As someone who has spent a career in policing and security, I can understand the implications of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump during his campaign rally. The incident has also compelled me to think about how polarised and fragile the American polity is at present.
The attempt also brings to light a larger problem — the increasing inability to agree to disagree. Far too often, people are turning to violence, bullying and threats to make their voices heard. Sections of the political class even support this for short-term gains.
For us in India, such antics have been increasing over the last decade, and are often seen in the targeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is linked to his popularity and how he has weakened the decades-old unchecked grip on power by a section of our polity. While Modi was subjected to diatribes even before 2014, the provocations against him intensified once he took over as Prime Minister, freedom of speech being invoked to defend it.
Ironically, much of this has been normalised by a party that tragically lost two of its prime ministers. Instead of taking a lesson from those gruesome chapters of the past, the Congress, especially during elections, makes similar provocations against the Prime Minister. Even people supporting the BJP are ridiculed by the left liberals and sections of the media.
Modi has always been high on the target list of terrorists. As the prime ministerial candidate in 2013, during his rally in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, serial bomb blasts had killed six and injured many more.
Since he took office 10 years ago, the language used by PM Modi’s opponents against him has been provocative. Hate tweets against him have been normalised. Addressing the security breach of the Prime Minister’s cavalcade this June, Rahul Gandhi said that people are no longer scared of him: “His (PM’s) idea of running a government is to frighten people, to make people not speak. Now what has happened is that people are not scared of him”, he said, pointing to a slipper thrown at the PM’s car in Varanasi.
Earlier, in February 2020 as well, Gandhi could be seen to normalise violence against the PM, saying that in another six to eight months, it would be impossible for the PM to step out of his home, for he would be attacked by the youth of the country on the issue of lack of employment opportunities: “Ye jo Narendra Modi bhashan de raha hai, 6 mahine baad yeh ghar se bahar nahi nikal payega. Hindustan ke yuva isko aisa danda marenge, isko samjha denge ki Hindustan ke yuva ko rozgar diye bina yeh desh aage nahi badh sakta”, he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
In January 2022, the Prime Minister’s security cavalcade was stuck for around 20 minutes on a flyover in Punjab’s Ferozepur district. The pre-decided route had been blocked by protesting farmers. The ruling Congress was quick to pin the blame on the SPG, giving a clean chit to the state police. Congress also conveniently labelled the security breach as a “political drama”. The then Punjab CM, Charanjit Singh Channi, went into denial mode saying there was neither any security lapse nor any attempt to attack the PM.
Several comments that could be construed as threats were made against PM Modi during the farmer agitation at the Singhu border near Delhi. However, none of the political parties called them out, and were instead seen to be siding with the protesters, even as they unleashed violence in Delhi on January 26, 2021. Videos were circulated that drew a connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Till date, the Congress has not once condemned the actions of such protesters.
Congress leader Pawan Khera was detained at Delhi airport at the request of Assam Police in 2023. He deboarded the plane and on the tarmac, aggressive slogans were raised against PM Modi.
Elected to the Lok Sabha from Saharanpur on a Congress ticket in 2024, Imran Masood threatened the then BJP’s PM candidate with explicit violence in 2013. He is often seen with the leadership, including Priyanka Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi in 2019 said that after elections that year, there will be an inquiry and the “Chowkidar” will go to jail — a reference to the Rafale deal.
Subodh Kant Sahay, a senior Congress leader, said in June 2022, “I feel he has surpassed Hitler… If Modi follows Hitler’s path, he will die like Hitler, remember this”. During the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Congress leader Ajay Rai used abusive language against PM Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath, and he was accused of sedition.
Given the terrible, polarising rhetoric in the US that preceded the attack on Trump, this may be the opportune time for India’s political class to reflect on its own conduct and speech and its potential consequences. The attempted assassination of Trump is a loud and clear warning of the perils of such a discourse.
The writer is former director general of police who served in Uttar Pradesh
