Indian Elections: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Summary

インドの選挙とナレンドラ・モディ首相に関する批判的な議論が本筋となっているこのビデオスクリプトでは、インドが世界で最も人口が多い国であることや、選挙の規模の大きさ、およびモディ首相がリードするBJP党がインド教民族主義を推進しているという歴史が触れられています。モディ首相は経済発展とインフラ整備の進歩を称賛される一方で、報道の自由や民主主義への脅威、そしてムスリム少数派への暴力と差別に加担しているという問題点も指摘されています。国際社会はモディ首相への批判的な評価が必要であると結び付けています。

Takeaways

• 🗳️ インドは世界最大の人口を持つ国で、選挙は非常に大きな規模を誇ります。1億4千万人以上の人々が投票に参加し、選挙区は山やジャングルを越えて設置されます。
• 🏆 ナレンドラ・モディ首相は第三任期に向けて圧倒的な支持を受けており、選挙結果は彼が勝利するという予想がされています。
• 🌍 モディ首相はインドの国際的な地位を高めるための外交的進出を通じて人気につながっています。
• 💬 モディ首相は選挙期間中に、反ムスリムの発言を行っており、その一部は選挙戦術として批判されています。
• 🛣️ モディ首相はインフラ整備や貧困対策など、経済発展と国民生活の向上に貢献していますが、その評価には疑問もあります。
• 📉 インド経済はモディ首相の下で成長していますが、その成長は不平等に偏り、貧困率も上昇傾向にあると指摘されています。
• 🚫 モディ首相は報道機関や政治的反対勢力を抑制することで、独裁的な傾向を見せています。
• 📺 インドではメディアに対する圧力が高まり、批判的な報道は政府による規制の対象となっています。
• 🤝 モディ首相は政治的反対勢力に対して、逮捕や訴追を通じて影響力を弱めています。
• 🕌 ヒンズー民族主義を推進するモディ首相とBJPは、ムスリム少数派に対する暴力や差別に加担しています。
• 🛂 インドの民主主義はモディ首相の政権下で揺らいでおり、国際社会からの批判も増していますが、国内ではその影響力は強いままです。

Q & A

インドの選挙はなぜ長い期間にわたって行われていますか？

インドは世界最大の人口を持つ国で、1億4千万人以上の人々が投票する必要があるため、選挙の規模は非常に大きく、投票所を設置するだけでも膨大な労力が必要なためです。

ナレンドラ・モディ首相の支持率はどのくらいですか？

ある投票組織によると、モディ首相の支持率は74％で、彼らが追跡する世界指導者の中で最も高い数字です。

モディ首相はなぜ再選に有利な状況にあると見なされていますか？

インドの経済成長、インフラ整備の進展、および貧困率の低下など、モディ首相の指導の下で行われた政策が彼の人気を高めています。

インドの経済成長はどのように評価されていますか？

モディ首相の在任中にインドは世界第5位の経済大国に成長しましたが、成長の数字には問題もあります。政府が公表する成長率は、彼の元経済顧問でさえ不思議と感じるほどの数字となっています。

インドの貧困率の改善はどの程度ですか？

モディ首相は貧困率の低下を主張していますが、政府が貧困を定義する方法を変えたことで、実際の改善の程度は争われています。

インドの報道機関はモディ首相に対する批判をどのように扱っていますか？

インドの報道機関はモディ首相に対する批判を抑制されています。批判的な報道を行ったメディアは、税務調査や銀行詐欺の疑いなど、政治的な圧力を受ける場合があります。

インドの選挙期間中にモディ首相はどの程度のメディア露出を獲得していますか？

選挙期間中、モディ首相はメディアを通じて積極的に自分の政績を宣伝しており、例えば自撮りブースやプロモーションビデオなどを用いて、国民に自分の顔と政績を深く印象づけようとしています。

インドの経済成長と貧困の関係について説明してください。

インドでは経済成長と共に貧困も増加しているという矛盾があります。これは、経済の成長が極めて不平等に分配され、少数の富裕層が大部分の富を独占しているためです。

インドの政治的反対勢力はどのようになっていますか？

インドの政治的反対勢力は弱く、彼らの活動は税務調査や逮捕などによって妨げられています。反対勢力が政党を交代することもあり、これを'洗濯機'効果と呼称されています。

インドのムスリム少数派は現在の政治情勢下でどう影響を受けていますか？

モディ首相とBJPはhindutva、すなわちヒンズー民族主義を支持しており、インドのムスリム少数派はこの影響で暴力や不平等な扱いを受けています。彼らに対する攻撃は増加しており、生活における恐れと不安が広がっています。

インドのメディアや政治的反対勢力が直面している問題を解決するために、国際社会はどのような役割を果たすことができますか？

国際社会は、批判的な視点を通じてインドの状況を監視し、モディ首相に対する無批判的な賞賛を止めることで、インド国内で言論の自由や民主主義の重要性を強調する役割を果たすことができます。

Outlines

00:00

🗳️ インド選挙とモディ首相の支持率

インドは世界最大の人口を持つ国で、選挙は膨大なスケールを超えています。投票は数週間にわたって行われ、1億4千万人以上の人々が参加しています。選挙区の設置には、山岳地帯やジャングルを越える困難な地形を征服する必要があり、時には1人のために70キロの距離を移動することもあります。モディ首相は第3期選挙に向けて圧倒的な支持を受けており、74%の支持率を誇っています。しかしながら、彼の政治には人権侵害や民主主義への挑戦という陰りもあります。

05:01

🛤️ インドのインフラ開発と貧困対策

モディ首相はインフラ整備と貧困対策に力を入れており、水道やトイレの普及、道路や鉄道、空港、港湾の開発に巨額を投資しています。また、貧困対策のためにモディのフード配布計画を通じて60％の人口が支援を受けています。これらの政策により、彼は国民からの支持を得ていますが、経済成長と貧困の増加が同時に起こっている現実もあります。

10:01

📉 インド経済の成長と格差

インドはモディ首相の下で世界第5位の経済大国に成長しましたが、その成長は不平等に偏り、1万人の富裕層が国の80％の富を支配する構造となっています。また、政府の貧困対策の成果は、貧困の定義を変更することで示されたものであり、実際には食糧不足やその他の貧困が増加している可能性があります。

15:02

🗣️ 報道の压制と政治的対立

モディ首相の政権下では、批判的な報道や政治的対立が抑制されています。BBCなどのメディアは税務調査の対象となり、批判的な報道を行った局は政府からの圧力を受ける事態が報告されています。また、政治的対立も弱まり、選挙期間中に野党の銀行口座が凍結されるなど、政権の影響力が及ぶ範囲が広がっています。

20:03

🕌 ヒンズー民族主義とムスリムへの攻撃

モディ首相はヒンズー民族主義を支持しており、ムスリムに対する攻撃が増加しています。彼の政権は、ムスリムを対象とした暴力や不法建築の撤去を通じて、彼らに対する圧力を強めています。また、ヒンズー民族主義のシンボルとしてブルドザーが登場し、政治的集会や選挙勝利の場で使用されています。

🌐 インドの国際的イメージと内政問題

国際社会はモディ首相をインドの進歩を象徴する人物と見なしていますが、国内では彼の政権下で人権侵害や民主主義への挑戦が問題視されています。モディ首相は国際的な支持を獲得していますが、国内では多くの人々が彼の政治に対して恐怖や不安を感じています。

Keywords

💡インド

インドは世界最大の人口を持つ国で、選挙の規模が非常に大きく、投票所を設置するまでの距離が法律で定められています。このキーワードは、インドの民主主義とその規模の大きさを示しており、ビデオのテーマに密接に関連しています。スクリプトでは、インドの選挙プロセスやその国家元首であるナレンドラ・モディの政治状況について触れています。

💡ナレンドラ・モディ

インドの首相で、ビデオの中心的な人物です。モディはインドの政治、経済、社会の多面的な発展に寄与していますが、人権や民主主義に対する懸念も持っています。ビデオでは、彼の政治戦略、経済成長、そして特定の宗教や政治的少数派に対する姿勢について議論されています。

💡選挙

インドの選挙は、世界最大の民主主義の象徴であり、ビデオの重要なテーマの一つです。選挙プロセスは、国全体にわたって行われ、投票所の設置や投票者へのアクセスについても触れられています。ビデオでは、選挙の結果やその意義、そしてモディの選挙戦略について説明されています。

💡報道の自由

報道の自由は、民主主義の基本的な原則の一つであり、ビデオではインドの報道の自由が低下していることを示しています。スクリプトでは、批判的なメディアが政府によって抑制される例や、報道機関の偽新聞の取り締まりなどについて触れられています。

💡ヒンズー・ナショナリズム

ヒンズー・ナショナリズムは、インドの政治思想の一つで、特定の宗教や文化的アイデンティティを国家のアイデンティティに結びつけることを目指しています。ビデオでは、モディと彼の党がヒンズー・ナショナリズムを推進し、インドの多様性に影響を与えていると指摘しています。

💡経済成長

インドの経済成長は、ビデオの重要なトピックで、モディ政権下での経済発展について触れられています。しかし、その成長が不平等に分配されていることも問題視されています。スクリプトでは、経済成長と貧困の増加が同時に起こっていることを示しています。

💡貧困

インドの貧困問題は、ビデオの核心的なテーマの一つで、経済成長と共に貧困率が増加していることを示しています。スクリプトでは、政府が貧困の定義を変えることで数字を操作していると批判しています。

💡報道機関

報道機関は、ビデオ内でインドのメディア環境とその問題について触れられています。スクリプトでは、批判的な報道が政府によって抑制される例や、報道機関の所有権の問題について議論されています。

💡ブルドーザー・ジャスティス

ブルドーザー・ジャスティスは、ビデオ内でインドの政治的暴力や少数派への迫害を象徴する用語として使用されています。スクリプトでは、ブルドーザーが違法建設を破壊する場面や、政治的シンボルとして使用される場面について触れられています。

💡対立顏色

対立顏色は、ビデオ内でジョークや皮肉を通じて使用され、インドの政治状況を風刺するために使われています。スクリプトでは、対立顏色を使って、インドの政治的状況やモディの政策に対する批判的な視点を提供しています。

Highlights

India is undergoing a lengthy election process due to its large population and the logistical challenges of setting up polling stations.

Narendra Modi is heavily favored to win a third term as Prime Minister with a high approval rating of 74%.

Modi's leadership has been associated with India's increased global prominence and positive economic growth.

Despite his popularity, Modi's party, BJP, has a history of promoting Hindu nationalism and rejecting India's pluralistic history.

There has been a noticeable increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric from Modi during the election season.

India's economic gains under Modi have been unequal, with a small percentage of the population controlling a large share of wealth.

Criticism of Modi is often suppressed in India, with media outlets facing consequences for negative coverage.

Political opposition in India faces challenges, including legal actions and financial restrictions.

Modi's government has been accused of stifling political opposition and freedom of the press.

India's ranking in press freedom has dropped significantly since Modi came to power.

The Indian government is pushing for laws that could regulate digital media and establish a fact-checking unit.

Hindu nationalism, or hindutva, has become mainstream in India under Modi's leadership.

Muslims in India have been targeted with hate speech and violence, which has been on the rise.

The term 'bulldozer justice' has emerged in India, symbolizing the destruction of Muslim-owned buildings under the guise of illegal construction.

The international community is encouraged to acknowledge both the positive and negative aspects of Modi's leadership.

The show's host, Bill Maher, challenges Modi's supporters and expresses his lack of fear towards potential repercussions.

Transcripts

we're going to dive straight in to our

main story tonight which concerns India

the last country in the world that wants

to be discussed by someone with this

accent which is why I'll be doing the

rest of tonight's show in a dis instead

everybody love at a Giovani Oliver show

Mama

abuko everybody love that's right that's

that's fair that's probably right I I

didn't love the way that was heading IND

is in the middle of an election right

now and I do mean in the middle because

voting started several weeks ago and

only just ended with results expected on

Tuesday and it's a long process for a

reason India is the largest country in

the world by population with over 1.4

billion people that's the equivalent of

roughly four United States six brazils

nine russas 34 Canadas or 1.4 billion

Kevin it is a lot of people and the

sheer mechanics of setting up an

election that size are rain Blowing by

law every voter must be within 2 km or a

little more than a mile of a polling

station to set them up officials Trek

over rough and mountainous terrain and

across Rivers taking boats Choppers even

horses trekking through mountains deep

in the Himalayas and through lion

infested jungles sometimes a team

travels 70 kilm to set up a booth for

just one person that is incredible and

just imagine if workers dragged a poing

Place through mountains and rivers just

for you and then you forgot to vote oh

was that today I'm sorry it slipped my

mind thanks so much for trekking through

that line infested jungle for me though

I'll definitely try and remember next

time results for India's election will

be announced on June 4th and while we

don't yet know who's going to win we

actually kind of do because it's going

to be Narendra Modi who is

overwhelmingly favored to win a third

term in fact most experts agree the only

real question mark is how much will he

and his party the BJP win by one polling

or organization found he has an approval

rating of 74% more than any world leader

they track and for some Indians part of

Mod's appeal is the sense that under his

leadership the country's been on the

rise enjoying increased prominence on

the world stage from Biden hosting Modi

for a state visit last year to the

Australian prime minister introducing

about a packed arena in Sydney with this

memorable line the last time I saw

someone on the stage here was Bruce

springston and he didn't get the welcome

that Minister Mighty has

got prime minister Mighty is the

boss okay that is some weapons grade ass

kissing there and also a pretty strange

way of transferring titles yeah bro

Springstein didn't get this reaction so

you're the boss now you also got a

bigger reaction than Madonna

luxembourg's HRI guon and lizo by so by

the transited property you're now Queen

of Pop the Grand Duke of Luxenberg and

100% that

yet despite Mod's popularity there

are some major causes for concern if

you're thinking well haven't you talked

about this before you're half right

because we've actually covered Modi

twice before once four years ago and

once for our very first episode which

was based on this photo 200 years ago

and those episodes actually stand up

pretty well in fact I asked my staff to

pick a clip that they feel is

representative and they tell me that

they found the perfect one so go ahead

and roll it Hitler is the only one who

stepped up and got it done I say way to

go Hitler whoa whoa whoa hold on that

needs a lot more context around it

you for choosing that very basically

what we explained in those episodes is

the Modi party the BJP has a long

history of espousing Hindu nationalism

essentially rejecting India's history as

a pluralistic nation and trying to push

it toward becoming an explicitly Hindu

one it's long been affiliated with a

paramilitary group called The RSS whose

early leaders admired Hitler and that

for the record was the context for that

joke it was a pretty good Hitler joke so

good in fact I'm guessing even Hitler

would have said way to go John and

please do not take that image out of

context as well we also talked about how

over the course of Mod's rise he's

chosen to be strategically quiet about

his pseudo authoritarian pro-hindu

vision of India but there's been a

noticeable shift in his rhetoric during

this election season because his

speeches have started to contain overt

anti-muslim statements like this one in

which he claims that if elected his

rival political party will hand over the

country's wealth to

Muslims the earlier government said the

Muslims will have the right over the

resources of the country what does this

mean this means they will gather all the

wealth and give it to the people who

have more children they will distribute

it among the infiltrators do you think

your hard-earned money should be

distributed to the infiltrators do you

accept that that is Modi referring to

India's Muslim citizens as infiltrators

and that's not the only troubling sign

the bjp's produced incent videos like

this one showing a bird labeled Muslim

being planted in a nest and then

consuming all the funding while the

other birds get nothing and look that's

already ugly enough but it's also coming

at a time when Modi and his party have

seemed increasingly comfortable

threatening Democratic institutions by

among other things stifling political

opposition and freedom of the press in

fact on multiple fronts India seems to

be sliding toward authoritarianism so

given that tonight let's check in on

narendro Modi what he's been doing in

office and what he might do next and

let's start with why it seems so likely

that he's going to be reelected some of

his popularity comes from the very real

advances that India's made under his

leadership especially when it comes to

infrastructure he initially campaigned

on issues like expanding access to

sanitation and water facilities and has

invested billions in a nationwide

upgrade of the country's roads Railways

airports and seaports on top of that

there' have been programs to alleviate

poverty for which some citizens do thank

him

personally 60% of the population

benefits from the modi's Food

Distribution scheme which he has pledged

to renew for another five years every

month they give me 5 kilos of rice and

flour if Modi is no longer the head of

the country I don't think we'll get any

help and that scares me to death we want

Modi in power not anyone else yeah you

can see why people might love him for

that especially since the grain

literally arrives in a bag with his face

on it which feels a little egotistical

it'd be like if Lyndon Johnson signed

the Food Stamp Act of 1964 but insisted

that food stamps be rebranded as

lyndon's lucky yum yum vouchers there

still a good program but I don't know

man maybe turn it down a notch and

that's not the only way that Modi has

tried to take credit for progress on his

watch up until this election began some

train stations had Modi selfie booths

where you could take a picture with him

and symbols of his achievements from

India Space Program to a giant tap

representing water connections to a huge

bottle of covid vaccine it was his not

so subtle way of making sure that you

associate his face with all of India's

wins kind of like how Trump makes sure

that his name is on all of his products

and Elon Musk modeled all of his cyber

trucks on his weird penis I'm not I'm

not body shaming I'm just saying his

penis does look like that including the

wheels and that's what he wants you to

think about the next time you see one

slowly rolling into a tree whenever it

rains although I will say sometimes

Mod's tendency to take credit for things

can be a bit of a stress

in this promotional video it's even

suggested that he halted the war in

Ukraine to ensure the safe return of his

citizens Modi brought us home he stopped

the war Dad

wait he stopped the war are you

completely sure about that cuz I feel

like I'd remember if Modi had somehow

hit paws on the war in Ukraine like it's

a Call of Duty game and his mom just

called him for

dinner now a key thing Modi likes to

brag about is his economic record on his

watch India has grown to become the

world's fifth largest economy it's

almost twice as big as it was and its

stock market has grown three-fold since

he took office but those numbers only

tell part of the story here for one

thing the economy was already improving

before Modi took over so he inherited an

upward trajectory and for another the

precise measures of growth that his

government sites have been called into

question with even Mod's former economic

AIDS finding the recent growth rates of

8% announced by the government

mystifying similarly while he claims

he's lifted Millions out of poverty as

this economist points out that comes

with a massive asterisk so what the

government has done is that it's changed

how it is going to Define poverty it's

using one multi-dimensional poverty

measure which is shall we say

problematic and which is designed to

suggest that less and less people up

were we have a very very large number of

poor and all kinds of data are telling

us that not only do we still have a very

large number of income poor but other

kinds of poverty like food poverty May

well be increasing right anyone can get

rid of all poverty if you just change

the definition of poor people to

something else like I don't know fire

hydrants or opposite snakes and if

you're thinking wait so there's been

substantial growth and increasing

poverty at the same time the reason is

actually hold on I I can feel that

you're getting hung up on something

opposite snakes are just arms and legs

no face or tail but basically four legs

with fingers on the end and a butt in

the middle covered with hair now if

you're wondering how growth and poverty

can Co they live in the jungle by the

way that's that's where opposite snakes

live just to get ahead of any habitat

questions okay if you're thinking that

growth and sorry viewers at home

probably can't tell but it's got a

little bit tense in here so quickly I'll

address as many questions as I can how

do opposite snakes eat through a

vertical slit on the underside what are

its known Predators um Badgers monges

any of those gorillas they taught sign

language to bees man and dolphins like

regular snakes opposite snakes come from

eggs but their eggs are violent they

live for 85 years they have tongue tails

the proper collective noun is a

nightmare a nightmare of opposite snakes

is hounding this capibara their meats

inedible their Skin's toxic and their

bones are haunted if you have any other

questions about opposite snakes you can

just go to opposit snakes. comom to

learn more anyway uh what we talking

about oh that's right if you're Wonder

wondering how there's been both

substantial growth and increasing

poverty that is because India's economic

gains have been widely unequal by some

estimates just 1 million people now

control around 80% of India's wealth and

as they've gotten richer much of the

country has gotten poorer even with all

those bags of grain with his face on

them under Modi the country has fallen

in the global hunger index and now sits

below North Korea and waron Sudan and

you would think that all of this would

be fertile ground for critics to exploit

but it's actually hard to do that in

India for one thing it's difficult to

confront him to his face because he

hasn't held a single press conference in

India in the last 10 years and the

interviews that he's granted have been

the exact opposite of

hard-hitting do you carry a purse on you

a wallet to hold your

cash do you have a best friend best

friend forever with whom you share

matters of the heart yeah maybe at this

age how do you bring so much

energy does our prime minister eat

mangoes does he cut it first or eat it

with the stone still in okay most of

those questions are embarrassing

softballs but how do you eat a mango is

a valid thing to ask mangoes are

notoriously hard to peel and eat they're

basically fruit juice grenades covered

in rhino skin and it's it's not just me

who thinks that there are endless Reddit

posts about the subject including how

the hell do you eat a mango how the

do you eat a mango mango Eaters of

Reddit what is your go-to plan of attack

and my personal favorite how does one

eat a mango without making a huge mess

with a spoon with a knife it's like that

fruit was designed by napkin

manufacturers which receive the Pitch

Perfect response you do not you accept

that the mango is a delicious mess and

prepare for it beforehand do not make

the mango prepare for you you may need a

bib and moist towlettes for the process

but this is simply the way it must be

which is excellent because it's true

there is just no way to eat a mango with

dignity a go embrace the sloppy chaos of

the mango but it is not just foring

interviews what criticism there is of

Modi often gets suppressed in India

sometimes in a pretty heavy-handed way

Publications that have done stories

critical of India's leadership like the

BBC recently saw their offices raided on

charges of tax evasion or moneya

laundering one of the country's most

popular news channels that reported

critically on the government and n DTV

had its Founders raided for bank fraud

it's true not only were the founders of

NDTV raided but a few years later a

billionaire with close ties to Modi

bought it and its tone is now much

friendlier to him basically if you

criticize Modi there's a pretty good

chance that things are going to get very

unpleasant for you and given that we're

here in America I'm honestly not too

worried about Mod's goons coming after

me but on the off chance that their

reach does extend this far you know what

try it you want to try and shut

us down for being critical I dare dare

you do you have any idea who I am I'm

Bill Mah and my show has been on

for holy over 20 years and if you

want to take us down take your best shot

I bill Mah would welcome

it it is no wonder that India is

currently ranked 159th out of 180

countries for press Freedom that is 19

places lower than when Modi first came

to power but it's not just National

Media Local Outlets have been targeted

too this network in Kerala was suddenly

Tak off the air by the government in

2020 for reasons explicitly linked to

its content the shutdown was triggered

by the channels reporting on anti-muslim

riots in Delhi in February

2020 according to the notice from the

information Ministry media one's

coverage was biased and critical of the

role of the Delhi police and of a Hindu

nationalist outfit the RSS the ban was

soon reversed the channel back on Earth

but the signal was clear fall in line or

else yeah that's not good because that

Crackdown creates a clear chilling

effect where media Outlets May well be

intimidated out of criticizing modian

that could actually help explain why

hotstar the platform that we were on in

2020 mysteriously chose to block our

episode criticizing Modi and look there

are plenty of reasons to not watch this

show depressing subject matter too much

profanity and the Very fact that the

Frantic pace of my talking voice causes

dogs too and this is a medical term go

nuts also the show seems biased it's too

long I prefer Jimmy Fallon Kim colar

Seth or James Cordon hi Mom by the way

whatever your reason at least it's your

choice not someone else's to not watch

what I'm saying is Meaningful criticism

of Modi is scarce on TV in India in fact

many veteran anchors who were critical

of him have migrated to sites like

YouTube instead but the government May

soon be able to help heavily regulate

digital media too it's pushing a law

which could mean that anyone making

social commentary online would have to

adhere to advertising and program codes

prescribed by the government meanwhile

an amendment is working its way through

the courts which would establish a fact

check unit allowing the government to

identify fake news about itself and

order it to be taken down and I actually

have a lead for that fact check unit

check out the batshit claim that Modi

stopped the war in Ukraine because

there's a weird video going around that

you should probably get taken down and

it's not just the Press who found it

hard to take on Modi the same goes for

his political opposition he's currently

facing off against a coalition called

the Indian national development mental

inclusive Alliance or India for short a

monumentally weak name for a coalition

the first I in India stands for Indian

it' be like if the H in HBO stood for

HBO which it obviously doesn't it stands

for Hank Hank's box office the India

Coalition is led by the congress party

the face of which is Rahul Gandhi and

while his party never stood a realistic

chance of challenging Modi even so it's

campaign has been significantly hampered

by the fact that just weeks before this

year's election began tax agencies moved

to freeze their bank accounts and on the

same day that that was announced the

head of one of India's other opposition

parties was arrested and look those

could be just more lucky complete

coincidences for Modi except for the

fact that over the years multiple

politicians who've opposed the BJP have

found themselves facing charges of fraud

or financial malfeasance only for those

charges to suddenly stall all be dropped

when they switch parties and join the

BJP instead there's even a term for this

the washing machine where supposedly

dirty politicians come out clean once

they switch SES and it is a completely

Open Secret there one opposition

politician who joined the BJP in 2022

let the cat out of the bag when he said

he sleeps easier now that he's a member

of the ruling

party I also had to switch to the BJP

now I'm stress and tension free all is

good no official inquiries no

investigation and I can sleep peacefully

I'm tension

free wow it is so universally understood

everyone in that audience laughed and

laughed so hard honestly I'm a little

bit jealous it kind of makes me wonder

if I should have spent our last show

admitting to political corruption

instead of what what were we talking

about wait corn I did 25 minutes on

corn and people watched it what

exactly is this show but in general and

to put it mildly it seems good to be on

modi's good side and very very bad to be

on his bad side and that brings us back

to his attacks on Muslims as I mentioned

earlier he and his party are adherence

to Hindu nationalism or hindutva it it

used to be a fringe ideology but is now

mainstream and it's been said nobody has

done more to advance this cause than

prime minister Narendra Modi and Muslims

as India's largest religious minority

have borne the brunt of this early this

year Modi famously opened over $200

million Hindu temple showing up

personally to help consecrate it which

might seem benign until you learn that

Temple was built on the former site of

this mosque that was demolished by a

Hindu mob in 1992 in an incident that

set off riots reportedly killing over

2,000 people most of them Muslim so it's

a site of tremendous pain for Indian

Muslims and the symbolism of opening a

temple on that exact spot has been

called the crowning achievement of a

national movement aimed at establishing

Hind H Supremacy in India but the damage

here isn't just symbolic in the climate

that Modi stoked Muslims have been

lynched by Hindu mobs over allegations

of eating beef or smuggling cows an

animal considered holy to Hindus and

then there's been this Muslim own

buildings are literally being bulldozed

in what the government calls a Crackdown

on illegal construction and accus

criminals a brand of bulldozzer Justice

all too common in India that is awful

and it's happening so much now that

bulldozer justice has become a commonly

used term in fact the bulldozer itself

has become a Hindu nationalist symbol

and he been featured during election

victories and in political rallies this

Hardline BJP leader has even earned the

nickname bulldozer Baba and there's now

a whole new genre of Hindu nationalist

pop songs or hpop as it's also known

with bulldozers appearing front and

center including this one which if you

knew nothing else about it would

honestly sound pretty

[Music]

[Music]

good look I hate what she's saying but

the way she's saying it is undeniably

catchy all that bulldozer video really

needed was Bob the Builder shaking his

ass to it I'm sorry did you not know

about Bob there were two dump trucks on

that show and the biggest one was in his

overalls and while Muslims are a

minority in India there are still 200

million of them the equivalent of nearly

2third of the United States and with

anti-muslim hate speech and violence on

the rise it is no wonder many are

feeling increasingly targeted and in

incredibly Grim ways Muslim shopkeeper

shamer Ali feel like he's being pushed

out anything can happen at any point

that is the amount of Hate Now violence

against Muslims is on the

rise a deli police officer was caught on

camera last month kicking a group of

Muslim men praying by the side of the

road the video went viral the officer

suspended another police officer

arrested for killing three Muslims on a

train praising the Prime Minister while

standing over their bodies yeah and it's

worth remembering that is not a bug of

Mod's leadership it is a feature so

given all of this what can we do well

for those of us who don't live in India

nothing really also asking a British

person what should we do about India is

a little bit dangerous as we tend to

have quite a lot of ideas none of which

should be listened to but as an

International Community it seems P time

to stop the uncritical thorning praise

of a man who is to put it mildly a

deeply complicated figure so maybe we

could at least stop comparing him to

Bruce Springstein and when you talk

about what he's done for India at least

acknowledge that while yes he's

responsible for giving bags of grain to

people he's also responsible for some

getting sent bulldozers and it should be

possible to acknowledge the good things

that modi's managed to do for India

while acknowledging that many Indians

live in active fear of what he seems

more than happy to represent and I know

that this episode is almost definitely

not going to end up airing in India and

depending on what they do with the laws

around YouTube I'm not totally sure

what'll happen to it there either so if

this show does get taken down and if you

have friends or family living in India

who would like to see it just encourage

them to visit opposit

snakes. where they'll find tons of

fascinating facts on opposite snakes as

well as a 25-minute video titled

opposite snakes which is in fact this

entire story alternatively you can send

it to how to eat mango.com which

features this video promising tips in

Hindi on Mango eating technique but is

again this entire story instead and if

any of Mod's people take offense at this

let me just repeat I'm not remotely

scared of you in fact I'll meet you and

your stupid bulldozers in front of this

studio right here in Los Angeles or my

name is not Bill Mah which it very much

is