The Dark Side of Narendra Modi's India

As the Indian Prime Minister arrives in the US, B J Sadiq reveals the 'mine of terror' behind his increasingly anti-Muslim, anti-democratic political agenda

President Biden and Narenda Modi. Photo: The Canadian Press / Alamy

The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, inaugurated his new parliament building on 28 May 2023; a complex of enormous dimensions which stands as a mark of the Hindu imagination. The structure's pietra dura artwork is remarkably neat, and distinct in its execution; the inside walls are wainscoted, heavily timbered with teak wood from Maharashtra, the carpets rolled out are mottled green and suggest extravagant costliness; the corridors are airy and lengthy, running a circuit of almost 3km, and lined with arabesques that pour out the same architectural superiority that one would come across in a Rajasthan palace.

The complex also houses several offices luxuriously furnished, lounge rooms, cafeterias, and libraries; and is defended by a state-of-the-art security system that should peal like a deafening gong at the slightest unrecognised movement. The aerial views are even more impressive; revealing a structure that is half triangular, half oblong, almost like a towering Olympic stadium, with a tuft of shaded and corpulent banyan trees in its bosom and a swell of Delhi’s smog in the ether; its red-burnt sun flaming at the tip of its horizon; its thrush flitting overhead; and its everyday bustle flashing in the background.