Amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit to the United States, US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont targeted him, claiming PM Modi-led Indian Government has cracked down on the press and civil society. He further claimed that the Modi government had jailed political opponents and aggressively pushed Hindu nationalism leaving little space for the minorities in the country.
In a tweet, he wrote, “Prime Minister Modi’s government has cracked down on the press and civil society, jailed political opponents, and pushed an aggressive Hindu nationalism that leaves little space for India’s religious minorities. President Biden should raise these facts in his meeting with Modi.” Interestingly, his statement came at a time when former President Donald Trump is looking at a possible jail time for 400 years.
During his meeting with PM Modi, Sanders was also one of the signatories among 75 US lawmakers who wrote to President Biden urging him to raise questions on “human rights” and other issues.
This is not the first time Sanders has propagated fake news against India. In 2020, he claimed Delhi Riots were anti-Muslim but in reality, they were against Hindus which has been said by the court as well.
The claims of a crackdown on the press are wrong
Sanders claimed that Modi Government has cracked down on the press. If that was the case, portals like The Wire, Scroll, and others would not have survived in the country. Furthermore, the government would have crushed propaganda peddlers and known anti-Modi individuals like Muhammed Zubair, Pratik Sinha, Rana Ayyub, Arfa Khanum, Ravish Kumar and others. On the contrary, they are flourishing and minting money by spreading propaganda.
Another aspect of the tweet can be directed to the latest Press Freedom ranking by Reporters Without Borders, which ranked India at 161 out of 180 countries. OpIndia debunked the ranking. Reporters Without Borders ranked India in press freedom based on dubious reports and false data. They claimed the central government is spending more than 130 billion rupees (Rs 13,000 crores) or 5 billion euros a year on print and online media ads alone. However, OpIndia’s RTI showed India had spent less than 1,000 crores on government advertisements in all formats per year.
Furthermore, the ranking was based on dubious and half-baked reports of journalists being tried, arrested, and jailed. The report mentioned Siddique Kappan, Rana Ayyub, Fahad Shah, Irfan Mehraj and others. Interestingly, all of them have valid cases against them in court. Our detailed report on Press Freedom ranking can be checked here.
From The Wire or BBC that faced action from investigating agencies indulged in practices against the law. The Wire defamed India by cooking two investigating stories, one on a fake, imaginary app called Tek Fog and the second on BJP having unrestricted power in Meta. Our coverage on both can be read here and here.
BBC is facing action for alleged tax evasion. It has been claimed that the action was taken in light of a controversial documentary against PM Modi that was banned in India, but that is not the case. Not to forget, BBC is still functioning in India, and the central government has not banned the media house.
There is no danger to civil society
There are numerous NGOs, professional protesters, and activists who, despite their anti-Modi, anti-BJP and anti-India stand, are working freely in the country. The government of India debunks their claims occasionally, but no one has come under illegal detention or faced any atrocities from the government. Few members of the so-called civil society are facing serious charges under Acts like UAPA. Furthermore, some NGOs have either shut down their shops or lost FCRA licenses. But there is a reason for every arrest in such cases.
For example, Umar Khalid, one of the so-called activists that rose to “fame” after anti-India slogans, is under judicial custody as a case under UAPA is ongoing against him. Khalid was allegedly one of the co-conspirators of the anti-Hindu riots in Delhi in 2020. Another example is Sharjeel Imam, arrested and facing trial for his alleged anti-India comments. Imam vouched for cutting northeast from the rest of the country and gave provocative speeches during anti-CAA protests fanning communal violence.
NGOs like Amnesty India have shut down shops in India. Amnesty India was booked by investigating agencies for collecting foreign funds without an FCRA license. They actively propagated against India, and Amnesty International continues to do so. Home Ministry has canceled FCRA licenses of thousands of NGOs since the Modi government came to power in 2014. In most of the cases, they either did not apply to renew the license or were found to be utilizing FCRA funds against the law.
No political opponents have been jailed
Sanders claimed the Indian government had jailed political opponents. The only political leaders behind bars are Aam Aadmi Party, Satyendra Jain and Manish Sisodia. While AAP and other parties have claimed they are “political opponents” of PM Modi, it has to be noted that AAP has virtually zero presence on the national level. The party has governments in a half state, i.e. Delhi and Punjab. Apart from that, wherever they have contested elections, most of their candidates lost deposits, including UP, Goa and Gujarat.
Now coming to Satyendra Jain and Manish Sisodia, while the former is facing charges of money laundering, the latter is facing charges in excise policy scam case. In both cases, the courts have denied them bail. In the case of Jain, the High Court categorically said prima facie his role was evident in the matter. Bail to Sisodia has been denied by the courts multiple times on similar grounds. Both matters are sub-judice.
Another political opponent that is facing a court case is Rahul Gandhi, who the Sessions Court convicted in a defamation case. He was disqualified from the Lok Sabha following the conviction. A court stayed his conviction. Gandhi has a history of making defamatory remarks, and he had to apologise for the same in the Supreme Court. However, he continued to make derogatory remarks against PM Modi, RSS, BJP leader and even freedom fighters, including Veer Savarkar.
Ironically, Rahul Gandhi, PM Modi’s most vocal political opponent, has been free as a bird, even touring the USA, and has never been jailed.
Religious minorities are safe in India
The next claim that Sanders raised was that the religious minorities have little space left in the country as PM Modi is pushing Hindu nationalism. In reality, despite being in the majority, Hindus have the least voice in the country. While a minor incident against a minority is propagated as if there has been a catastrophic incident in India, Hindus die without any much highlight in the media. Take the example of Tasleem Ahmed Rehmani, who had provoked former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma during a debate by using derogatory language against Bhagwan Shiv. While he was the reason for what Sharma said what she said, it was twisted and used against Hindus. Alt News’ Zubair played a vital role in setting a target on Sharma’s head. In the aftermath, Hindus, including Kanhaiya Lal and Umesh Kohle, were killed by Islamists merely for supporting Sharma.
The ban on terrorist organisation Popular Front of India has been propagated as an attack on Muslims. In reality, the organization was working against India and trying to establish Sharia Law in India by 2047. They were behind several terrorist attacks, luring naïve Muslim youth into extremism to join terrorist outfits.
Contrary to the notion that minorities are under threat in India, the government of India has worked extensively for the betterment of the marginalized. Schemes like Ujjawala Yojna, Awas Yojna, loan schemes, and pension schemes have been designed and implemented at extensive levels by the Union Government.
Donald Trump looks at up to 400 years in prison
Former President Donald Trump is facing charges of allegedly unlawfully storing national security documents when he left office. The authorities also claimed that he lied to the officials who sought to recover the documents. Trump was arrested and presented in court, where he pleaded not guilty. His supporters said the charges against him were fabricated. If proven guilty by the court, Trump may face prison of up to 400 years.