Opinion | Forget Facebook gimmicks, will Modi answer to the women hurt by the religious fervour he’s unleashed?
- As the Indian prime minister continues to force his Hindu nationalist agenda on a nominally secular state, he fails to realise who he is hurting most
- He can play the messiah on social media, but that does not help the women protesting on the streets who are suffering because of his legislation
Thousands of people have taken part in this dance of dissent against what has become labelled a “fascist” and “anti-Muslim” government. No one from Modi’s administration nor any of his representatives have has visited or tried to alleviate these women’s fears.
Moreover, the “IT Cell” propaganda department of his Bharatiya Janata Party has made continuous attempts to malign the protesters, saying they are being paid or political agents. Despite the campaigns against it, however, the leaderless sit-in movement has emerged unscathed – even when faced with gun brandishing individuals and a lack of political acknowledgement.
First the BJP’s Brahminical Hindutva regime targeted the country’s vulnerable religious minorities, now it seems to have set its sights on the women and children. Even as female-led protests erupt throughout the land, the government has refused to acknowledge that it is women and children who are disproportionately affected by the religious fervour it has unleashed.
There were even reports from a university in Gujarat, the state Modi used to lead as chief minister, of young women being forced to strip to their underwear to prove they were not menstruating because of religious rules that bar women from entering the temple and the kitchen, or even touching other students, during their periods. Zero action has been taken by the authorities.
