There appears to be a coordinated and consistent effort to tarnish India, its democracy, and its institutions. This narrative is driven by a deliberate attempt to create a false image of India.
India is a beacon of hope in the post-pandemic scenario, amid economic slowdowns and conflicts. Currently, the world’s fifth-largest economy, India is set to secure the third spot by 2027. Prime Minister Narendra Modi consistently emphasises that when one-sixth of humanity prospers, the entire world reaps the benefits.
India is one of the favoured destinations for manufacturing, supported by the Make in India initiative, improved ease of doing business, a plethora of reforms, a skilled workforce, political stability, and the world’s desire to reduce reliance on Beijing. India is also sought as a democratic counterbalance to authoritarian China. While the Narendra Modi government has adeptly walked the tightrope of geopolitical complexities, it is a fact that India’s commitment to strategic autonomy is not always well-received by the majority of the Western bloc.
There is no denying that a significant section of the American administration and corporations are interested in having strong bilateral ties with India. At the same time, it is a reality that powerful entities, both in the West and in India’s neighbourhood, actively seek to undermine the Indian growth story.
ADANI-HINDENBURG
In January 2023, the Adani Group faced accusations of stock-price manipulation and accounting fraud by Hindenburg Research. Despite the research group’s practice of profiting through short-selling its target companies, its report was treated as gospel truth, triggering concerns about crony capitalism, the regulatory mechanisms, and the robustness of the Indian banking system. The multinational conglomerate, headed by the world’s second wealthiest individual then, faced condemnation without verification of allegations by Indian agencies. The ensuing crash in Adani group stocks obliterated over four trillion rupees of investors’ wealth in just two days. Concerns about a non-performing asset crisis prompted nervous investors to sell off banking stocks. In August 2023, the George Soros-linked Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) echoed similar allegations. Both the reports were used to criticise the Modi government, with the Congress party persisting with its “Adani Sarkar” mocking and memes.
On 3 January 2024, a year after the scandal, the Supreme Court of India unequivocally stated that an unverified third-party organisation report cannot be deemed evidence of regulatory failure, nor can it cast doubt on the investigation being carried on by a statutory body. The apex court also cautioned against the misuse of public interest litigation based on unsubstantiated reports. Immediately, questions were raised regarding the independence of the Indian judiciary.
In 2023, Switzerland and the United States grappled with banking meltdowns. However, their regulatory bodies, banking systems or governments did not face the same level of negative coverage or scrutiny that was directed at India.
RAHUL GANDHI’S CONVICTION
On 23 March 2023, a Surat Chief Judicial Magistrate convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case, sentencing him to two years of imprisonment for his remark—“Why all thieves have Modi as the common surname?” He was granted bail on the same day. On 21 July, the Supreme Court granted a stay on conviction, restoring Rahul’s membership.
A few things worth remembering: 1) In 2013, the Supreme Court, intending to clean Indian politics, ruled that any MP, MLA or MLC convicted to a minimum of two years’ jail term loses membership of the House with immediate effect. 2) Rahul Gandhi had implicitly endorsed the judgment by thwarting the Congress-led UPA government’s effort to nullify it; 3) Several elected representatives—some from the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party—have been disqualified this way; 4) In India, all political parties, including the Congress, file criminal defamation cases against their critics.
The above facts were ignored, to fuel the “democracy in danger” narrative, portraying the automatic disqualification as the Hindutva government’s attempt to stop its main opponent from contesting the 2024 elections. It was absurd. Rahul Gandhi lost his family fort of Amethi in the last elections, and his party has 250 seats less than that of the BJP. No leader in the Indian Opposition space comes close to matching the popularity of Narendra Modi; even collectively, they fall short of NaMo’s widespread appeal. The 7 December data of the US-based consultancy firm, Morning Consult, shows Modi has an impressive 76% approval rating and continues to be the most popular world leader.
Contrast this with the coverage of actions against former US President Donald Trump—barred by the Colorado Supreme Court and Maine secretary of state from primaries by the unprecedented invoking of the US Constitution’s insurrection clause. Trump is a former POTUS and a highly popular candidate, and yet, the attempts to exclude him are being hailed as pro-democracy. US Senator Marco Rubio posted on X on 20 December 2023: “The U.S. has put sanctions on other countries for doing exactly what the Colorado Supreme Court has done today.”
ASSASSINATION SQUADS AND GENOCIDE
In September 2023, the Canadian PM alleged Indian involvement in the murder of a Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a most wanted Khalistani terrorist in India. This was followed by the indictment of an Indian citizen and allegations of the involvement of an Indian government employee in the foiled assassination plot of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil; another wanted Khalistani terrorist. India was painted as a rogue state that authorises murders on foreign soil. It is a different story that in the domestic context, this is more likely to help Modi as it bolsters his 56-inch image. Also, the US and Canada are exposed as harbouring designated terrorists wanted in the world’s largest democracy.
In December 2020, the body of Karima Baloch was found at the Toronto Waterfront. She was a human rights activist from Balochistan and had been living in Canada after Pakistan charged her with terrorism. Despite her husband and supporters blaming Pakistan’s intelligence agency for her murder, the Canadian government refused to investigate that angle. Similarly, the US agencies that protected Pannun, could not protect Jeffrey Epstein who was in prison and could have exposed powerful Americans who frequented his private island for illegal and immoral activities.
The Early Warning Project (EWP), a joint initiative of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College, ranks countries with high risk of genocide. India is ranked 8th among the countries that are at the highest risk for mass killing. This is an improvement from the number 2 spot in 2021-22. Imagine the world’s largest democracy assessed to have a higher chance of mass killings than Sudan, Somalia, Syria, or Iraq. Interestingly, EWP uses the V-Dem dataset, and V-dem is funded by George Soros.
A Google search of “India is on the brink” brings up scores of articles. In August 2023, a genocide-watch platform posted a report on the 2002 Gujarat riots. Samantha Power, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator, is on its Board of Directors. As part of the Obama administration, she spearheaded the creation of a White House task force called the Atrocities Prevention Board—an interagency body to focus on emerging human rights crises before they escalated to the level of genocide. She was its inaugural chairperson and has always been a big advocate of interventions in other nations over perceived humanitarian concerns.
Then there is the bipartisan United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which has been advising the US administration for four years to designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern.” Thankfully, the Biden Administration has not fallen for it.
CONNECTING DOTS
Individually, these incidents may not raise alarm. However, when one connects the dots, a concerning pattern emerges. There appears to be a coordinated and consistent effort to tarnish India, its democracy, and its institutions. This narrative is not driven by a limited understanding of Indian realities or genuine criticism of the government policies, but rather by a deliberate attempt to create a false image of India. Their constant portrayal of Hindus in a negative light, and Muslims as victims, exert pressure on the existing faultlines. They amplify rabid anti-Modi or anti-BJP views and almost work on a facts-free basis. Allowing this to continue could not only harm India’s global reputation but also attract heightened scrutiny, if not potential sanctions, that may impact the investment climate.
Indian businesses and the diaspora might unintentionally become pawns in geopolitical games, making them vulnerable to boycotts and attacks. It could fuel scepticism about India’s stability, governance, institutions, and commitment to democratic values, and can have far-reaching implications on diplomatic relations, strategic partnerships, foreign investments, trade, and overall public opinion. India requires a proactive approach to present itself free from perceptions and distortions. Is India, or should I say Bharat, ready to seize the narrative?
Semu Bhatt is a strategic adviser and author specialising in governance, geopolitics, and conflict. She has a comprehensive understanding of Narendra Modi’s politics and policies and a consistent track record of accurately predicting his political decisions.