Modi and the Politics of Fear: A Nation Deserves Courage, Not Cowardice

 

Modi and the Politics of Fear: A Nation Deserves Courage, Not Cowardice

Watch these videos and then decide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8mYzLpNgfY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2N31KSH65Q

Hindi Version: https://rakeshinsightfulgaze.blogspot.com/2025/09/blog-post_11.html

Is Narendra Modi a coward? It is a question that has been asked for years, and every time the country expects him to act with courage, the answer becomes more obvious: yes. Modi has perfected the art of running away from challenges, hiding behind theatrics, and turning fear into performance.

Take his much-celebrated constituency of Varanasi. His “victory” there is stained by allegations of rigging, aided by the machinery of political enforcers. The real winner, a Congress candidate, was placed under house arrest in Lucknow during Modi’s visit to silence dissent and prevent protest. Why? Because Modi feared embarrassment. He feared the public. He feared even the symbolic act of a shoe hurled his way something that has humiliated him before. This is not the behavior of a strongman. This is the reflex of a coward.

At every crucial moment, Modi has chosen retreat. Against Donald Trump, he bent. Against China, he folded. When confronted by farmers in Punjab, he turned tail and later told the media that he had “returned alive,” as if an assassination had been attempted. There was no such threat only the anger of citizens demanding justice. But Modi twisted that into a narrative of victimhood, a melodramatic performance designed to turn his fear into political theater.

This is Modi’s model of leadership: cry on friendly television channels about insults, avoid the public, avoid press conferences, and silence critics with state machinery. Ten years as Prime Minister, and not once has he subjected himself to an unscripted press conference. Not once has he stood where a real question might pierce his carefully curated image. Why? Because he knows that a single unfiltered question could expose the rot of corruption behind the mask.

Worse, Modi has built a system where cowardice is institutionalized. Instead of empowering capable leaders and professional administrators, he surrounds himself with bureaucrats who are willing to bend, break, and commit crimes under his shadow. These officials don’t serve the Constitution; they serve Modi. They don’t enforce law; they enforce loyalty. From weaponizing the Enforcement Directorate to rigging electoral rolls through the Election Commission, this regime thrives on officials who trade integrity for patronage. It is cowardice outsourced a government of pliant servants carrying out illegal orders so the Prime Minister can keep his hands clean.

Contrast this with Rahul Gandhi. His family has given martyrs to India’s fight against terrorism, yet he walks openly with the people, unafraid of risk. When mafia-backed operatives tried to block him from his constituency, he pressed forward. He didn’t turn around and claim he “returned alive.” He didn’t make excuses. He faced the threat head-on.

This is the difference: Modi claims bravery while running from every challenge. Rahul never claims bravery, yet consistently demonstrates it. One performs cowardice as theater. The other practices courage as duty.

But here is the deeper tragedy. Modi’s cowardice has become the template for governance in India. His fear of scrutiny fuels censorship. His fear of dissent fuels arrests. His fear of losing power fuels voter fraud. And his fear of accountability has created a state machinery where corruption is not an aberration but the operating principle. Bureaucrats, judges, and media houses bend at his will not because they respect him, but because they fear him. A Prime Minister who rules by fear is not a leader. He is a coward commanding a corrupt chorus.

And to Modi’s followers: rethink what you are supporting. You are backing a leader without a spine, a man made to look strong only by a compromised media. You are endorsing a medieval style of governance based on blind faith in gods and rituals, not on science and reason. In doing so, you are pushing your own children into a dark future one of superstition, fear, and dependency, instead of progress and opportunity. Wake up before it is too late.

Because history proves India can be greater. Nehru dreamed of a modern, scientific India. Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the nation the call of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan. Indira Gandhi stood up to Richard Nixon when India was weak, split Pakistan into two, and pushed India toward self-reliance. Rajiv Gandhi propelled India into the digital age. Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh opened India’s economy and made it globally vibrant. Singh as Prime Minister built India’s credibility as a serious financial power. And even Atal Bihari Vajpayee had the courage to make India a nuclear power despite international pressure.

Each of these leaders strengthened India with vision and courage. Modi weakens India with cowardice and fear.

A coward can manipulate elections. A coward can silence dissent. But a coward cannot build a nation. India must choose: does it want to be led by fear, or reclaim the courage and vision that once built a modern India?

https://youtube.com/shorts/E7eh5SqiUtE?si=BF8VmI7N-WZykJtq