Since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, the use of the word “intolerant” has increased dramatically. The word should express special thanks to Modi for making it extremely popular; the Left and the so-called liberals launch scathing attacks on his government almost on a daily basis, accusing it of being “the most intolerant government in the history of independent India.” In a democracy, everyone has the right to criticize, so the Left and the liberals obviously have a right to take aim at the Modi government, but they should practice what they preach.
There’s an old saying: People living in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Here’s the problem with the Left and the so-called liberals. They accuse the Modi government of being intolerant, but what about themselves? Are they really the champions of tolerance? No. Let me talk about recent developments without delving too much into the past. Recently, a well-known historian who claims to be a liberal posted a tweet asking Vineet Jain to shut down Times Now, a popular English TV news channel. Vineet Jain is the marketing director of the Times Group, which runs many media outlets, including the Times of India, the most widely read English daily in the country.
A liberal calling for a popular channel to be shut down because it expresses political views that conflict with his own shows that liberals are abandoning the path of liberalism
Times Now is often labeled as pro-Modi by the Left and the liberals. However, a liberal calling for a popular channel to be shut down because it expresses political views that conflict with his own shows that liberals are abandoning the path of liberalism. In a democracy, people have the right to decide which channel they watch. In a later tweet, the historian clarified that it is fine for an editor to support or oppose a party or a government, but then accused Times Now of “spreading hatred against minorities, intellectuals, social workers and Kashmiris.” On the one hand, he is saying that it is fine for an editor to support or oppose a party or a government, but on the other, he is criticizing Times Now for expressing views that conflict with his own.
I have watched many debates on Times Now and other news channels where many self-styled Kashmiri activists have openly criticized the Indian security forces and hailed terrorists as “mass leaders” and “freedom fighters.” These so-called Kashmiri activists often sprew venom against India. So, obviously, the news anchors and the other panelists counter them. But is it right to call a channel anti-Kashmir just because it disapproves of these so-called Kashmiri activists?
The historian’s argument that the channel is against minorities, social workers and intellectuals is clearly biased. I myself have seen in TV debates many so-called social workers, intellectuals and minority rights activists speaking in a political tone and batting only for a particular agenda. Let me clarify – it is okay for the intellectuals, social workers and minority rights activists in a democracy to voice their own views, including biased opinions. So it is also obviously okay for the channel to disagree with their views. That is what democracy is – everyone has the right to agree or disagree.
There are many English news channels other than Times Now — NDTV 24×7, India Today, Republic TV, CNN News 18, News X and Mirror Now, a sister channel of Times Now. So viewers always have other outlets to turn to if they don’t like the opinions being expressed. I often browse all the above-mentioned channels until I find an interesting story to watch.
The phrase “shut down” really shouldn’t be uttered by a liberal just because they are offended by an opinion expressed by a news channel. If one doesn’t like Times Now, one can switch to NDTV 24×7 or India Today or CNN News 18 or Mirror Now. That’s not a big problem. It seems like liberals who regularly criticize Modi’s intolerance are themselves becoming intolerant and therefore moving away from the very path of “liberalism” that they often use as a yardstick.
The historian’s tweet raises an important question: If the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) loses the elections and the loose opposition coalition fails to find a politician for the post of prime minister, will the liberal intellectual opposition member who becomes the prime minister order news channels to be shut down because of the political views they express?
Its so funny to read this article, the naive writer is trying uselessly to plead the case of hatred and intolerance against freedom of expression and liberalism. The fanatic writer seems to be the die-hard worker of Hindutva army which is busy transforming India into a intolerant Hindu theocracy under the extremist Modi Hindu regime. Most of the Indian T.V channels spread hatred, disharmony and war hysteria, there is no doubt about that. India is well reputed to snub the voice of the liberals and the minorities who stand up for their basic rights, a recent report of the UN bears witness to all the atrocities Indian government is inflicting upon religious minorities, specially in Kashmir. All this happens under the nose of extremist Hindutva regime. Violence against the minorities to Hinduise India is on the top most agenda of BJP.
I am shocked to discover truth from a Hindu writer. Really, it’s amazing for me to read this article, which is based on truth. Welldone Mr Shivam Vij.
Very well said .. its actually funny to see the same episode of extremist ideologies being spread through mainstream .. indian policy makers should’ve learnt from our mistake of letting extremist bastards roam free in Pakistan but slowly and steadily we are moving towards a tolerant Pakistan. India sadly is taking the reverse course.. this hindutva menace is going to be hard tofor control
Very well said .. its actually funny to see the same episode of extremist ideologies being spread through mainstream .. indian policy makers should’ve learnt from our mistake of letting extremist bastards roam free in Pakistan but slowly and steadily we are moving towards a tolerant Pakistan. India sadly is taking the reverse course.. this hindutva menace is going to be hard tofor control
You should really take quality control more seriously.
There is no problem in hinduising India. It has always been a Hindu country. Hinduism does not have a God sponsored set of laws to like Sharia which can be enforced on the people, there were laws prepared by the kings according to the situations and today India is a democracy only because of Hinduism being the majority here. Infact the greatest Danger to India comes from the Sharia fanatics who with the Saudi money and a BELIEF that it is God’s will to spread Sharia in the whole world are causing disturbances inside the country. There is an active movement to SPREAD THE WORD OF GOD by Abrahamic religions so naturally there is going to be a Hindu counter to that. If you love democracy so much, then implement a uniform civil code and keep constitution the highest book. Indian followers of these Abrahamic religions are increasingly behaving like Arabs and Romans and think that they have a GOD GIVEN RIGHT to get agitated against anyone who openly expresses his love for his Indic dharmic religions. Don’t act like this is not happening, people are not stupid to not understand what is happening, there is a reaction against this not only in India but whole world.
There is no problem in hinduising India. It has always been a Hindu country. Hinduism does not have a God sponsored set of laws to like Sharia which can be enforced on the people, there were laws prepared by the kings according to the situations and today India is a democracy only because of Hinduism being the majority here. Infact the greatest Danger to India comes from the Sharia fanatics who with the Saudi money and a BELIEF that it is God’s will to spread Sharia in the whole world are causing disturbances inside the country. There is an active movement to SPREAD THE WORD OF GOD by Abrahamic religions so naturally there is going to be a Hindu counter to that. If you love democracy so much, then implement a uniform civil code and keep constitution the highest book. Indian followers of these Abrahamic religions are increasingly behaving like Arabs and Romans and think that they have a GOD GIVEN RIGHT to get agitated against anyone who openly expresses his love for his Indic dharmic religions. Don’t act like this is not happening, people are not stupid to not understand what is happening, there is a reaction against this not only in India but whole world.
So don’t teach tolerance to us. Our spirituality is not based on one ultimate revealation at one point of time, in one geographical location, by only one person and in only one language. It’s like asking who is the author of physics, there is no known author of physics, but many contributors who have enriched physics. Similarly spirituality is a vast pool of consciousness for us which has been enriched by many people worldwide and we can contribute to it further. So a religious theocracy based on strict religious laws is out of question in India and the general public also knows this. We have accommodated others till now and can do so without asking them to convert to our religion without loosing who we are. Only those who want to implement strict and rigid theocratic religious laws are crying because for the first time constitution is being implemented without giving too much priority to personal beliefs if they are conflicting with the human rights. No wonder some fanatics are hurt.
So don’t teach tolerance to us. Our spirituality is not based on one ultimate revealation at one point of time, in one geographical location, by only one person and in only one language. It’s like asking who is the author of physics, there is no known author of physics, but many contributors who have enriched physics. Similarly spirituality is a vast pool of consciousness for us which has been enriched by many people worldwide and we can contribute to it further. So a religious theocracy based on strict religious laws is out of question in India and the general public also knows this. We have accommodated others till now and can do so without asking them to convert to our religion without loosing who we are. Only those who want to implement strict and rigid theocratic religious laws are crying because for the first time constitution is being implemented without giving too much priority to personal beliefs if they are conflicting with the human rights. No wonder some fanatics are hurt.
Sarmad Basraa it’s funny Pakistan is bankrupt in all ways. Pakistan Islamic fanatics don’t even spare ahmedis. Your country nd Islamic fanaticism is the real parasite which is destroying humanity. You don’t even know what is Hindu.
Sarmad Basraa it’s funny Pakistan is bankrupt in all ways. Pakistan Islamic fanatics don’t even spare ahmedis. Your country nd Islamic fanaticism is the real parasite which is destroying humanity. You don’t even know what is Hindu.
This ignorant biased fanatic Muhammed Fayyaz writes ignorant Hindu theocracy in the below comment …this fanatic agenda driven radical doesn’t even know that even are so tolerant and diverse that even at the time partition based on radical ideology driven MUSLIMS to create a Darul E Islam ( country ruled by Islam not Kaafirs as per Islamic texts ) majority Hindus never claimed a Hindu nation and didn’t even come on the road ….This radical Fayyaz wants paints all Hindus intolerant obviously driven by his religious commandments in the book because for him India is war land till it’s created into a Darul E Islam …so stop this manoeuvring as Indians now understand the level of Hypocrisy practiced by so called liberals who are not Liberal but fanatic, intolerant and agenda driven paid HYPOCTITES.
This ignorant biased fanatic Muhammed Fayyaz writes ignorant Hindu theocracy in the below comment …this fanatic agenda driven radical doesn’t even know that even are so tolerant and diverse that even at the time partition based on radical ideology driven MUSLIMS to create a Darul E Islam ( country ruled by Islam not Kaafirs as per Islamic texts ) majority Hindus never claimed a Hindu nation and didn’t even come on the road ….This radical Fayyaz wants paints all Hindus intolerant obviously driven by his religious commandments in the book because for him India is war land till it’s created into a Darul E Islam …so stop this manoeuvring as Indians now understand the level of Hypocrisy practiced by so called liberals who are not Liberal but fanatic, intolerant and agenda driven paid HYPOCTITES.
Rajeev Mishra, the truth is always bitter to taste. Reality remains reality, your calling names shows the highest level of tolerance, congrats!
Rajeev Mishra, the truth is always bitter to taste. Reality remains reality, your calling names shows the highest level of tolerance, congrats!
Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Dara , do you think that you live on another planet, for, no one knows what you are doing? The Hinduism doesn’t allow what you are practicing at the moment.
Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Dara , do you think that you live on another planet, for, no one knows what you are doing? The Hinduism doesn’t allow what you are practicing at the moment.
At last, someone has the guts to speak his mind, a great read.
At last, someone has the guts to speak his mind, a great read.
Muhammad Fayyaz Lets admit that tolerance cannot be learnt from the likes of you. Guess you guys celebrate the Blasphemy law in Pakistan
Muhammad Fayyaz Lets admit that tolerance cannot be learnt from the likes of you. Guess you guys celebrate the Blasphemy law in Pakistan