TIME magazine has announced its list of ‘The 100 Most Influential People of 2020’ on Tuesday. The list includes a few Indians – PM Modi, Bilkis dadi, and many more. Kamala Harris, Democratic vice-presidential candidate who is of Indian-American and African-American descent, is also on the list.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name is in the list. His name has been included for the fourth time( 2014, 2015 & 2017) along with several other world leaders including Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping and Jair Bolsonaro among others.
Unfortunately, this time, PM Modi is in the list for negative reasons. The description written for PM Modi in the TIME list is a stinging rebuke of BJP’s Hindutva politics. According to the TIME magazine, Modi’s government has brought the fundamentals of Indian democracy into question.
TIME magazine also mentions that, though most of all the India’s Prime Ministers have come from the religion which is nearly 80% of the population, that is Hindu, but only Modi has governed the country as if no other religion matters.
He was elected by the people of India expecting him to empower the country. Sadly his Hindu-nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party rejected not only superiority but also pluralism, specifically targeting India’s Muslims.
The way he handled the pandemic irresponsibly brought him strong opposition among the people. And the world’s most vibrant democracy fell deeper into shadow.
Another name in the list is of 82-year-old anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protester from Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, Bilkis. She participated in the sit-in protest during Delhi’s biting winter. She was a part of a group of women who came to be known as the Shaheen Bagh dadis or grandmothers.
TIME says that Bilkis gave hope and strength to activists and student leaders who were being thrown behind bars mercilessly. She was standing up for democracy which is being trampled by authority and religious differences.
Her enthusiasm for the protest meant, inspiration to the young generation. She said that she will sit there till blood stops flowing in her veins so the children of this country and the world breathe the air of justice and equality.
The world acknowledges the power of resistance against tyranny hence Bilkis deserves to be recognized.
The CAA was widely criticized globally for openly discriminatory nature. Never in the history of India was religion made the basis for granting citizenship to persecute minorities from neighboring countries.
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