Comments by "Sandy Tatham" (@sandytatham3592) on "Is India's democracy collapsing?" video.

India has a strong tradition of honouring the God-man. I'm sure Modi won't be the last one.
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 @pranawkumar510 : You're welcome 🙏. Many Indians have no idea what kind of future BJP has for India.
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@pranawkumar510 : Yes India has achieved amazing things! That's why I love it. Are you in favour of India becoming a Hindu theocracy?
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The existing laws already allow for the assistance of refugees in crisis. It's the fact that Modi has singled out Muslims that is the real problem. Any laws based on religious labels is dangerous. Stop putting labels of caste and religion on babies who have no choice in the matter.
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@honestpetvideos9307 : India can do whatever it likes, but when it says it's a "democracy" that implements "secular values" then it goes directly against the current Constitution to discriminate on the basis of religion. You already have laws which could be used to ensure that people who are being persecuted are fast-tracked for entry and citizenship of India. My guess is that BJP will soon amend the Constitution to make India a Hindu theocracy which no longer implements secular values.
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@s.12330 : Immigration and citizenship laws should discriminate on the basis of security to keep their citizens safe. Some of the countries that Muslims come from do not share security information with the US or Western nations, so how can background checks be done? Obama implemented the same laws for security reasons.
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@Coelom-m3e : Yes I have. And your point is?
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@Coelom-m3e : Thank you for your information. India has a very complicated relationship with religion, and it has never been truly "secular" with the government and religion kept separate. I'm also not in favour of giving children a religion on their birth certificates. Religion should be a choice that you make when you have matured a bit. But I guess to a person born in India, all of these religious complications and labels make perfect sense.
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@pranawkumar510 : I understand that "India is not just a piece of land" and it definitely had a "great civilisation". But surely all countries have ancient cultures with links to their land? Indigenous cultures around the world are thankfully now beginning to be given the respect that they deserve. Do they get enough attention or autonomy in India? That fact that India has held together so many diverse cultures is quite unique, but is it such a great idea? UP alone has a population similar to Nigeria, Brazil or Pakistan, and 'big' is not always better, or prosperous, or easy to manage. You say you have "democracy in blood" but were India's early rulers democratic? Or secular? I thought that many of India's early rulers were hereditary positions, and from what I observe in India today there are still a lot of 'fixed' roles due to the old concepts of caste and traditional gender roles. Just my thoughts...🙏
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I agree with your friends. Pre-covid I spent six months a year in India. Since coming into power, I see Modi as more talk than positive action. The poor people seem to be getting poorer, education and health don't seem to be improving, and he's either putting the opposition in prison or using financial means to hamper their chances in elections. Foreigners like me now fear speaking out with any criticism as there's a real chance we will get deported, or attacked by the mobs of young men who defend Modi. It's a bit nerve-wracking to be in India now if you were used to the days of free speech and healthy competition.
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@s.12330 : Immigration and citizenship laws MUST discriminate on the basis of *security*. The countries that Muslims come from often do not share security information with the US or Western nations. So how can we do background checks? Of course this precaution was used by the left to demonise President Trump, but Obama had the same discriminatory cautions for security reasons.
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@TruthAlwaysWins : Exactly. The concept of a "secular government" comes from Christianity, as do many other important values which we uphold in the West. Indians should do what they feel comes naturally to them. What I am very critical of are the hypocrisy and lies of this BJP-Modi government, who were voted for by only around 38% of Indians in 2019. This government pretends to uphold rule of law and secularity, yet they clearly do not. If the majority of Indians want to live under a Hindu #theocracy that's totally fine! Go for it, but don't lie about it. And don't accept the lies from your government leaders. But maybe telling lies (which is a sin in Judeo-Christian teachings) is not so bad in Hindu philosophy if it helps you achieve what you want?
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@RR-pc7yv : RSS-BJP-Modi is clearly moving towards creating a Hindu theocracy in India. The only reason to introduce laws based on religious beliefs is to separate people on that basis. There are already policies and precedents to ensure that only the most persecuted people are given refuge in India, so why start to label people on faith now, unless you want to eliminate a group that doesn't "fit" with the fundamentals of your majority Hindu philosophy? Why bring Hindu worship and practices into the government when you have a constitution that says India is secular? Why the lies and hypocrisy from your leaders about this?
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@TruthAlwaysWins : The Preamble to India's Constitution says India is a secular nation. Less than 40% of Indians voted for BJP-Modi in 2019 so who is this "we" that you refer to? I'm not religious but I believe in the inalienable right of people to have freedom of speech and freedom of conscience/religion. India curbs "right to information" and silences the media. It currently ranks well below Pakistan and Afghanistan in global rankings for freedom of the press, which concerns me a lot. Does India "own" the practices of Ayurveda and Yoga? You make an interesting deflection about theft and greed, which has some validity, but it doesn't address the FACT that BJP-Modi say they uphold rule of law and then do something quite different in practice.
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@RR-pc7yv : Secular means 'separation of government and state' no matter which way you want to twist it. A theocracy is 'a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god' and I think you're pretty close to that with some of the BJP-Modi practices, don't you? It's totally fine if India chooses to redefine itself as a "Hindu nation" but come clean about that so everyone knows! Laws which discriminate on the basis of religion are against your current Constitution, and you already have provision in your refugee policies to implement fast-tracking for the most persecuted people, so stop with the hypocrisy and lies that BJP is upholding rule of law. As I mentioned in my previous comment, it is a real concern to me that BJP has shut down free speech and silenced the media. As someone who has travelled in India for over 30 years, and also several months in Pakistan, I see some major signs that your country has begun to go down a similar path as your #authoritarian neighbour.
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@RR-pc7yv : Interesting comment and, as I often experience, you are happy to attack me as a person rather than rebut what I say. I've lived in India for up to six months a year for decades (except during the pandemic) and for a couple of years my tourist visa permitted me to stay for 11 months at a time. I've travelled more of India than most Indians and I study politics and social change. I was living in Rajasthan during the disastrous "demonitisation" which caused the death of people. This was put in place without consensus by Prime Minister Modi, who seems to have little formal education but is a natural and very charismatic leader. It's great that Uttarakhand's BJP government is finally implementing Uniform Civil Code, and that more states are likely to follow. People can still adhere to religious laws and customs in their personal lives, but it's important to get the government to #separate religion from politics, and for all Indians to know that they do have recourse to non-religious civil laws. I'm hopeful that India will one day stop putting religion, caste or any DIVIDERS on birth certificates. You are all Indians by law...🙏
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@anahita-bn6cy : This attitude is precisely what worries me about India today. Receiving threats from random people. There's a huge increase in insecurity about India's place in the world. What's driving this? I used to be told "Guest is God", and now foreigners hear "get out of our country" if they dare to be slightly critical.
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@RR-pc7yv : Interesting comment and, as I often experience from Indians, you attack me as a person rather than rebut what I say. I've lived in India for up to six months a year for decades (except during the pandemic) and for a couple of years my tourist visa permitted me to stay for 11 months. I've travelled more of India than most Indians and I study politics and social change. I was living in Rajasthan during the disastrous "demonitisation" which caused the death of people, and was put in place without consensus by Prime Minister Modi, who seems to have little formal education. It's great that Uttarakhand's BJP government is finally implementing Uniform Civil Code, and more states will follow. People can still follow religious laws and customs in their personal lives, but it's important to get the government to #separate religion from politics, and for all Indians to know that they have recourse to non-religious civil laws. I'm hopeful that India will one day stop putting religion or caste or any DIVIDERS on birth certificates. You are all Indians by law.
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@RR-pc7yv : I've lived in India for up to six months a year for decades (except during the pandemic) and for a couple of years my tourist visa permitted me to stay for 11 months. I've travelled more of India than most Indians and I study politics and social change. It's great that Uttarakhand's BJP government is finally implementing Uniform Civil Code, and more states will follow. People can still follow religious laws and customs in their personal lives, but it's important to get the government to #separate religion from politics, and for all Indians to know that they have recourse to non-religious civil laws. I'm hopeful that India will one day stop putting religion or caste or any DIVIDERS on birth certificates. You are all Indians by law...🙏
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@anahita-bn6cy : And that "limit" has reduced to almost nothing in the recent years. That's the problem. There is practically no tolerance for dissent in India any more. Doesn't that concern you?
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@technicalist101 : You seem to be making my point about India becoming a Hindu theocracy. Why does India's government need to have legal control over the Hindu temples? India has very few national public holidays, but lots of state public holidays for various religious groups. I'm guessing they might be for their vote-banks?
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@technicalist101 : I don't know everything about India, and public holidays are not my main interest, but reference sources say quite clearly that India only has three national holidays – Republic Day, Independence Day, and Mahatma Ghandi's Birthday. If I'm wrong, I'm totally OK with that as I'm not an insecure person. When a government controls the finances of one religious body, doesn't that bother you? India's BJP government is already a very controlling authority so I'd be interested to know what you think the purpose is for extracting taxes from Hindu religious bodies, but not from the other religions?
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@Coolguy_hub : Has it ever crossed your mind that India’s Supreme Court could be bought?
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@technicalist101 : You have to be kidding me!!! Numerous very respected organisations around the world are questioning the independence of the judiciary under this BJP government. Here is a typical comment : "Regrettably, the erosion of judicial independence in India is a critical aspect of India’s descent into authoritarianism that has largely been glossed over by Western media. The world’s most populous democracy now grapples with a weakened system of checks and balances, where the courts effectively act as instruments of the central government." India is also backsliding in indices of freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Surely you've noticed it? No secular government should play a role in building temples, or officiating in the opening of them, or taking money from them. It's totally fine for Modi to move towards changing the Constitution to say that India is no longer secular but a Hindu Rashtra. It's the #hypocrisy that I find dishonest. It doesn't matter which era laws came in, if BJP are in power they can make changes, or at least signal their desire to make changes. Thankfully the BJP government was not returned with Modi's anticipated high majority. India seems economically weak these days, so it's obvious that much of the financial data that the government puts out is not genuine either. I find it all a bit sad...🙏
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@Zendarkdagger : It was "settled in court" doesn't mean that there wasn't an authoritative hand behind the court's decision. And wasn't it dangerous to set the precedent of allowing the RSS mob to destroy an ancient building, without any policing or subsequent punishment?
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@JamesKerLindsay : Thank you for a great video on India. This "closing down of the discussion" is very common since BJP-Modi came to power. I've been travelling in India for 30 years and the changes in the last ten years are palpable and quite concerning.
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@QuantumNinja1.9 : I just love India? I'm also interested in social change and evolution of consciousness, so where better to observe these things than in India? India is also a fascinating country with tremendous variety, and a tourist can experience all of this with one visa...🙏
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@QuantumNinja1.9 : I'm retired and I've never been an academic. My interest is only personal.
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@QuantumNinja1.9 : You mean the attempted genocide by Hamas, and now Israel's war with Gaza? Yes I follow this very closely. I was in Dahab on the Red Sea when the Hamas attack occurred, only about five hours by car from Israel's border. I was sickened by the responses of the Egyptian men around me, some of them my good friends. Every Muslim man said they supported Hamas and what Hamas did to the civilians of Israel, though one older man did say that "maybe it was a bit too sadistic". Israel should finish off Hamas's military capabilities and then extend sovereignty over the Gaza Strip. There will be no chance for peace without this. Hamas is to blame for all of the deaths and casualties, and Egypt is complicit by not allowing a secure safe zone to be set up just inside Sinai for babies, children, mothers of small children, pregnant women and girls, the very sick and the elderly. It's inhumane to keep vulnerable people TRAPPED in a war zone when Egypt could allow them to be moved to a secured safe area fairly close by. But we know that the more pictures of deaths of children in Gaza that are circulating on TikTok and Instagram, the better the publicity is for Hamas, and the greater the number of 'useful idiots' who will call for a ceasefire. Is that enough? What are your thoughts?
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Does it bother you that the destruction of the Babri Masjid set a dangerous legal precedent to allow for people to demolish historic buildings with impunity? I'm totally fine for the Ayodhya Temple to be built. It was the way it came about that bothered me. Modi seems to have the Supreme Court and other judiciary in his pocket.
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When an authoritarian government is in power, they can do an awful lot to ensure that they remain in power. They can shut down criticism, silence the journalists, control the judiciary, etc. That's NOT a healthy democracy.
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Well said. These are all things that I'm very concerned about too, so thank you...🙏
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Pre-covid I spent six months a year in India. Since coming to power, I see Modi as more talk than positive action. The poor people seem to be getting poorer, education and health don't seem to be improving, and he's either putting the opposition in prison or using financial or other means to hamper their chances in elections. Foreigners like me now fear speaking out with any criticism as there's a real chance we will get deported, or attacked by the mobs of young men who defend Modi. It's a bit nerve-wracking to be in India now if you were used to the days of free speech, healthy competition and critical analysis.
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@subhasisghosh66 : The increasing poverty is what I've observed and been told about by people in India. It's very difficult to get accurate data from India's government figures. At least two foreign tourists that I know about have been deported for criticism of the government. A French journalist had her residency revoked this March, after living in India for 23 years. Three foreign students have been asked to leave India for allegedly taking part in rallies against the new citizenship law. There are probably plenty more but we don't hear about them. I've experienced the threat of gang rape and intimidation by groups of young men who join a circle and chant "Modi, Modi, Modi". I've been told by two different consular officials (one in Cairo, one in Mombasa) that having a Pakistan stamp in my passport could result in their refusal to give me a tourist visa. They said it was a new rule under the BJP government, however I can't get anything in writing about this.
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@kkr8710 : Many thanks! Points 1 and 2: it is very reassuring to know that "extreme multidimensional poverty" has ended. Point 3: I believe "freedom of speech for Indian citizens" is being abused by authorities, but we can agree to disagree on this. There are plenty of independent global ratings about freedoms in India, and there is only a downward trend here. The Right to Information is also being curbed, which I find problematic. Point 4: I recently made myself aware of this, and I agree it's very reasonable for foreigners to not participate in political rallies, though I think deportation now extends to negative social media comments as well, but that's covered under "no freedom of speech" for foreigners I guess. And we all know that any foreign-linked journalists are severely restricted. Point 5: yes I'm very aware of David Headley, and I also think this is why a few travellers like me have been told not to go back to Pakistan if we want to continue visiting India. It is fair enough, but it would have been nice to be given a bit of an explanation. What concerns me most in this current climate is the potential for vigilante action by mobs of young men. What do you think?
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@RR-pc7yv : You've just proved my point. There is no longer any freedom to speak in India. Last year the World Press Freedom Index ranked India 161 out of 180 countries. In comparison, Pakistan moved up seven ranks to reach 150. Why do some Indians looked shocked when I say that India is fast becoming the Hindu version of Islamic Pakistan?
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