Responding to the swearing in of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a third term and his stated promise to lead the country by consensus and uphold the values of the Indian constitution, Aakar Patel, Chair of Amnesty International India’s board, said it must not be another failed promise.
He alleged that over the past 10 years, the government of Narendra Modi has repeatedly trampled on dissent and discriminated against religious minorities. There is also not a single Muslim in his new cabinet, while laws such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was passed during his previous term, effectively sanctioned religious discrimination.
“Over the past decade, however, activists, journalists, civil society organizations and political leaders from opposition parties have all been targeted for criticizing the authorities. It is essential that the new administration respect human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly,” he added.
When Narendra Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister in 2019, he recalled that he said his government would support all people and offer development for all through consensus— ‘sabka ka saath, sabka vikaas’. But, he deplored that this turned out to be a failed promise, which did not lead to an improvement of human rights in the country. Modi’s new pledge of leading by consensus must not turn into yet another failed promise, he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in as prime minister on Sunday. This is his third term as Prime Minister of India. But for the first time, Narendra Modi will be leading a coalition government after his party failed to get a majority in the Lok Sabha elections.
On 7 June 2024, two days before he was sworn in for a third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “a majority may be needed to run a government, but consensus is needed to run the country”.
