As soon as the news broke that Bharat is marching fast towards becoming the third largest economy in the world, a massive spurt was observed in how the economy of Bharat is growing, but the benefits of growth are not reaching all. The lobby, which can best be described as the one driven from behind the curtains by ‘economic hit-men’, is using a set of ‘false equivalence’ to unleash their propaganda. Given the situation, every Bharatiya needs to be cautious of this nefarious anti-Bharat design.
Often, those peddling the fake narratives based on ‘false equivalence’ build social media posts aided by audio-visual support and polish the same with the help of Artificial Intelligence trained on un-Indian or A-Bhartiya source material. Obviously, such narratives carry a strong anti-Bharat agenda, but it is glossed over by the linguistic subtleties and unscientific methods hidden behind the jargonised usage of texts. Unfortunately, the young as well as middle-aged Bharatiyas are falling prey to this political, economic, social, and cultural propaganda because they are unable to process the information overload coming their way. If the anti-Bharat designs of powers operating from the shadows are to be defeated. Bharatiyas need to develop an understanding of ‘false equivalence’ and see through it.
One latest example of this ‘false equivalence’ could be seen in the propagandists’ usage of the phrase ‘undeclared Emergency’ during the Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress and its leaders, who often go abroad only to spew venom against Bharatiya culture, know well that 2025 is the 75th year of the Dark Chapter of Emergency in Bharatiya history after 1947. Hence, glossing over that thing and diverting public attention from the undoubted excesses committed on people during the Emergency imposed in 1975, they have floated the bogey of ‘undeclared Emergency’. They are trying to draw a ‘false equivalence’ between the Emergency era, which was declared and during which all the Bharatiya institutions were subverted, and the present-day ‘Modi Era’ when Bharat is taking rapid strides in a variety of fields from development to space to technology.
When someone speaks of Emergency as a political decision, there is a process defined in the Constitution of India. Late Indira Gandhi did that to save her political career, which was jeopardised by a court decision. However, during Narendra Modi’s stint as Prime Minister of India, people enjoyed freedom even to criticise him, and all the Bharatiya institutions, ranging from the judiciary to the military, are being recognised internationally for their meritorious functioning. But, to hide its own dark political history and to belittle PM Modi’s achievements, Congress and its ‘ecosystem have been drawing a false equivalence.
One more example is the narrative of Left parties and their so-called outsider-funded Liberal masked men that there is jobless growth in Bharat. May it be Congress leaders like Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Harshwardhan Sapkal or others, they often accuse the BJP-led Governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre of not producing ‘enough’ number of jobs for youths. However, the same Sapkal, while addressing a rally in the newly industrialising Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra recently, voiced his strong opposition to industrial development in what was once a Maoist-affected and industrially backward area. In the name of industrialisation, people will be deprived of their land, he alleged. Unfortunately, none of the media persons present there questioned him, “If industries are opposed, how can the new jobs be generated?” One remembers a similar stand adopted by the Leftist trade unions against the industries in South India. There was a time when industries were afraid of operating in India due to aggressive trade unions led by selfish leaders, political instability, policy paralysis, and unease of doing business. Industries were subjected to extortion too, which made their ventures non-profitable in the long run. Only a few, like Late Ratan Tata, had the courage to shelve his plans for setting up a Nano car plant in West Bengal following political unrest and shifted it to business-friendly Gujarat.
Over the past few years, thankfully, the Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reduced problems for industries. With initiatives like ‘Make in India’, ‘Invest in India’, and ease of doing business, several industries are being set up across Bharat. Road infrastructure is witnessing growth. The wheels of the economy are moving at a fast pace, and Bharat is projected to become the third-largest global economy. However, here again, ‘false equivalence’ users are using phrases like ‘jobless growth’ and ‘environment destruction’ to peddle their economic hit-job against Bharat. No growth can be jobless, is a well-acknowledged fact. Some old jobs may pave the way for new skills-based jobs, but growth cannot be jobless. Besides, gone are the days when there was no environmental accountability. Today, any industry has to provide evidence for compensatory afforestation. During the Congress Raj, only paper compliance was there. Today, compliance has to be backed by evidence and photographs. But, to hide their own failure and to malign the image of the Modi Government, the Leftists and economic hit-men are using ‘false equivalence’ to scuttle the growth of Bharat.
Another example of education could be cited to expose these nefarious elements. After the 1970s, the Leftists started rewriting history and rewiring young impressionable minds through curricular content that rooted an inferiority complex about everything Bharatiya. However, when under the leadership of an eminent scholar like Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, the history books were being corrected in the era when Late Atal Behari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, the same Leftists launched a tirade of ‘saffronisation of education’. They have still continued with the charge. Thankfully, scholars like Neeraj Atri have exposed them. The latest movie, ‘His Story of Itihaas, ’ sheds good light on Atri’s fight in this regard. But, in all these decades, the anti-Bharat block used ‘false equivalence’ to plant the seeds of Bharat hate among the Bharatiya people. Those who did not get influenced could see through the design, but many were not able to do so and the result is visible today.
One can go on and on, citing more examples. But the moot point is that the ‘false equivalence’ needs to be rejected through proper study of Bharatiya culture, literature, and history and through a better understanding of Bharatiya politics and economic model. For this to happen, over-reliance on social media needs to be curtailed. For it is there that minds get engaged but do not get time to process whatever is being dished out to them. Unknowingly, many end up becoming mules carrying the anti-Bharat perspectives in their respective domains of functioning. What they call their own understanding is actually a borrowed version of understanding billowing out of the house, that is, Bharatiyata, on fire. The time has come to expose those peddling fake narratives and to make more and more people aware of not falling prey to ‘false equivalence’. Because, false equivalence not only kills the ability of individuals to think but also aids the economic hit-men who are working tirelessly to stop Bharat’s rally to the global stage.
Each aware Bharatiya must take a breath to think before forwarding social media messages laced with subtle anti-Bharat agenda. Each Bharatiya must think about whether equivalence in any article, book, movie, web series, documentary, or social media post is right or ‘false’. Because, when one is going to the global market, one must know how to distinguish apples from oranges.
