India is the world's largest Democracy. A country of 1.4 billion people with all the major religions of the world. According to the 2011 census, there are 79.80% of Hindus, 14.23% of Muslims, 2.30% of Christians, 1.72% Sikhs, 0.37% Buddhists and 0.66% Jains in India.
In the words of Mark Twain (the father of American Literature)
"India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only."
India got her Independence in 1947 from the Imperial British rule because of the countless Sacrifices given by people like Khudi Ram Bose (who at the age of 16 died for the freedom of India) and Rani Gaidinliu who was arrested at the age of 13.
Indian National Congress was formed in 1885 and was represented by people like my political Idol Gopal Krishna Gokhale (Political Guru of Mahatma Gandhi), Sardar Patel (First Home Minister), Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru (First Prime Minister), Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi (Father of Modern India)
It was because of the Indian National Congress that India got her Independence. It was because of Leaders like Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Gandhi, Ambedkar and many more India is the largest Democracy In the world. It is because of their vision India is Secular, Pluralistic, Cosmopolitan and an example of diversity to the world.
But today after almost 75 years of Independence, the democracy in India is under attack, freedom of the Press and freedom of speech are under attack. Muzzling dissent and journalists is a routine.
And that's just the tip of the Iceberg because the biggest minority in India I.e. the Muslim population is under attack. India is home to more than 200 million Muslims ( to put that into context the entire population of Great Britain is 67 million)
and the entire Credit for this constant hatred, xenophobia and Islamophobia goes to the ruling BJP led by a neo-fascist, authoritarian, despotic, megalomaniac and unscrupulous demagogue Narendra Modi who loves to be silent and hates Press Conferences.
BJP is a political arm of a Right-wing paramilitary group called RSS whose founders were Inspired by Adolf Hitler and hail Nathu Ram Godse (the person who killed Mahatma Gandhi) as their hero.
p.s. - the contribution of RSS to the Indian freedom struggle is as minimum as their love for Indian Muslims.
As a proud Indian Liberal Democrat who believes in a democratic, pluralistic, cosmopolitan, secular and diverse India, I will never stay silent.
My biggest worry is that with leaders like Viktor Orbán in Hungary, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey and Vladimir Putin in Russia and Narendra Modi in India the rise of authoritarianism around Europe and the world is a cataclysmic threat to liberal Democracies.