On Monday (15th April), the Indian Ambassador to Ireland gave a befitting reply to The Irish Times, four days after it did a political hit job on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Irish newspaper published an editorial titled,’ The Irish Times view on the Indian election: Modi tightens his grip’ on Thursday (11th April) wherein it alleged that India has somehow fallen prey to ‘intolerant Hindu-first majoritarianism.’
“India’s democratic credentials have been severely tarnished,” The Irish Times claimed while trying to build a case for Arvind Kejriwal, who is an accused in the high-profile Delhi liquor scam.
The newspaper also compared the Indian Prime Minister with Turkish Islamist leader Recep Erdogan and claimed, “Modi’s embrace of Hindu nationalism in this 80 per cent Hindu nation has stoked anti-Muslim tensions and violence and seriously eroded the traditional Nehru-inspired secularism of its politics.”
“An intolerant Hindu-first majoritarianism is the order of the day, sustained by a BJP populist welfarism that has a strong appeal among the country’s poor,” it further brazened out.
On Monday (15th April), the Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra responded to the allegations levelled at PM Modi by The Irish Times in its propaganda-laden editorial.
Ambassador @AkhileshIFS’s rejoinder to @IrishTimes' highly biased & prejudiced editorial [Modi tightens his grip” April 11, 2024)], casting aspersion on Prime Minister of India, Shri @narendramodi, Indian democracy, law enforcement institutions & “Hindu-majority” people of India. pic.twitter.com/Oh5rFly92Z
— India in Ireland (Embassy of India, Dublin) (@IndiainIreland) April 15, 2024
He wrote, “Indian prime minister Narendra Modi enjoys unprecedented popularity and profile not only in India but globally because of his impeccable personal character and integrity and thought-leadership on innovative, inclusive governance and sustainable development.”
“As he does not belong to any elite political family, his personal life inspires millions of ordinary people in India and other developing countries,” the Indian diplomat emphasised, adding how the Modi government has empowered the youth, women and the poor.
Akhilesh Mishra stated that the decision of the Modi government to crack down on the ecosystem of corruption has led to the popularity of the Indian Prime Minister.
“The people of India are excited to witness the vibrancy of democracy in action on the ground…There is huge sense of relief at the grass-root level to witness action being taken and recoveries made from the rich and powerful elites who operated with a sense of entitlement of impunity,” he pointed out.
Akhilesh Mishra slams The Irish Times
While dismissing allegations of political vendetta, the Indian diplomat said, “All cases of corruption are pursued strictly as per the established procedure, with availability of usual judicial remedies to the affected parties.”
Akhilesh Mishra also slammed The Irish Times for its description of India as an intolerant, Hindu majoritarian nation. “A stereotypical description of India as “80 per cent Hindu majority” nation is quite misleading because Hinduism is inherently inclusive and fundamentally pluralistic, since centuries preceding the birth of Buddha or Christ,” he emphasised.
The Indian diplomat continued, “Numerically, Hindus of India outnumber the entire population of European Union and the North America, and obviously do not represent a monolithic vote bank. Hindus of India possess incredible diversity of thought, ways of life and political beliefs, covering the entire spectrum from extreme left to extreme right.”
“They regularly vote to power non-“Hindu nationalists”. Even now Mr Modi’s BJP rules only in 12 out of 28 states of India. This can happen only in “Hindu majority” India,” he concluded.
