Modi's govt is nervous, faces toughest challenge, says Indian analyst

ISLAMABAD: Narendra Modi’s government is growing increasingly nervous as it faces an unprecedented wave of public dissent, marking the toughest political challenge of his tenure, according to a veteran Indian political analyst.

Sanjay Kumar, a prominent New Delhi-based correspondent for Arab News, made the remarks during an interview on Pakistan TV Digital’s show South Speaks with Pakistan.

Kumar observed that recent heavy-handed police tactics reveal an administration struggling to maintain its decade-long grip on the nation's political narrative.

The government's anxiety was laid bare during recent demonstrations in the capital, where security forces resorted to extreme measures to stifle opposition, including shutting down localized internet services and permanently sealing major transit stations to prevent citizens from gathering.

"I have been covering protests in Delhi for the last almost 16 years... but I have never seen this kind of a police action," Kumar said, citing widespread reports of tear gas and pellet guns deployed against unarmed, peaceful crowds.

He argued that the harsh crackdown signals profound insecurity within the ruling party. "They created a fear psychosis, and this fear was a very important and potent weapon of this government," Kumar noted.

Despite the growing public outcry, India's cultural elites remain conspicuously quiet. Addressing the ongoing silence of Bollywood's biggest stars, particularly the renowned "three Khans," Kumar stated the Indian public expects little solidarity from them.

"They have their own business interests... so they have to save those interests," he explained.

"Very few people nurture any kind of hope that the bigwigs of the Bollywood will come for their support."

Looking ahead, Kumar described the current political climate as a definitive "watershed moment" that will permanently alter Indian politics.

For over a decade, criticizing the prime minister publicly carried significant risks, but that barrier of fear has now broken.

"It's no longer easy for him to control the narrative, to manage the narrative, and to set the narrative," Kumar said, emphasizing the administration can no longer avoid public accountability. "This is a big challenge for Modi's political future."

Whether the prime minister can survive this escalating crisis remains uncertain. "He has been a smart political strategist,"

Kumar concluded. "Can he really evolve himself in a new way and offer something new to this country?"