to 'Mann ki Baat' during his entire tenure. His one-sided baat is banal, unimaginative, and ineffective. By sidelining the media, he has lost the narrative battle. All the pillars of his castle go haywire then.
And, he can't even control Twitter's tyranny
In all of this, the biggest losers are Modi's loyal (but angry) followers. They have taken it upon themselves to defend him, often in uncouth ways. As a result, they are abused, called names, judged by the polished liberals on every parameter, and their voice is stifled. They are singled out by Jack 'dictator' Dorsey, the fashionably liberal CEO of Twitter. The worst part is even Modi doesn't reciprocate their love. Why else do you think he couldn't control the tyrannical ways of Twitter?
He should only focus on cultural reforms in second term
Here's the thing: Barring a few economic reforms (though their implementation is questionable), Modi has wasted this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of absolute majority. India is still standing by him, not because Congress is feeble, but because we believe in him. If he wants to leave a chest-thumping legacy, he will have to usher in cultural reforms if he gets a second term. He has to make sure that Hinduism is well understood by youngsters, Uniform Civil Code is implemented and genuine ones like us are not called bigots.
