When a Cricketer’s Lunch Becomes National Politics

 

When a Cricketer’s Lunch Becomes National Politics

Thanks for this Image from Hindustan Times

In a country of over 1.4 billion people, with a history so ancient it could give the world a lesson or two in civilization, the most burning question of the day somehow became — why didn’t Mohammad Shami keep roza. Yes, in a nation battling unemployment, economic slowdown, a crumbling education system, and a healthcare sector held together by prayers, the biggest headline was about a cricketer’s personal religious choice.

What makes it even more ridiculous is that this question didn’t even come from the common public. It came from the self-appointed custodians of Islam — the very same religious gatekeepers who believe piety is measured by public displays of faith, not by personal integrity or contribution to society. These are the people who conveniently forget that Islam itself allows flexibility for those performing their duties, especially when they are representing the nation. But the real tragedy is that enough people considered this question important, and so it found its way into prime time news, with anchors dissecting it like it was a national security breach. If anyone wanted proof of just how far we’ve fallen as a thinking society, this would be it.

Meanwhile, there’s no time or curiosity to ask real questions. Like why our Prime Minister, who proudly claims to hold a degree in ‘Entire Political Science’ — a degree no university in the world has ever heard of — has spent years hiding it. In fact, so much taxpayer money has been spent legally shielding this mythical document that one would think it contains the nuclear codes.

But back to Shami. Here’s a man who prioritized his professional duty over fasting for a few days, trusting that his God, being far more rational than his critics, would understand. If anything, his God probably gave him a quiet nod of approval for choosing work over performative religiosity. But in this hyper-religious theme park we now call New India, that’s considered blasphemy. After all, nothing gets the outrage machine humming like the sight of a successful Muslim refusing to fit into the stereotype crafted for him by propaganda peddlers and self-righteous preachers alike.

While this unnecessary debate consumed headlines, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah were busy doing what they do best — preparing their seasonal collection of election jumlas. Every election season, they emerge like veteran con artists, serving the same old platter of fake promises, with an extra dash of nationalism and religious bait. And the public, trained to swallow lies faster than they question them, devours it all like it’s a festive feast.

Of course, none of this circus would be possible if they hadn’t already captured the very institutions meant to keep them in check. Over the past decade, Modi and Shah have masterfully placed over a thousand loyalists in key positions across the system — from the Election Commission to the judiciary, from the bureaucracy to the media. These are not public servants; they are party servants with government badges. So when Modi sneezes, the media calls it divine grace, the courts interpret it as a constitutional blessing, and bureaucrats rush to draft a policy recognizing it as a national event.

And then there’s the electoral engineering — the fine art of rigging democracy while pretending to worship it. The Modi government has been accused of every election manipulation trick in the book — from EVM tampering to voter intimidation, from buying politicians like cattle at a market to distributing cash, liquor, and even refrigerators to lure voters. All of this is powered by the oldest trick in the playbook — divide and rule. As long as Hindus and Muslims are at each other’s throats, there’s no time for them to unite and ask uncomfortable questions about jobs, education, or healthcare.

The result is a nation where millions, struggling to feed their families, find more comfort in debating a cricketer’s religious observance than questioning the policies that pushed them into poverty in the first place. A media so compromised that if Modi started selling bottled air from his speeches, they’d call it a revolutionary innovation. A judiciary so spineless that if Modi hinted the Constitution itself was anti-national, they’d probably start the paperwork to amend it the next morning.

This is New India — a place where logic has retired, propaganda has been promoted, and blind faith is now the national currency. And the applause you hear in the background? That’s the sound of millions cheering their own downfall, proudly mistaking their submission for patriotism.