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The Wire
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Modi's 'Demography Mission' is Part of the Larger Plan to Transform India Into Hindutva's Dream Nation
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay There was a time when it was presumed that there would be a 'full stop' after the BJP's 'core issues'. Now it is clear that under Modi at least, there will never be an end to this process. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the Red Fort on the occasion of the 79th Independence Day, in New Delhi on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. Photo: PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi's declaration of intent to launch a high-power Demography Mission, during his speech on Independence Day, needs to be framed within the backdrop of innumerable transformative initiatives and steps taken by his government in the past eleven years. These have taken India closer to becoming recast as the dream-nation, backed by a remorseless State apparatus, as imagined by his political and ideological forbearers, including Hindutva's codifier, V.D. Savarkar and founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), K.B. Hedgewar. There was a time when it was presumed that there would be a 'full stop' after the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) 'core issues' – Ram Temple, the reading down of Article 370 and introduction of Uniform Civil Code'. But now, when the first two objectives are accomplished and introduction of the third has started via the states route, it is clear that under Modi at least, there will never be an end to this process. Modi amplifying the idea of Hindu Rashtra and diminishing State institutions Since 2014, Modi has further amplified the idea of Hindu Rashtra and diminished State institutions and invalidated various ideas, previously considered irrevocable. More importantly, these manoeuvres made it progressively more thorny for political and ideological adversaries of the Prime Minister and the saffron brotherhood to even articulate contrarian views, forget putting into practice. Exceptions remain, and there are opponents like Rahul Gandhi and several regional leaders (not listing them because it is a different exercise) and sections of his/their parties continuing to act as counterbalancing forces. For instance, they spoke unrestrainedly, against Modi for formally legitimising the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh with glowing reference to the organisation in his speech. His words stood in contrast to what Jawaharlal Nehru said from the same platform, 77 years ago on August 15, 1948. The first premier of independent India, on that occasion, expressed immense sadness even while expressing satisfaction that independent India's trajectory on certain avenues was adequate in the given situation. His melancholiness however, was over India being enveloped within with the heart of darkness after Mahatma Gandhi's cold-heartedly assassinated by a person indoctrinated by the RSS. But, Modi's paeans for the RSS, is little but a precursor of what is likely to come if he continues remaining at the helm. If there were any doubts, these were negated by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas' advertisement, wishing people 'happy Independence day' with a visual placing Savarkar above Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh. The advertisement carried a caption like line: 'Freedom was their gift, Shaping the future is our mission.' As we celebrate our nation's independence, let's remember — liberty thrives when we nurture it every day, through unity, empathy, and action. 🇮🇳 Happy #IndependenceDay #MoPNG — Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas #MoPNG (@PetroleumMin) August 15, 2025 It would be wrong to contend that Modi is solely responsible for the deviation from the profile and path chosen for the nation at birth by nationalists across the political spectrum following protracted debate in the Constituent Assembly. After all, it was Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister who took the lead in hoisting Savarkar's portrait in the sanctum sanctorum of the 'old' Parliament Building, the Central Hall. And, Modi's admirers would point out – Indira Gandhi's government too, issued a postage stamp in the memory of the person who was not cleared by Jivanlal Kapur Commission, of the accusation of involvement in the conspiracy to murder Gandhi. Like many leaders from his own political stable (and family) in the past, several like Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders too played along, hoping to convince the electorate that they too are 'nationalists', although not the way the Sangh Parivar and Modi define it. They did so because over the past eleven years, Modi has succeeded in securing considerable public acceptance for the Hindutva idea of nationalism and labeling all other perspectives as anti-national. However, in defence of non-BJP politicians, many would point out that in their early years in the rough and tumble of politics and elections, they found that the notion of 'soft Hindutva' was already part of the nation's political parlance. Demography Mission further takes India away from its imagination as a democratic and secular State Each of these changes, schemes, programmes and projects etc, against which Modi's announcement on his plan to initiate a high-power Demography Mission must be framed, have taken India further away from its imagination at independence as a democratic and secular State in name, practice and value-system. It would be premature to determine at this stage, which of these features shall remain in the India of the future that Modi has harped on over the past several years and coined as Viksit Bharat. The Demographic Mission – its nomenclature and formal brief is not known yet – comes close on the heels of the narrative created by the Election Commission's special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and subsequently in other states. The raison d'être for the previous exercise ominously overlaps the one unveiled by Modi. The objective of the two initiatives is the same – to delegitimise the existence of a significant section of Indian citizens and dub them 'foreigners'. None of this can even be now termed – save by perennial no-sayers – as communal, because this politics is now labeled as politically correct nationalism. For practical purposes, deportation to their 'home' nation will never be an option if these are ordered in hordes. Consequently, these people, labeled by the Mission as infiltrators and conspirators collectively working towards altering India's demography, will remain living in India, but sans constitutional rights (although obliged to fulfill 'duties'). These people will have no option but living the daily dread of attacks by a bevy of people, who have remained in news almost from the start of Modi's tenure, for assaulting individuals on mere 'suspicion' of having committed various 'crimes' – culinary intent or consumption, sartorial or linguistic display of identity, or for other imagined encroachment on public land to erect 'their' places of worship, or just a birthmark or talisman. Be it the special intensive revision (SIR), the National Register of Citizens, or the Commission's 'report' in times to come, despite ostensibly having little to do with one another, the purpose remains the same. The entire bunch of these initiatives, steps, policies and programmes perform as a gigantic political orchestra, comprising an ensemble or ideologically motivated lot and other performers, with expertise in multiple sectors: core political arena, the 'fringe' forces operating on the flanks of politics, officialdom, social and mainstream media, education, history, archaeology and even films and entertainment to determine which violent episode of 'subjugation' of 'our' people was not permitted during tenures of previous regimes and can be made now (Chhaava for instance) and which films must be given a National Award (The Kerala Story for example, despite being based on complete untruth). In fact, months will be consumed even if a dedicated team of researchers are tasked with compiling an inventory, or writing a monograph on instances when this regime unilaterally rolled-back the consensus of the past and replaced with an exclusionary alternative. But all this is also being provided with a veneer of newness. A new architecture, which started with the riverfront in Ahmedabad years ago, has gradually sprung up in place of the old – beginning with the Capitol complex – the shut-to-the-outside-world New Parliament Building (in contrast to the Old Building which exuded transparency. This new complex, surrounded by a plethora of recently constructed characterless buildings housing various government offices are notable for opacity from outside, and lack of privacy for employees within. Importantly, to lend weight to the political priorities that the government wants accepted, the prefix in the names for each of these new constructions, offices and roads, is either Kartavya (duty) or Seva (service). In his speech, Modi referred to what he first stated post Operation Sindoor to hype the government's nationalistic pitch – with the assault on Pakistan-based forces of terror and their backers, his government 'established a new normal.' But this new routine or response is actually across the board, from altering school textbooks, promotion of false narratives, selecting faculty and those intended for non-faculty positions, to embarking on new archaeological missions while denotifying numerous ancient monuments from the 'protected' by ASI category. The tussle between Modi and the RSS Undeniably, this is a multi-pronged venture aimed at leaving nothing unchanged, even names of cities, towns, streets and even official programmes. The message is clear – play along if you too want to be part of the imagined New Bharatiya Philharmonic Orchestra which occupies the pit below the stage on which the 'great transformative performance', sugar-coated with promises and steps for economic betterment of people, is being enacted. For more than a century, the debate over Indian nationalism has been shaped chiefly by the divergence between secular or inclusive nationalism on the one hand, and cultural or exclusivist nationalism on the other. The ideological fraternity which spawned the likes of Modi believes in the latter, and continues to see culture and religion as synonyms. As a consequence, Modi has his defence ready for critics if they point out that he provided a Hindu name (Sudarshan Chakra), rooted deeply in mythology, for a new planned national security cover. He will conveniently say the name is not religious in essence, but merely a cultural concept or idea. By disagreeing with him on this count, given that a defence plan for the nation is concerned, adversaries can only risk being labeled as unpatriotic or treasonous by making such a point. Despite tilting the scales, insofar as the perceptible discourse is concerned, in favour of cultural nationalism with his all-encompassing style of politics, Modi remains in a Catch-22 situation and faces a predicament. The more ideology becomes the primary draw in electoral politics, the more shall the role of the individual decline. The RSS has traditionally considered the vyakti as secondary to the sangathan and its divergence with Modi because he believes in personalization of politics and promoting his own cult. In this tussle between Modi and the RSS, personified by Mohan Bhagwat, the moment the RSS feels that support for Hindutva has crossed the threshold level, and the narrative no longer requires a leader to drive it further, insecurities for Modi shall mount. The centenary year of the RSS shall thereby be a crucial year for all that Modi addressed in his speech and even those issues which were consciously left out. A journalist and author, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay 's books include Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times and The RSS: Icons of the Indian Right. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Advertisement
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Express View on PM Modi's Independence Day speech: Hope, not fear
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech, his 12th in a row, was delivered against the backdrop of a global economy roiled by unpredictability, turmoil and upheaval. PM Modi did not name him but Donald Trump and the tariff regime the US President has unleashed, lurked, between the lines, as both presence and shadow. For the most part, the PM spoke of how India needs to enliven the 'Make in India' and 'Vocal for Local' mantras, and install self-reliance at the heart of the country's development strategy and growth model. The message was: In times when the Trump tariff regime is impacting exports, and when disruptions in global supply chains are threatening to squeeze imports, India must focus on strengthening the domestic economy by pursuing the path of self-sufficiency or 'aatmanirbharta'. PM Modi reminded the nation of India's proven 'samarthya' or capability — when it took the lead in manufacturing the coronavirus vaccine, not only for itself, but also for the world; and more recently, when, powered by indigenous weapon systems, it conducted Operation Sindoor. This is not the first time that PM Modi has spoken of the need to Make in India, or extolled the virtues of aatmanirbharta. But this I-day speech was remarkable for the urgency with which it sought to connect the dots from Atmanirbhar Bharat to Viksit Bharat and national security, framing it as a matter not merely of import-export but as a test of a nation's very 'aatma samman' or self-respect: 'Hum nahin banayenge? Hum nirbhar rahenge? (Why will we remain dependent on others)?' He exhorted the young and the entrepreneurs, the scientists and the private sector, to come forward and fill the gaps with ideas and innovations — to make India's own fertiliser and semiconductor, and to be self-reliant in clean energy and critical minerals. The government, he said, would encourage and enable them through the next generation of reforms, for which he announced a special task force. But as much as the PM sought to exhort and energise, and even as he tapped into his countrymen and women's ambitions and optimism — he announced a special Diwali bonanza of GST reform, a Rs 1 lakh crore Rozgar Yojana for the young, invoked the symbolism of naari shakti, space start-ups and Shubhanshu Shukla's odyssey — he also painted a gathering spectre. Illegal immigrants or 'ghuspaithiye', he said, are snatching Indians' jobs, taking away land from tribal populations, endangering India's 'behan-beti' or women. His government would, therefore, set up a high powered Demography Mission. While illegal immigration is a resonant issue that is becoming bigger across the world, riding on the back of nationalist politics and populist movements, the PM's highlighting of it has a disquieting domestic backdrop — of growing incidents of violence against Bengali-speaking migrants in states, and the ongoing controversy over voters' lists. The BJP's defeat in the Jharkhand assembly election may have pointed to the limits of 'illegal immigration' as an electoral plank, but in a diverse country, it is still an issue that is fraught, one that can propel a politics of distrust and fear. The PM's playing up of the dark motif of the 'ghuspaithiya', coupled with his tribute to the RSS from the ramparts of Red Fort, showed an unmistakable ideological layering of his message. For the nation, they frame the challenge that lies ahead: Of finding a way forward that sidesteps the fear and embraces the hope.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Figure of speech: on the Prime Minister's Independence Day address
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 12th consecutive Independence Day address from the Red Fort was notable not only for highlighting national security and self-reliance but also for laying stress on a communally coloured demographic threat to the country. While showering praise on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Mr. Modi repeated its refrain by saying that the seeds of a new crisis were being sown. The launch of a High-Powered Demography Mission, to address what he described as 'a deliberate conspiracy' to alter the demography of the country, is little more than a thinly disguised effort to polarise the country on religious lines by pointing to the different rates of growth in population among different communities and to the 'infiltration' of undocumented migrants from the neighbouring countries. However, the speech also dwelt on substantive issues with a considerable focus on self-reliance in all fields including the economy, defence and technology, and youth empowerment. Mr. Modi also presented an account of the developments in India's national security and developmental landscape in the last year, and previewed what to anticipate ahead. Mr. Modi lauded the armed forces for Operation Sindoor, which, he said, showcased the effectiveness of India's defence capabilities and indigenous weaponry. He also used the occasion to warn India's adversaries, particularly Pakistan, underscoring the policy of zero tolerance toward terrorism and cross-border attacks. Recent successes in the combat against the Maoist insurgency also found a mention. As in a plan announced by Mr. Modi, Mission Sudarshan Chakra, a fully indigenous defence system, will be developed and deployed by 2035. The details were scarce, but he described it as 'a powerful weapon system' which 'will not only neutralise the enemy's attack but will also hit back at the enemy many times more'. Speaking amid rapid changes in global power equations, Mr. Modi's Independence Day message was also aimed at the United States, which has announced tariffs as high as 50% on many Indian products. While promising to focus on revving up the domestic economy, Mr. Modi showed an awareness of the challenges that the Indian economy is facing. The next generation GST reforms would be rolled out by Deepavali 2025, which would reduce the tax burden on core goods and services and boost business. On the one hand, Mr. Modi is trying to cultivate his ideological ecosystem while on the other, he is trying to tackle the material challenges facing the nation. The success of one, however, can only come at the cost of the other.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Avoid SIR pitfalls in new mission to protect demography
More on the economic front, Modi promised to boost consumption through lower taxes and keep a lid on inflation. The geopolitical squeeze prompted the announcement of a taskforce for next-generation reforms to evaluate all current laws, rules and procedures related to economic activities within a set timeline. It's expected to cut compliance costs for startups, smaller enterprises, and entrepreneurs; provide freedom from the fear of arbitrary legal actions; and enhance the ease of doing business. Another box ticked was the immediate launch of a ₹1-lakh-crore job scheme benefiting about 3.5 crore youth in the private sector, with a monthly payout of ₹15,000. Modi also hailed the BJP's ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, for completing 100 years of service, possibly to keep his core constituency in good cheer. Amid the raging controversy over alleged disenfranchisement in Bihar through a special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls ahead of the state election, the Prime Minister flagged the imminent danger of demographic imbalance due to 'infiltration' and illegal migration in border and tribal areas. He announced the setting up of a high-powered Demography Mission to deal with the issue in a time-bound manner. One hopes the new mission would avoid the SIR's pitfalls and function transparently, more so because it could have a bearing on the 2029 general elections.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Desi semiconductors, jet engines among Modi's bold announcement for New India
From making India's first semiconductor chip to building jet engines and a 10-fold nuclear power expansion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bold announcements on the 79th Independence Day aim to put the country on the path of becoming a developed nation by 2047. Independence Day 2025 Op Sindoor to water cutoff: PM Modi slams Pak in I-Day speech GST reforms by Diwali to cut daily-use taxes: PM Modi Terrorism, tech, more: PM's I-Day speech highlights Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort here, Modi recalled how attempts to set up semiconductor factories 50-60 years ago were "killed at birth" while other nations prospered. "India is now on mission mode. By the end of this year, the country will roll out its first Made in India chip ," the prime minister said. He said India's nuclear energy capacity is set to grow 10-fold by 2047. Modi said work is underway on building 10 new nuclear reactors as part of India's mission to increase atomic power generation capacity by more than 10 times in the next two decades. Live Events The prime minister also gave a challenge to scientists and youngsters to develop the country's own jet engines for "Made in India" fighter jets. "I urge the young scientists, talented youngsters, engineers, professionals and all departments of the government that we should have our jet engines for our own Made in India fighter jets," he said. The prime minister also announced big-ticket Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms and promised a Diwali bonanza for citizens. "Next-generation GST reforms will be unveiled on Diwali, reducing taxes on essential goods and providing relief to MSMEs, local vendors and consumers," he said. Modi also announced the creation of a dedicated Reform Task Force to drive next-generation reforms to accelerate economic growth, cut red-tapism, modernise governance and prepare India for the demands of a USD 10 trillion economy by 2047. He also launched an employment scheme worth Rs 1 lakh crore, under which newly-employed youngsters will receive Rs 15,000 per month. The scheme aims to benefit three crore young Indians, strengthening the bridge from Swatantra Bharat to Samriddha Bharat. Modi also highlighted the dangers of a demographic imbalance due to infiltration and illegal migration in border areas. He announced the launch of a high-powered Demography Mission to address this national-security challenge, ensuring that the unity and integrity of the country and the rights of its citizens are safeguarded. In a bid to achieve energy independence, the prime minister announced a Deepwater Exploration Mission to tap ocean resources, alongside major expansions in solar, hydrogen, hydro and nuclear power.
