Times Top 100 List And The Controversies

India and Indians always awaited and cherished the publications top 100 list as it featured Indias favourites. But now this trend seems to be vanishing, and is in great controversies in India between the supporters of the modi regime because of this years features. This years list of times top 100 most influential people features 3 Indians and 3 of Indian origin. The 3 Indians featured are Ayushmann Khurrana (Category : Artists), Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Category : Leaders) and Bilkis Bano (Category: Icons)

This was not the first time that the current prime minister got a space in the list, in fact, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019 are also the years when he made it into the list, but in a denunciating tone, such as in 2019 he was called INDIAS DIVIDER IN CHIEF, and this does not change this year. In his article, writer Karl Vick, a New York based Times correspondent writes “key of democracy is not, in fact, free elections. Those only tell who got most votes. More important is the rights of those who did not vote for the winner” he also went along saying that modi has bought India’s harmony and stability into doubt and has governed as if no one else matter than the majority which are Hindus who are 80% and voted for modi.

He added that modi’s anti nationalist Bhartiya Janta Party has rejected pluralism by targeting Indian muslims and now the worlds most vibrant democracy feels deeper into shadow. For which some of the main stream media in India seems to be upset with the publication and has been denoting it by writing articles online calling Times as anti-Indian and this move of the Times as anti-Indian agenda of the west.

But this does not seems the main cause of controversies, what really caused the buzz is times listing Bilkis Bano in the list of top 100 most influential people of 2020. Bilkis Bano is an 82 year old women living in Shaheen Bagh, New Delhi. She has been the face of the famed Anti-CAA and NRC protest which was held in Shaheen Bagh. The 82 year old popularly known as “DADI” became the face of the nationwide protest sitting there for 101 days also hosting the national flag on the republic day between thousands of eyes at the protest. what made her the centre of attraction at the protest were her fluent and polysyllabic answers to the media.

In an interview with INDIAN EXPRESS Bilkis said “Modiji’s been accusing us that we have been brought here and are getting paid 500 rupees to protest here (Shaheen Bagh), he must know we do not require such money, such money are under our feet. We pray 5 times, fast and keep our honour. We eat and live here by the grace of Allah, we are the one who elected you and we will be the one who will dethrone you. We’ve been uprooted like a tree, but we won’t let thinks happened as it happened in Jamia. We don’t need to pick up sticks and guns we will counter them (government) with words. But Bilkis is not the only one or the oldest, one among the protesters was Asma Khatoon a 90 years old who stood step by step with Bilkis. Asma Khatoon when asked the reason of her protesting, she replies to NDTV “ask modi, I’m like his mother, did his mother kept him in his womb and fed him milk to see such days?

The Indian main stream media has been on Vocal and Public terms on favouring and siding Modi’s superintendence and have been using verbal passive violence for those who opposed the governments policies, in such situation, Shaheen Bagh was their TRP which they fed upon for months disgracing the protesters by calling them anti-nationals, to which the union ministers had joined with slogans such as “Desh ke gaddaron ko — goli maro saloon ko” [shoot the anti-national morons (referring to Shaheen Bagh protesters)] and “button yahan dabana tou current Shaheen Bagh main lagey” [press the (electoral) button here so that Shaheen Bagh gets shock]. In so much drama, a renowned international publication like Times criticising Modi and appreciating an anti modi policy protestor like Bilkis is rubbing salt on the wounds of the people supporting modi and fantasising about India as a Hindu Rashtr which leaves no space for them but to criticise the publication itself.

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