It is very tempting to declare that the Western media establishment is really unsettled by the new Indian identity and is working diligently to discredit the success of democracy and the rule of law prevailing in India. Recent court rulings have rattled the West’s partial sense of justice viewed from their narrow visions of justice and fair play. They fear Prime Minister Modi’s India because of the new confidence and assertiveness that Indians have come to carry themselves with over the past six years. No longer are we Nehru’s naive post colonial henchmen , looking to the West for setting the agenda or following their standards to solve our internal squabbles. Neither are we Naipaul’s “ argumentative Indians”, passively arguing a point while fearing retribution. India has matured into a confident country, a leader in the global stage and that confidence permeates through the hearts of  Indians all over the world.

For the Western establishment, this is a very unsettling turn of events and as such, there seems to be a concentrated effort to denigrate, diminish and delegitimize the country’s democratic process, rule of law and prosperity. After all how can a timid, compliant and submissive Indian transform itself into an assertive , aggressive mood! 

Very recently, Bloomberg and Al Jazeera led with headlines about Prime Minister Modi’s upcoming participation and attendance at the “Bhoomi Puja” in Ayodhya on August 5th. The Puja marks the beginning of work on the much desired and long awaited Raam Mandir. Both these media outlets termed the land where the Mandir is being built as a “disputed site”, which is misleading at best if not a total lie. Obviously their local outfits on the ground in India were incompetent enough to not understand the unanimous ruling by India’s Supreme Court (In English by the way)  on this matter.

So while a dispute may have existed in the past, India’s highest court, The Supreme Court, delivered a just and unanimous verdict, ergo: There is NO DISPUTE any more! Not even a dissenting opinion ! I wonder when will other international news media pick up misinformation and start weaving their condescending sermonizing to India from their streaming services and compliant journalists, screaming about injustices suffered by a certain minority community! Indians are, frankly speaking, quite sick and tired of it.

India is the world’s largest democracy and freedoms it offers becomes a free for all happy hunting ground for so many disparaging agencies. The world must not forget that the same freedoms also made India a refuge for Zorastrians, Jews, Christians,  Sufi Muslims, et al throughout history and each of these cultures have influenced and shaped the country in their own way. Mind you none of these faiths seeking refuge and home were asked to “convert “ to Hindu way of life, Rather they were nurtured to continue honoring their faiths in the new home India! Such was the Hindu treatment of our guests! From Mumbai’s Parsi Cafes to the Taj Mahal in Agra, today’s modern India is a reflection of its complex and colorful history. It was the British Policy of divide and conquer that lay the seeds of discord in the hopes of making the people more controllable and it appears that they are now trying once again to do the same.

When George Soros pledges his massive billion dollar financial support to efforts focused on destabilizing the Modi government at the World Economic Forum, Davos , in 2019, where was the outcry from the western media or the mighty attendees of global corporate aficionados, against a private citizen working to destabilize a democratically elected government? Even the Indian attendees and media didn’t raise any objection to this almost a sinister criminal intent of a billionaire acting as a frustrated megalomaniac villain we have seen in James Bond movies! 

It appears the West cannot accept the fact that India is the only counterpoint to China in the larger geopolitical battle and as such, they must wizen up to support it with full might instead of trying to weaken a true democracy in that region!  Coupled with this new confidence that India has embraced in all walks of life, they just don’t know how to handle this truth. To that I implore outlets like the New York Times, Bloomberg, WAPO, BBC and others, STOP SERMONIZING INDIA, do your homework and be consistent , reasonable and aware of the questions you ask. India is not on trial here, and does not need the West to set standards any more. Welcome to the new world! 

DISCLAIMER: The author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this article. The author carries the responsibility for citing and/or licensing of images utilized within the text.