Narendra Modi has all the hallmarks of a seasoned demagogue; his irrational discourse, his contempt for truth and reason, his pettiness, his penchant for flaunting power as well as the victim card…every trait disqualifies him as a normal politician.As if there was a need for another vindication, Modi delivered a stinging harangue earlier this week when he was required to reply to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha. The stage was set by the unusual drama in the Lok Sabha, spiced up by an imaginary threat to his life by women parliamentarians from the Congress, and Modi rose to the occasion by ramping up the rancour and negativity. Though none of his speeches offer a healing touch, this non-stop hailstorm of political sleaze will rank as his best performance on the yardsticks of calumny and propaganda.But that’s Modi’s personal accomplishment. Even as the prime minister, he attempted what no prime minister had dared to imagine. Modi tried to sow seeds of discord in the country, going far beyond his usual pattern of exacerbating the Hindu-Muslim divide. He instigated Sikhs against the Congress, describing Rahul Gandhi’s very personal taunt at Ravneet Singh Bittu as an offence against the community. Bittu, Rahul’s dear friend, defected to the BJP and made vicious attacks on the Congress. Rahul called him a “traitor friend” while offering a handshake. Modi distorted the interaction to extract evidence of Congress hatred towards Sikhs, insisting that Rahul used the word “gaddar” only because of Bittu’s religion. Punjab is a sensitive state and has suffered so much because of terrorism; even the history has such gory instances of Indira Gandhi’s assassination because of her decision to send the Army into the Golden temple. Now we have a prime minister who is itching to reopen wounds despite the fact that the Congress has no agenda against the Sikh community.Modi’s irresponsible behaviour knows no bounds. He described Congress protests in Lok Sabha as an insult to Assam because the person sitting in the Speaker’s chair at that moment was an Assamese MP. Modi recalled that Congress had even insulted the great cultural icon Bhupen Hazarika. His obvious intention was to create an impression that the Congress was anti-Assam. Creating such an inflammatory impression on such flimsy grounds is horrendous. Modi did the same for Andhra Pradesh, because another MP officiating for the Speaker in the Lok Sabha at another point of time was from that state. Criminals in the streets disturb social harmony. Now the prime minister is doing this in parliament. He clearly was itching to create social tensions by instigating citizens against a political party that led the freedom struggle and governed the country for decades. Try seeing the larger picture: The RSS goal of changing the national character cannot be achieved without distorting prime-ministerial responsibilities.Self-obsessed As is his wont, Modi kept swinging between self-pity and self-glorification. Being in power for around 25 years hasn’t taught him that self-obsession isn’t any sacred governing principle. He chanted that nauseating slogan – Modi teri kabr khudegi – countless times, apparently telling the nation that his life was in danger. This is not the first time that the threat-to-life drama is being enacted. This serial originated in Gujarat and reached Delhi amidst multiple repeat telecasts. Several eminent personalities have rotten in jail because of the false charge of plotting Modi’s assassination. The most bizarre script was, however, written by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla who accused some women members of planning an unprecedented attack on the Prime Minister right there in the House. The plan was so serious that Birla advised the Prime Minister to stay away from Parliament.This circus, of lies and absurdities, will go on. But the question that must be seriously debated is the value of life in India. If the prime minister sings Modi-teri-kabr-khudegi on the floor of the House countless times, he should have at least made a passing reference to the children who died after drinking contaminated water. Has Modi, screaming about the plot to eliminate him, expressed even a fraction of concern for the bloodbath in Manipur? The rising suicides by distressed farmers and jobless youths do not move Modi? What about the innocent girls who are being frequently raped and murdered in different states? These are actual deaths, not the hoax calls about the threat to Modi’s life. In most cases, the assassins are known and still evading the clutches of law. Who sang the obnoxious Modi-teri-kabr-khudegi tune? Modi said this has become the Congress mantra. Is Rahul Gandhi or Mallikarjun Kharge singing the macabre slogan? No. Has any Congress chief minister, MP or MLA chanted this? No. Then how is it the Congress mantra?If some non-entity screamed this slogan in the street, why is the prime minister according legitimacy to this perversion by repeating it so many times in parliament? Has Modi nothing else to talk about, except this and the loads of trivial nonsense about Nehru and Indira Gandhi? Modi spoke one important sentence in his speech. He said the standard of parliamentary debate must be a little higher. Absolutely right. But he should realise it’s not only the likes of characters like Nishikant Dubey who have lowered the standards of parliamentary discourse. The prime minister indulging in false propaganda, constantly maligning former Prime Ministers and the principal opposition party and crying about his own victimisation is not only low-grade politics, this also dents the nation’s morale.Epstein’s worldAs skeletons are tumbling out of the Epstein files, showing irrefutable links between the heinous sexual predator and the Modi government, the nation expects the prime minister to clear the mist of suspicion. Modi’s silence is adding grist to the rumour mills. He could have at least reassured the nation that there was no involvement of anyone from the ruling establishment with Jeffrey Epstein and nothing that falls in the category of moral turpitude will be tolerated. What’s the problem with this theoretical assertion to remove doubts in the minds of citizens caused by revelations that minister Hardeep Singh Puri and industrialist Anil Ambani were negotiating with the international thug. The name of foreign service officer Y.K. Sinha, who was appointed the Chief Information Commissioner by the Modi government, has also cropped up.Modi’s intervention will bear credibility only if he explains why Anil Ambani, who was very close to him, was lobbying for India’s Prime Minister with a wicked operator already convicted of sexual crimes. He will also have to answer why Hardeep Puri and Y.K. Sinha were dealing with Epstein. Modi’s Israeli connection is mired in controversy – the purported use of Pegasus is one example – and now the details of nexus with Epstein, a known Mossad agent, has naturally triggered speculations. The argument that Epstein was involved in political lobbying and all engagements with him do not suggest complicity with sexual crimes is valid. But in that case, names from key players of Manmohan Singh regime would also have figured in his emails.Rahul Gandhi has said Modi is under pressure and the Epstein files might have played a role in the trade deal with America. This is a serious charge that cannot be brushed under the carpet. In ideal circumstances, a thorough probe, preferably a judicial commission, would have been ordered to look into the extent of Israeli operations in India. That India refused to stand against Israeli genocide in Gaza at international platforms and disallowed protests within the country also showed Modi government in bad light. There have been some resignations following Epstein revelations and many European countries have expressed readiness to order investigations. Only the Indian Government hasn’t shown any inclination to come clean.An emphatic denial from Modi, apart from condemnation of the appalling depravity, will silence those whose fertile minds are imagining Indian angle in the gory details. Can Modi muster the courage to unambiguously condemn the evil that scarred the image of at least two American presidents, many tycoons, bureaucrats and a celebrated philanthropist? Will political and diplomatic considerations restrain Modi from censuring the criminals who stooped so low as to sexually exploit, enslave and even murder children and women? Is a party that habitually throws mud on Nehru, even as India’s first prime minister never indulged in any amoral act, scared of speaking the truth about the worst sexual offenders human civilisation has seen?Sanjay K. Jha is a political commentator.