Around the Citizens

(Political Comments by Sanjay Parate)

1. The Barbaric Bhagwat Purana of Fascism

Does anyone still have any doubt that our country, under the patronage of the Sanghi clique, is going through a new era of fascism, one that none of us as citizens could have imagined? The Constitution, democracy, and law have all been cast aside, replaced by the Sanghi clique’s verbal directives. A gang of thugs, carrying out these directives, is also operating in an organized manner, with well-known access to all organs of power. On the strength of this access, they are now daring to punish ordinary citizens in public, and the institution of the judiciary is no longer necessary. As a citizen, a writer, a creator, a thinker, speaking, writing, thinking, expressing dissent, raising questions, and raising voices for one’s rights — all these are crimes today. For this, you can be labelled and punished with epithets like traitor, anti-national, Pakistani… etc. Now, only that action is right that pleases the power, flatters it, and hails those in power in the name of the nation. Fascism doesn’t need citizens to advance its campaign, it needs obedient subjects who will unhesitatingly accept its handouts and sing the praises of the power. Those who fail to do so have no right to live in this country, and their citizenship will be taken away. Bertolt Brecht said about fascism that it can even choose its own people. This is precisely what is happening in India today. We are witnessing with our own eyes the real danger of millions of citizens being stripped of their citizenship in the name of SIR, depriving them not only of the right to vote but also of state welfare benefits and basic civil rights, and we are also witnessing the silence of the judiciary in the face of this barbarity. The rule of law has now been replaced by Sanghi thugs, who are attacking public struggles and movements, sometimes minorities, sometimes journalists, and sometimes travelers and animal traders.

Fascists have no kin. They prosper by deceiving the nation, culture, religion, and relationships. They cultivate a group of fanatics whose sole aim is to crush the greatest human achievements. Thoughtlessness, irrationality, and unscientific thinking are integral to their thought process. They are most repulsed by science and rationality, because these are the only assets human civilization possesses that can thwart fascism’s aims.

The democracy we developed over the last 60 years had many weaknesses and many evils. But the fascism that the Sanghi gang has fostered over the last 12 years, no matter how strong it may appear, cannot be a substitute for a weak democracy. Because the entire vision of fascism is anti-human. It views humanity, its labour, and creativity as mere means to fill the coffers of corporations. This requires the elimination of the thought and process of debate and inclusiveness from life. This is precisely what is happening today in the name of the “Modi Chalisa” : whatever Modi says is right, everyone else is a traitor. Such a vision has no connection to the goals of democracy, inclusion, and preserving the nation’s unity. Such a vision cannot even evaluate : neither the country, nor the people, nor the economy, nor even the ruling party. They are merely ideological slaves. An idea emerges from the corporate elite, to which the center of power is captive, and this idea, without any modification, revision, discussion, or critique, is spread throughout the country as a pungent stench, declaring, “This is the fragrance, accept it.” Those who are not prepared for this must consider it their compulsion to live with it. This is Hindutva, which has no connection to Indian thought and tradition. The true purpose of this Hindutva is to cozy up to power and benefit its corporate allies. To achieve this, it requires weaving a web of thoughtlessness.

There has been barbarism and plunder in the world. But human civilization has never been in favour of it; on the contrary, it has developed by fighting against it. India is no exception. The grassroots and ideological struggle against barbarism and plunder will continue, and no embankment can contain this flow of thought. The liberal, humanistic vision of democracy will prevail over the anti-human vision of fascism ; the emerging conflict between Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha is a sign of this. The sermon given by Mohan Bhagwat, the leader of the Sanghi clique, in America also proves that no idea of ​​hatred can permanently dominate the ideas of world brotherhood. It is a different matter that in its attempt to imitate Vivekananda, the ‘Bhagwat-Pravachan’ has proved to be a mere tusk. The whole world is watching Bhagwat’s statement in America and his Sanghi gang doing the complete opposite in India.

2. Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana Exposed

Thanks to RTI activist Chandrashekhar Gaur for exposing the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana amidst the noise about fake GDP growth. According to information received through his RTI, as of August 12, 2026, there were a total of 59,03,74,907 Jan Dhan accounts across the country. However, 5,72,35,490 Jan Dhan accounts have no balance, and 15,36,77,009 accounts are inactive, meaning there have been no transactions in them for a long time. A little calculation of these figures reveals that even those with deposits, including inactive accounts, have an average balance of no more than ₹6,000.

This ambitious scheme was launched soon after Modi came to power in 2014, with the primary objective of encouraging public savings and connecting them to social security schemes. These figures show that this scheme, like demonetization, has failed to achieve both its objectives. Under this scheme, the general public was allowed to open Jan Dhan accounts with zero balance. The opening of over 59 crore accounts means that a large portion of our country’s adult population has been connected to the banking system. Using these figures, the Modi government made lofty claims of national development in the Godi media.

But the data clearly shows that there is a vast difference between the claims of development and reality. Over the past 12 years, the total savings of millions of people have not exceeded ₹6,000, meaning they barely manage to save ₹500 a year. Overall, per capita savings are almost zero. From an economic perspective, per capita savings should have increased along with the increase in GDP, but this did not happen. Neither did savings increase, nor did people’s standard of living improve. The annual rising suicide figures of farmers and labuors suggest a case of “Than-Than Gopal” or “Rinam Kritva Ghritam Peebet.” This clearly means that either the GDP figures are wrong or development is not reaching the people.

But both conclusions are correct. Even economists who once served in the government are challenging the GDP figures with facts. The Modi government claims that “this is the highest real GDP growth rate for the first quarter in the four-year period from 2023-24 to 2026-27.” But they are pointing out that, given the extent of falsification in GDP calculations, the GDP for the first quarter of this year does not exceed 2.6 percent. This GDP has not reached the common people of the country, but has been locked in corporate coffers. This is why income and wealth inequality in India is among the highest in the world. There’s no need to reiterate the statistics of this inequality ; it’s enough to remember that, according to the Modi government’s data, 800 million people survive on 5 kg of free rations, yet cuts to the public distribution system continue. Today, half the country’s population, including a large number of children and women, suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Government GDP has not changed their fate. The reality of the increase in employment, average wages, and investment linked to GDP is that nothing has increased; devastation is widespread.

When a government is breathing its last, even its inflated balloons burst. This is precisely what is happening to the Modi government at the time of its demise.

(The commentator is the Vice President of the Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha, affiliated with the All India Kisan Sabha. Contact: 94242-31650)