Master of the Forked Tongue, Modi Has Failed to Address Manipur Violence

Modi is a master of denial, but more alarmingly, he mobilises and leads a violent mob, attacking those who seek justice and merely want to discuss the issues.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, once again, revealed the vileness of the politics he represents and has become synonymous with. It would be incorrect to say that he broke his silence on the majoritarian violence in Manipur. In fact, in his dog-whistle style, he instigated his supporters to target opposition-ruled states, accusing them of not acting against sexual violence cases. He conveyed to his followers that they need not recognise the violence faced by the people of Manipur or feel guilty; instead, they should go on the offensive against the opposition.

Following his statement, BJP leaders and his social media army began attacking Congress leaders, questioning why they weren’t speaking out against violence towards women in Congress-ruled states. This, when the world was shocked by the images of mass brutality that the Kuki women were subjected to.

The issue of nearly three months of majoritarian violence faced by Manipur’s Kuki people was overshadowed and reduced to a matter of violence against women. Such violence is an everyday reality for women across all states in India and even globally, often in the most horrifying ways.

A video surfaced showing two Kuki women stripped naked and sexually assaulted by a mob that paraded them, nearly three months after the incident. The FIR states there were three women survivors of the incident. This video horrified people, and public reactions of disbelief and outrage were evident. However, can the same be said about the prime minister of the country? Or the chief minister of the state? Not to mention the home minister, who spent three days in Manipur while campaigning for the Karnataka assembly elections. Are we expected to believe that they, like ordinary people, only learned about this incident through the video and were unaware of the violence inflicted upon the Kuki people?

If that were the case, we should question the purpose of the central and state governments. It is evident that they were well aware of the complaints filed by Manipur’s violated women with the police and the National Women’s Commission. This suggests that the chief minister actively provoked majoritarian violence against Kukis, received support from violent Meitei groups, a well-known fact, and let it continue.

During his speech, Modi cheerfully talked about the month of sawan (monsoon) and the youth’s connection with digital India, before briefly touching on the Manipur violence, showing his indifference to the issue that deeply affects the nation and utter disdain for it. Modi’s statement reveals his smugness and confidence that he has debased the sensibilities of his constituents, making them accept his cunning and vileness.

While sexual assault and murders are forms of violence, the violence perpetrated against an entire community due to their identity falls into a different, more severe category. The women violated in Manipur were Kuki, and the attackers belonged to the Meitei community. The sexual assault was part of the majoritarian violence instigated by the Meitei groups with the state government’s tacit support.

It is also incorrect to claim that fake news of rape and murder of a Meitei woman incited the Meitei people to seek revenge by attacking these women. It is more likely that the fake news aimed to provide cover for the sexual violence inflicted upon the Kuki women and find an excuse for it. Hence, those who spread the fake news and attacked the Kuki women were the same – violent Meitei groups who also mobilised common Meitei individuals to partake in violence against Kukis.

According to the Indian Express, it was not just the mob perpetrating the violence, but the state police also participated by handing over the women to the mob. They were not forcibly snatched by the mob as some may claim.

It was wrong and perhaps naive of us to expect the prime minister to speak out as he is part of the violence, and his brand of politics is responsible for it. Modi was in a similar position as Biren Singh is now, when he presided over a pogrom against Muslims in Gujarat two decades ago

Modi is a master of denial, but more alarmingly, he mobilises a violent mob, attacking those who seek justice. His continuation in power will mean the death of everything that makes a people truly human.

The article is published on  thewire.in