Syed Sujeel Ahmed | India Tomorrow
BENGALURU—In an undated video that is shared widely on the internet, Disha Ravi was found voicing her concerns over how one who opposes Modi is silenced in the most horrific ways.
She is heard saying, “Everyone who does not support him (Modi), is silenced in the most horrific way. And it is not shown by like the mainstream press, so you need to go to alternative press, and even the alternative press was sued for publishing what they did, so there is next to no freedom of press in India.”
Disha’s apprehensions about Modi government came true when she was arrested on Saturday for supporting January 26 farmer’s protest in Delhi and purportedly editing and sharing a “toolkit” on Twitter that is claimed to be an “anti-national” activity by the Delhi police.
Disha, 22, is a student at Bengaluru’s prestigious Mount Carmel college located at the heart of Bengaluru that has produced personalities like Margret Alva, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Nirupama Rao, Aparna Poppat, Nandita Berry, Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma, to name a few.
Disha can be heard expressing many apprehensions and views in the video that has been probably recorded after the BJP got re-elected at the center in 2019.
Modi convinced a large population that Muslims are mischievous
She further adds in the video that Modi was successful in convincing a large population of India that Muslims have been doing something mischievous.
“The Modi government is a very rightwing party, and I think one thing he did right was he was able to make people understand about his aims and he really convinced the larger population that Muslims are, for some reasons, doing something wrong.”
Mainstream press is rightwing and controlled by Modi
Expressing her views on Indian press and how one needs to reach out to alternative press looking for the truth, she narrates: “The press is really controlled by him (Modi), so lot of the mainstream press is rightwing, so my parents support him (Modi), I don’t.”
India slipping down on human rights, but Modi convinces he is doing good
Disha continues her reply, “So, he usually convinces everyone about what he is doing, is good. There are so many questions about things, about his governance, not just in terms of equal rights, but also for environmental rights as well as human rights. We have been slipping down on the human rights.”
Disha was sharing her views with a lady in a video call when the lady had asked her in European accent, “The Modi government, the BJP party seems like it’s pretty reactionary, I mean Hindu nationalism, concerted attitudes about women’s roles, we don’t even hear that he has a wife, why did Indians select him and re-elect his party?” The veracity of the video has not been verified.
