Narendra Modi at 75 Breaking Rules Breaking India

Modi Breaking India Why Change Is Needed

Narendra Modi just turned 75, and Indian media is busy projecting him as the country’s “indispensable leader.” Slick campaigns, orchestrated tributes, and endless soundbites all push the idea that India needs Modi. But peel back the celebration, and the world finds a story not of a savior, but of someone who has systematically bent rules, hollowed institutions, and turned democracy into a stage for his own power.

Modi From Gujarat to Delhi

Modi’s rise cannot be understood without going back to 2002. As Gujarat’s Chief Minister, he presided over the communal violence that left over 2,000 people, mostly Muslims dead. So, the horror earned him the title “Butcher of Gujarat.” As a result, he was prohibited from entering the US, UK, and Europe for many years.
Instead of ending a career, this fueled it. The violence cemented him as the face of Hindutva politics, a leader who showed the RSS and BJP that majoritarian aggression could deliver votes. That served as the launching pad for his eventual journey to Delhi.

Modi Rules for Everyone Else

The RSS has always had this rule that leaders retire at 75. Veterans like Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were affected by this. But when it comes to Modi, that tradition simply evaporates. Age is not the only factor here. It is about the collapse of discipline inside the BJP, where even the RSS bows before a single personality. Institutions are irrelevant. Rules are irrelevant as well. What matters is the cult.

One can see a pattern in his record. Rule-breaking, power concentration, targeting minorities, and stifling dissent are all examples of this pattern. From Gujarat to Delhi, this has been the thread.

In addition, Muslims are lynched under the pretext of protecting cows. Christian schools and churches are attacked. In addition, Dalits are brutalized without consequence. In a similar vein, the NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act are using faith as a yardstick for citizenship. Bulldozers are rolling into Muslim neighborhoods without trials or due process. India’s pluralism is the only thing that made this place extraordinary. Thus, it is being dismantled brick by brick.

Kashmir tells the story in stark terms. Article 370 was revoked overnight. Resultantly, autonomy was gone. Troops spread everywhere. Politicians, journalists and activists were locked up without trial.

Internet shutdowns crippled schools and livelihoods. It is not democracy there anymore, but it feels like occupation.

Opposition and Media Under Siege

Modi’s government has weaponized institutions against opponents. The Enforcement Directorate, CBI, and UAPA to name a few, they all used to jail rivals or keep them tied up in court. Moreover, journalists get raided, branded anti-national, or hounded into silence.

It is not just opinion anymore. Global watchdogs back it up. Similarly, Freedom House says India is “partly free.” The Press Freedom Index has put it near the bottom. Hence, the country that prided itself on a noisy democracy is sliding into something closer to an electoral autocracy.

Playing Politics with Soldiers

Even the military is not spared. The Balakot strikes were milked for votes. Besides, the Soldiers’ sacrifices were used as campaign props. Meanwhile, modernization stalls. Old MiG-21 jets still crash, Rafales sit underutilized, and big reforms are stuck. Similarly, Nationalism gets used for applause, while actual defense readiness suffers.

The situation is not much better from an economic standpoint. The unemployment rate reached a 45-year high. In addition, suicides have not decreased, and farmers are drowning in debt. Small businesses were destroyed by demonetization and GST. India thus fell in the rankings of hunger and human development.
A few corporate behemoths, most notably Adani and Ambani, have prospered like never before at the same time. As a result, there is now a canyon-wide divide between India’s billionaires and the impoverished. Where is the promise of the $5 trillion economy, then? It remains merely a speech line.

Losing Friends Abroad

Diplomatically, India’s image is dented. Allegations of Indian links to assassination plots have soured ties with Canada, the US, and the UK. Similarly, closer to home, neighbors like Nepal and Bangladesh are not as warm as they once were. The V-Dem Institute calls India an “electoral autocracy.” From leader of the Global South to suspect on the world stage that is where India is standing today.Laws like UAPA and PSA are thrown at activists and students. Bulldozers act as judges.

Furthermore, parliament is reduced to a rubber stamp with opposition MPs suspended en masse. The judiciary increasingly bends instead of standing firm. Hence, it feels less like rule of law, more like rule of fear.

Modi at 75

So where does this leave us? In one way, Modi’s career path which begins with the Gujarati butcher and ends with the prime minister has been constant. This consistency manifests as the consolidation of power at the expense of India’s democratic essence. He demonstrates that nothing, not even the law, not even tradition, and not even the Constitution can stop him by even disobeying the RSS’s retirement rule.

India has a difficult decision to make today. If it continues in this direction, a Hindu majoritarian state will replace secular democracy. Furthermore, centralized control will weaken federalism. Under crony capitalism, inequality will continue to grow. In a similar vein, authoritarian control will reduce freedom.
Modi is not the guardian of India’s future. At 75, he is the gravest threat to it. India does not require more Modi if it is to continue as a plural, democratic, and constitutional republic. A constructive change is required.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are exclusively those of the author and do not reflect the official stance, policies, or perspectives of the Platform.