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Fifty shades of saffron

50 11
10.08.2025

Speaking to YouTuber Samdish Bhatia, Indian road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari made an illuminating statement on 15 December 2024. Bear in mind that he is considered a moderate rising star within BJP politics. Despite his close relationship with the RSS leadership, he has cultivated a cordial rapport with various opposition parties. It is said that the RSS would like to see him replace Modi. In this interview, however, he appears to have said the quiet part aloud.

The direct quote is: "I am just telling you in the form of history. In the world, the country where 51% of the population is Muslim, in that country, democracy, socialism, and religious diversity have disappeared." To avoid undue stress, it is revealed here that this is not the entire quote.

But I am sure, after reading these lines, you must be wondering if this is the alternative, why bother replacing Modi at all? After all, this claim looks like a gross generalisation and is inaccurate, too. Good question, a very good question.

To find an answer, you must see what Modi and his lieutenant, Amit Shah, have done to India and the world. Likely, before the Gujarat riots of 2002, most of you did not even know who Modi was. That was his first introduction. However, when he became prime minister, all cases against him and Amit Shah started disappearing one by one.

That is not all. Since then, Indian institutions have been badly bruised. The judiciary has become a joke, the parliament a tightly controlled circus, the media a tragedy, and the election commission Shah's instrument of political engineering. The economy is a vehicle to make Modi's rich cronies richer without any accountability, and........

© The Express Tribune