Subir Sinha is Reader in the Theory and Politics of Development, SOAS, University of London.
He writes an article on March 14, 2022 in THE CONVERSATION offering an analytical commentary on the recent Assembly Elections in Uttar Pradesh which the BJP won.
Subir Sinha writes a typically obnoxious anti-India piece that reflects Western neo-liberal, neo-conservative media propaganda bias that simply cannot stomach Modi’s victory in election after elections in our country. What this article should tell us is that it’s a case of poor losers’ sour grapes disguising itself as objective election analysis which it is anything but.
There are blatant, absurd and malicious lies in this article. I list them out below and give my own response to each one of them.
1. Quote: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plans to create a constitutionally Hindu state in which Hindus would have more rights than other citizens and where religious minorities would have reduced rights and autonomy: the Hindutva project”. Unquote
My response: This is absolute trash . India is not a banana republic with a tinpot dictator being free to change the Indian Constitution at his will, whim and fancy. To effect any change in the Constitution, a due democratic process will have to followed scrupulously —- a 2/3rd majority vote in both Houses of Parliament with 545 elected representatives from all across the country, a vote of approval to be obtained from a majority of 29 State Legislative Assemblies, a nod and blessing from the fraternity of legal luminaries in the country including the Law Commission of India and finally an Order of Presidential Assent.
So, the author is this article is an ignoramus on Indian democracy if he thinks that PM Modi is an emperor who can dismantle the Indian Constitution easily and usher in a HINDU State as if he were Martin Luther replacing the Holy Roman Empire with the Protestant Church.
2. Quote: Yogi Adityanath, the states’s chief minister, had presided over a shambolic COVID response, with corpses floating down the holy Ganga river or buried on its banks. Unquote
My Response: The State of Uttar Pradesh has a population of 243 million. The State has 2.07 million Covid infection cases. The death from Covid was 23,492.
The combined population of Germany, France, Italy and Spain is no more than that of the State of Uttar Pradesh. Their Covid cases in the 4 counties was 63 million and the deaths c.515,000.
The author of this article does not know the dictionary meaning of the word “shambolic” .
3. Quote: Small sums of cash in envelopes bearing the party logo have also been distributed to UP’s poor. Unquote
My Response: This is a lie. The UP Government made cash transfers direct to bank accounts of people affected by Covid as well as under the various government public welfare programs. The DBT (direct bank transfer) scheme is what has won votes for the BJP , not cash envelopes.
4. Quote: Yogi has a good record on law and order suggests a success of a long-term Hindutva strategy to associate Muslims with criminality. Unquote
My Response: Yogi Adityanath was a head priest in a temple in UP before he entered politics 20 years ago. His entry into politics was driven by the criminal gangs of UP who for decades terrorised the districts and villages under a lawless state machinery which was in cahoots with the powers that were ruling the roost then. When he became the CM, Yogi Adityanath cleaned up the criminal infested Augean stables of his state by empowering and fully backing the law enforcement machinery of the State. The gangs of Uttar Pradesh have been wiped out now and people have been freed from fear.
In the clean up process, if it so happened to be that the criminals gangs were mostly belonging to the Muslim community, that’s not the Yogi’s fault, is it?
5. Quote: Many BJP candidates made openly Islamophobic speecheswhich seem to have gone under the radar of the Election Commission. Unquote
My Response: There was a rabid Islamic politician called Assauddin Owaisi who also campaigned in the elections. In his speech he made violent, hateful Hinduphobic speeches too. The author of this article makes no mention of that, does he? And who the hell is this journalist to teach the Election Commission of India, an independent Constitutional body how to do their job?
6. Quote: BJP affiliates created controversy in Karnataka state by barring entry of hijab-wearing Muslim girls to schools and colleges, on the grounds that such religious attire was not permitted. Unquote
My Response: Just yesterday, the High Court of the State of Karnataka has given an unequivocal verdict that the Hijab cannot be worn by students in schools and colleges which have issued a uniform dress code to be followed.
This journalist jumped the gun in writing this report without waiting for a matter awaiting adjudication in the Court.
7. Quote: There were also false reports that Modi had got Putin to stop offensive actions for six hours to enable Indian students to evacuate, which played endlessly on television. Unquote
My Response: Whether the report was false or true , how can the author of this article happen to know for sure? Did he have access to the diplomatic channels of communication between Modi and Putin? So, in the absence of such access why should I believe him more than I believe the other media channels that reported to the contrary?
8. Quote: BJP’s win in Uttar Pradesh signals the deepening of a popular authoritarianism. Unquote
My Response: This is nothing but the “sour grapes” ranting of lousy losers . It is even worse: it is mocking at the democratic processes of India . It is a slur on the Will of the People of Uttar Pradesh. It is an insult to the Republic of India to call its electoral outcomes as “popular authoritarianism”.
The author of this article is not only a peddler of lies but nothing more than a stooge of western media mafiadom.
Now who owns THE CONVERSATION media outlet? Their website reveals the following about them:
The website of The Conversation says
Quote : “The Conversation” is an independent source of news, analysis and expert opinion, written by academics and researchers, and delivered direct to the public”. Unquote
It also says this: Quote: We are a not-for-profit organisation serving the public good. We believe reliable information is the lifeblood of healthy democracy. Unquote
Then the website reveals who its partners and sponsors are:
Quote: The Convesation is sponsored by Corrs Chambers Westgarth.
https://theconversation.com/global/partners
It is one of Australia’s largest national law firms, employing 800 staff nationwide. Corrs provides commercial advice that delivers real results and acts for many of Australia’s top 100 companies, as well as international companies with businesses in Australia. We are regularly involved in major litigation and transactions of national and international significance. Unquote
Well … that says it all about the “independence” of Mr Subir Sinha as an academic in London and The Conversation as a news outlet sponsor in Australia!
I rest my case.
Sudarshan Madabushi