Here's why Anish Kapoor is wrong about India being ruled by a 'Hindu Taliban'

Noted British sculptor Anish Kapoor wrote a piece in the Guardian on Thursday, on why he thinks India is being ruled by "Hindu Taliban". While the piece is emotive and strong, here are some (of the many) reasons why his statement is not true:

- The Indian electorate makes informed and wise decisions - it may not be as literate or as sophisticated as its western counterpart; it may neither be as wealthy, nor as involved – but, the Indian voters have tended to surprise Indian politicians, political parties, and the world at large with their choices. We vote for a direction. We vote to teach rulers a lesson. We participate in the electoral process with joy and involvement. And, we vote because it is our right to do so. There are those who many not like the outcome, but that does not mean that the voters are wrong or have voted ‘fascists’ or ‘communists’ or whatever. Accepting the Indian voters’ choice is the first step of understanding and participating in Indian democracy. The political parties have to do so, in all humility. It is time supporters of those parties did so too.  

- To question the Indian voter, and the Indian Republic’s choices, is of course a right of everyone – and we do this all the time within India, without being woken up by a midnight knock by the ‘thought’ police. The media questions the government, the opposition does, civil society does, and individuals do. We have embraced this right with gusto and delight. We have been vocal about every government since emergency– possibly learning from our mistakes there. The last government faced vocal criticism, this one does too. We criticise because it is our right. We laugh at our government too. If there is any nation that has embraced democracy, no matter how chaotic it is, it is India. And, it is completely unfair to the Indian voter, to believe we have traded our rights for a mirage.

- While there is intolerance, it is not new. And, just because it is not new, doesn’t mean it should either be justified or ignored. Both statements are equally valid. But to look at every crime and link it to the current Central government, when law and order is a state issue, is rather daft. Can the government curtail vocal fringes – yes. But, doing so may impinge on their freedoms. And, when the government (of any land) impinges on the rights of minorities – even that of vocal fringes – it ends up curtailing the rights of everyone else. What the government can do, is have fast track courts to deal with riots and violence – but, that means a certain level of judicial reform.

- India is a federal republic. It is not a unitary state, like Great Britain. Which means, the powers of the Centre are limited, by the Constitution. And, in many vital areas – including law and order – the Centre works in conjunction with the state. Should the Centre revoke the rights of the states and intervene directly in law and order by imposing President’s rule? The jury is open on that. But, having too strong a Centre may end up creating another set of problems that we are ill-equipped to deal with.

It is completely alright, in a democracy, to dislike your government, and distrust the Prime Minister or elected President. We see this world over. The Right in the USA is still reeling from Obama’s election. The Left in Great Britain doesn’t think much of David Cameron. In fact, the only country where there seems to be universal ‘love’ for the leader is North Korea. But that is a special case in point. But the fact to remember is that India is not North Korea, it is not Saudi Arabia, or any of the repressive regimes you can name. I am as comfortable criticising this government as I was criticising the last one. 

Conflating action taken against FCRA violations with fascism is neither right nor correct. While a Greenpeace faces shutdown for these violations, there are many others, within India, working with the same zeal on environmental issues. The same is with issues taken up by the Sabrang Trust. There are rules of the land – and part of those rules include getting your accounts right. It applies to those who support the government, and it applies to those who oppose it. It applies to NGOs and it applies to private limited companies, and it applies to private individuals. For the record, 4,470 NGOs had their licenses cancelled because of FCRA violations, not just two.  
 
However, there are 4 areas where the government can improve its performance and build confidence amongst the people.  

Communication – for a party that came to power after being able to communicate and energise the voters to elect  it, the government seems to be floundering in basic communication. And, when I say communication, it does not mean supporting pitched battles on social media. It means the government of India talking to the people of India, and listening to it. Broadcast or one-way communication is not the only mode of communication, the government needs to interact. It needs to make the right noises at the right time. And, it needs to be seen and heard talking in one voice. This is especially true about communally sensitive issues. A big reason why the government’s image is getting tarnished is because its own ministers have been jumping the gun to give statements

Curtail the publicity seekers – in government and the party. The media has not created these people, nor has it hypnotised them to make statements. They have done so on their own accord.  Assign party spokesmen and spokeswomen, who are talking to India (or Bharat), not to their fan base on social media. Communicating the government’s viewpoint is neither about sound bytes nor about 140 character communication – it is about building confidence.

Get out of campaign mode – The government of India cannot be in campaign mode almost 18 months after it has won the elections. It needs to leave electoral campaigning to the party, and be seen (and heard) tackling issues of governance.

Get inclusive to govern effectively – The campaign is over, the BJP has won the elections. Now it has to deliver on its promises. To do this, it has to take people along in the Parliament to ensure that vital Bills are passed. It cannot work forever on ordinances. This means reaching out to the opposition and trying to have a ‘chai pe charcha’ with it.

Lastly, whether you voted for this government or not is immaterial. This is the government that the voters of India, in their wisdom, have voted into power. And, in their wisdom, the same Indian electorate has voted for others in Delhi and Bihar. To suggest that the Indian electorate is a bunch of 'Hindu fascists' voting for a 'Hindu Taliban' is not just incorrect, it is also unfair. 

The fact remains that in India, there is a process we follow. That process is called free and fair elections, where people come out, exercise their right to universal franchise, and vote as equals, for a verdict. Respect that verdict.