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https://theconversation.com/narendra-modis-independence-day-speech-sounded-more-like-a-snake-oil-salesman-than-a-statesman-211389>
"Narendra Modi’s tenth consecutive Independence Day speech as Indian prime
minister, delivered from the Red Fort in Delhi on August 15, was long (90
minutes) and characteristically loaded with bombast. It was not the inclusive
message of a statesman seeking to address a nation’s challenges and
opportunities, but more of a campaign pitch for next year’s general election.
At times, he resembled the old snake oil salesman cliché: he proclaimed the
success of his product and ignored its side effects. He was vague on detail and
tried to distance himself from any problems his policies had caused. And, as
you’d expect, he rubbished what his competitors have to offer.
At other times, he channelled Julius Caesar, repeatedly referring to himself in
the third person: “Modi had the courage to bring reforms … And Modi brought
reforms one after the other.” His speech was littered with such references.
In a remarkable display of sophistry, he repeatedly called the citizens of
India his “
parivarjan” or family. This is significant, because Modi’s
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is backed by the “
Sangh Parivar” or “Sangh
family” of Hindu supremacist rightwing organisations. So, when the prime
minister refers to family, it’s clear this is non-inclusive – and his speech
was rife with the familiar us-versus-them tropes that have become the staple of
rightwing politics in Modi’s India.
He also presented his administration as the beginning of an “
amrit kaal”.
This is a term from Vedic (or Hindu) astrology that means an auspicious
critical time to start a new era or new projects. But an important subtext of
his address was his assertion that India underwent more than a millennium of
slavery. India’s Independence Day speech is supposed to celebrate freedom from
British colonial rule which ended in 1947. But Modi’s 1,000 years of slavery
has been widely interpreted as deliberately referencing long periods of the
country’s history during which the country was ruled by Muslim dynasties,
including the Mughal empire (1526-1761), characterising it as an era of
invasion, looting and subjugation."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
