“Facts do not cease to exist simply because they are ignored.” – Aldous Huxley
India today stands at a crossroads in its democratic journey – a point where reality has been replaced by emotion, logic by rhetoric, and science by mythology. This is no coincidence. It is a carefully orchestrated strategy, at the centre of which stands Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a man masterful at winning public sentiment to his side – even at the cost of truth.
This article is not against any individual. It is a warning against the political culture that is taking root in India today – one where lies are manufactured, science is subordinated, and nationalism has become synonymous with fear.
Propaganda
The Modi government’s greatest strength has been its systematic and aggressive propaganda machinery. Through social media, television, radio, and even cinema, an image has been carefully crafted – one where the leader is presented as a “patriot,” a “man of development,” and a “people’s hero.” Government schemes have been marketed like brands, whether it is the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or the Ujjwala Yojana. The propaganda is so powerful that ground-level realities are often buried beneath it.
The Government’s Monopoly Over the National Narrative
Under the Modi government, communication in India has become highly centralised. From mainstream media to social media, a single narrative is repeated endlessly – “everything is fine.”
Facts have been replaced by visual spectacle and camera angles. TV channels have become government mouthpieces, and journalists who ask difficult questions are branded anti-national. Dissenting voices face raids by the ED and IT department, or coordinated attacks by troll armies.
This has become a style of governance driven not by transparency, but by theatrical display.
Follow TJP Whatsapp ChannelPropaganda does not merely mean spreading lies – it is the process of controlling how the public thinks and perceives the world. In the Modi era, this has reached its peak.
Key propaganda tactics and examples:
Every government achievement is linked to national greatness. Schemes like Ujjwala Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana have had crores spent on their promotion, while ground-level shortcomings are conveniently ignored. Even partially successful schemes are presented as delivering 100% results – because image has become more powerful than reality. Before the 2019 general elections, the “Main Bhi Chowkidar” campaign completely dominated social media, overwhelming any space for critical discourse.
Demagoguery
Demagoguery – gaining popularity by inflaming public emotions – is one of the key political weapons of the Modi government. Speeches repeatedly invoke emotional issues: nationalism, religious identity, and labelling opponents as anti-national. This diverts public attention away from burning issues like unemployment, inflation, and education, keeping people entangled in emotional controversies instead.
Demagogue Politics: Bind People with Emotion, Not Logic
A demagogue is a leader who uses the public’s fears, anger, and religious sentiments to gain power – and then continuously fans those flames to remain in power.
Demagogic elements in Modi’s politics:
The definition of “anti-national” has been stretched to include journalists, students, and social activists. Phrases like “Tukde Tukde Gang” and “Urban Naxal” have been coined specifically to sow fear and hatred in the public mind. Even local-level elections are projected as though the entire future of the nation hangs in the balance.
In this process, real issues disappear – unemployment, education, healthcare. These slogans and imaginary enemies hollow out democracy from within.
Emotion Versus Logic
A demagogue governs through emotion, not reason – and Modi excels at this. His rallies are not debates; they are emotional battlegrounds built around “us versus them” – patriots versus traitors, Hindus versus everyone else.
Demonetisation failed on its stated objectives, but propaganda turned it into an act of patriotism. The CAA-NRC protests were dismissed as being against the national interest. The art of converting failures into victorious proclamations has been perfected here.
Post-Truth
In a post-truth era, emotions matter more than facts. This has been starkly visible under the Modi government. Statistical manipulation, selective or distorted information, and mass confusion spread through WhatsApp have become routine. On issues like demonetisation, GST, and the COVID-19 pandemic, ground realities were suppressed and only carefully crafted narratives were allowed to dominate.
Post-Truth Politics: A Lie Travels Faster Than the Truth
India today is living in a post-truth era – where emotions override facts and belief matters more than evidence.
Unemployment is at record highs, yet social media proclaims that “India is becoming a tech leader.” Inflation is rising, but the government says it is “a symbol of self-reliance.” Constitutional institutions are weakening, but people are told that “the country is transforming.”
This is the politics where a lie, repeated a hundred times, begins to sound like the truth – and questioning it becomes an act of sedition.
Post-truth examples:
Demonetisation was declared a “war against black money,” yet the RBI’s own report revealed that more than 99% of the currency was returned to the banking system. Despite unemployment reaching historic highs, the government continued to claim that “employment opportunities are growing.” During the second wave of COVID-19 in 2021, actual death figures were suppressed and the official position remained “everything is under control.”
Pseudo-Science
In place of science and rational thinking, superstition and false scientific claims have been promoted – by government supporters and sometimes by leaders themselves. The Prime Minister’s claims about “plastic surgery in ancient India,” suggestions that cow urine could protect against the coronavirus – the list of pseudo-scientific statements is long. This tendency damages scientific thinking and gives social legitimacy to superstition.
Pseudo-Science: The Decline of Scientific Consciousness
Perhaps the most dangerous trend of all is the promotion of pseudo-science under government patronage.
Ministers have claimed that ancient India had aeroplanes and plastic surgery. The Prime Minister himself stated that “the grafting of Lord Ganesha’s head is proof of plastic surgery in ancient India.” The Chief Minister of Tripura claimed that the internet and satellites existed in the era of the Mahabharata. Several BJP leaders have promoted cow urine as a cure for coronavirus, and claimed that yoga and havan rituals could drive away the virus.
When scientific thinking is replaced by mythological beliefs, it is not just an attack on the education system – it is a direct assault on the thinking of future generations.
Some remarkable pseudo-scientific claims:
“Ganesha’s trunk is proof of plastic surgery.” “The Pushpak Vimana flew during the Ramayana era.” “Cow’s milk produces gold.”
These statements might sound laughable – but when they are made inside Parliament or on government platforms, they are an insult to India’s scientific consciousness. This is not merely a distortion of history. It is a direct attack on rational thought, and a betrayal of the future of generations to come.
The Cost of Governing by Falsehood
The price of this manufactured reality is deep and far-reaching. We are steadily losing our judgment, our freedom, our capacity to think – and most critically, our relationship with truth.
India is paying a heavy price for this false ecosystem. Polarisation has now become government policy. Facts are no longer valued. Science is met with suspicion rather than trust. The Constitution has been reduced to a ceremonial document, brought out only for formal occasions.
Citizens are no longer expected to ask questions – they are expected to applaud.
It is therefore essential that we pierce through this artificial curtain, see the truth hiding behind it, ask questions, reason carefully, and fulfil our responsibilities as aware citizens, as a sensitive society, and as vigilant individuals.
Because if we grow accustomed to hiding the truth – then when the lies themselves eventually die, we will not even notice.
The Need to Restore Reason
The time has come to once again embrace facts, scientific thinking, and the democratic right to dissent.
This article is not anti-Modi – it is pro-democracy.
Demagogues thrive on silence – so speak up. Propaganda runs on blind faith – so ask questions. Pseudo-science spreads through ignorance – so seek the truth.
A government resting on these four pillars – Propaganda, Demagoguery, Post-Truth, and Pseudo-Science – fundamentally distorts the true nature of democracy. Where propaganda conceals truth, demagoguery trades in emotions, post-truth blurs reality, and pseudo-science suppresses rational thought. It is the duty of every aware citizen to understand these layers and never stop asking questions – because in a democracy, the right to question is the ultimate test of power.
