Modi's Myanmar Gamble

A day before yesterday the Indian military commandos, allegedly as said by the Indian government official Rajayavardan Rathod, crossed the border of Myanmar (Burma) to attack and kill some 50+ so-called separatist rebel fighters. This cross-border attack came in the wake of an attack on the Indian military forces in Manipur few days back by these rebel fighters who killed some 20 Jawans of Indian army during that attack. Narendra Modi government's Junior minister for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said the government had taken the bold step to strike at militant camps and he congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for doing so ... He also told ... it was a signal to neighbours that India will not tolerate militant attacks from across its borders. "It is undoubtedly a message to all nations that harbour any intentions - be it the west or the specific country we went into right now. Even if there are groups within countries that harbour terror intentions, we will choose the time and the place of hitting them." These hawkish statements by Modi government ministers has sent alarms specially in Pakistan, and its government ministers and military generals are reacting strongly. After this reaction too, the Indian defense minister, Manohar Parrikar, continues to issue hawkish statements. He said, "those who fear India's new posture have already started reacting". "If the thinking pattern changes, lot of things change. You have seen for the last 2-3 days. A simple action against insurgents has changed the mindset of the full security scenario in the country." 

Parikkar is correct when he said that, full security scenario in the country has changed after these cross-border strikes. The security scenario in this region is now more unstable after these war mongering of Modi and his government ministers. Indians, Pakistanis, other neighboring country citizens and the world at large are slowly drifting towards a greater danger after every such war actions by the Indian, Pakistani and Chinese governments. All the war mongers who are cheering these strikes should not forget the fact, that the India-Pakistan border in Kashmir and this whole region of South-Asia is a very vulnerable geographic region from the point of view of security (e.g., read this very important book War at the Top of the World: The Struggle for Afghanistan, Kashmir and Tibet of war journalist Eric Margolis). Any small policy mistake, and there are always chances of making such mistakes, by these war hawk politicians can turn the whole region into a Nuclear holocaust because not only the Indian government has Nuclear bombs, but more importantly, even Pakistani government and mad military generals also have them too! By resorting to these war actions, Modi and his government is taking India and the whole world closer to this Nuclear Holocaust. One must understand that, war is never an answer of any problem. It can only lead to further problems.

The major issue here is that the Indian state is trying forcibly to keep the whole region together, which historically was never together. These small so-called separatist movements are actually secessionist movements. What these rebels are fighting for is not their own rule over Delhi and India, but for their autonomy. They just want to separate from the Indian state, and there is nothing wrong in it. Two people or regions of people can stay together for long only via voluntary agreement and mutual consent. Just like in a marriage when one spouse is not happy with his/her partner, he/she can take divorce, so similarly when some people don't want to be ruled by the Indian state, they must be allowed to separate peacefully. If they are not allowed peacefully, like what the Indian state is doing, then this bloodbath will be the unfortunate end result, which ultimately is not good for anyone. In these bloody battles of States for supremacy, the whole region will be ruined one day.

On the other side, I also feel that Modi has initiated these foreign wars just to bolster his dwindling support in India and to deflect the attention of public from failures of his domestic policies. Even after one year of coming to power in Delhi, his government is not able to do anything substantial, especially about the failing Indian economy. Modi's dream projects like the Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan or the Make in India campaign are producing no concrete results (as expected); He has also failed in reigning in his ministers from spreading communal hatred in the country. Also, his many, tax payer funded, foreign trips are also not producing anything substantial on the economy or foreign policy front. His party BJP lost horribly against AAP in Delhi elections, and he must be fearing similar rout in the coming elections of Bihar and other states. His BJP party is nothing except his own (false) charisma, which is now fading slowly. His empty rhetorics are getting exposed with the every passing day in the eyes of the Indian voter public. Fearing all these, just like a typical politician, he has decided to divert nation's attention to foreign front via these cross-border military action. This ploy of politicians of deflecting attention outside the country during the time of internal crisis for their rule is very old e.g., Indira Gandhi used it in 1971 to bolster her grip on power, war mongering about Kashmir is the bread and butter issue for the Pakistani politicians, America's Bush Jr. used the Iraq war to bolster his falling local ratings and to win second term etc. Hitler's Nazi party colleague and his right hand man Hermann Göring revealed this age old trick when he said,

“Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don't want war: neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But after all it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or fascist dictorship, or a parliament or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peace makers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”  

Indian citizens are well advised to be careful before they start cheering these war actions. Cheering for a war and fighting an actual war are two totally different things. War is a pure horror, which will ruin this country (if you want to see what horror war is then take a look at these ghastly pictures from Iraq war here (These pictures are real horror so viewers discretion is advised). Modi and his irresponsible ministers are playing with fire when they are inciting hatred not only in India but with other countries too. These rhetorics can win them elections, but, most importantly, it can very well turn India and this whole region into rubble also. Support any kind of war mongering only if you want to destroy this country. It is important to pierce through the war propaganda of Modi and any other government whether that be of Congress or AAP or any other political party, and work for worldwide Peace. Love and Peace can only result into progress. Hatred and war will always ruin humanity.