The March-April Lok Sabha elections in India are of keen interest to all countries, with the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) seemingly likely to return to power for a third consecutive term.
India's main opposition - the Congress Party-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) - has so far been unable to reach a consensus regarding seat sharing, prompting most of its members to announce that they will go solo.
Meanwhile, attempts are being made by various sections of the Western media to influence Indian voters through their biased and propaganda write-ups in which they criticize the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for promoting “hubristic Hindu chauvinism” in the country.
In a recent article, British weekly newspaper The Economist targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the grand consecration ceremony at the Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The article claimed that “if Mr. Modi in his third term were to lurch further towards Hindutva and autocratic rule, the economic calculus would change."
While talking to Sputnik India, BJP’s national spokesman Jaiveer Shergill said that such an agenda is the product of a “cozy club of propagandists funded by those who want to disturb internal peace of India."
Shergill was recently in Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference. During the conference, he spoke at length about the strength of democracy in India. He clearly laid out the fact that the West said in 1947 that “democracy is not suited for India” but now it is saying that “India is the biggest expression of free political will in world."
Talking about the influence of the barrage of criticism by Western media, the BJP spokesperson said that reports about a crackdown on minorities or tension in Kashmir are a product of a propaganda factory.
“India is giving a befitting reply to all of them by coexisting in a peaceful environment, re-electing Prime Minister Modi twice and again for the third time, by contributing to the country’s growth and making it the fifth largest economy,” Shergill stated.
He further said that the unanimous adoption of the Delhi declaration by the G20 shows that India can generate consensus among a diverse group of countries.
“The BJP-led government has lifted millions of Indians out of poverty. There has been significant progress in infrastructure. India has the third-largest start-up industry and a lot of start-ups are becoming billionaires and unicorns,” he said highlighting the government’s achievement under Modi’s leadership.
The BJP spokesman said that Indian voters will not be influenced by the propaganda club.
Shergill also said that India's foreign policy rests on the fulcrum of strategic autonomy and non-alignment.
“India neither has a track record nor a policy of taking sides. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is a Vishwa Mitra (a friend for all) and also it acts as a bridge between two adversaries. As for India's ambition and vision under PM Modi is very clear that is to be the fastest growing economy, to be a friend in need, and also maintain equitable ties with all nations in the world,” he stated.
He, however, stressed that India is strongly against any form of acts of terrorism and violence. Modi has been very vocal that this is the era of peace and progress and not an era of pointing guns at each other.