Numerical majority may be the lifeline of governments in democracy but that’s not the solitary legitimising factor. Legitimacy lies in the social contract that leaders acquire during their rule; trust that develops through their intent and performance. That trust evaporates if the government violates constitutional morality and its intent is not in tune with the larger public good.Narendra Modi Government is now grappling with an agonising public reappraisal. There is alarm and despondency everywhere; somehow the picture is blackened. Difficult to guess whether the force of circumstances created this crisis or the moment of truth has finally arrived. Believe it or not, the prime minister who so assiduously built the image of a leader who inspires awe doesn’t come to the Lok Sabha fearing an assault by women MPs. The supreme leader is so frightened of getting exposed that the Leader of Opposition is not allowed to speak in parliament. The “master strategist” draws up such a self-defeatist plan of visiting Israel at a time when the intelligentsia, domestic audience, global community and even the opposition in the host country are left wondering about the motive. The “robust nationalist” has chosen to completely ignore the unusual dose of insult from US President Donald Trump. Is Modi prioritizing his personal survival over India’s strategic interest?Modi magic lies dismantled. His escapism now advertises the aches and pains of political decay. While the swagger is gone, Modi is now unwittingly parading his failures before the nation. Hindutva politics that thrived on Muslim hate is now conspiring to frame the Shankaracharya in a false sex crime. Minor protests invite police crackdown. Students are assaulted on university campuses and outside. The employment scenario remains depressing. The so-called “powerful orator”, who addresses the nation on petty issues like GST rate cut, remains silent on the US trade deal that will have grave national consequences. The Artificial Intelligence summit, an event designed to camouflage the grim realities, started with a Galgotian fraud and ended with tyrannical repression.Is there more evidence needed to show that the chips are down? Will a strong leader get horrified by a peaceful protest by some “shirtless” boys? Imagine the depth of the crisis: A trivial incident triggers a witch-hunt against Youth Congress but the entire ruling establishment seals its lips on the ghastly sexual exploitation of children and girls that has shaken the world. Why can’t the prime minister articulate the national sentiment – that whatever happened in the Epstein den is inhuman and anybody linked with the scoundrel will not be tolerated? Is that too much to ask from our prime minister? If yes, the social contract will collapse. Now the RSS-BJP has to decide for how long they will bear Modi’s cross.Modi’s IsraelWhen the memory is scarred by massacre of innocent children by a marauding force and the stench of burnt bodies fill the ambiance, sermons about compassion and morality bear no significance. It seems more farcical if the audience comprises people who ordered the carnage. But while addressing the Israeli Parliament Knesset earlier this week, Modi tried to draw parallels between Indian and Israeli philosophy and traditions. Modi said, “As the Jews teaching reminds us, whoever saves one life, saves the entire world…We are both ancient civilizations. And it is perhaps no surprise that our civilisational traditions also reveal philosophical parallels. In Israel, the principle of Tikkum Olam speaks of healing the world. In India, Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam affirms that the world is one family. They ask societies to act with compassion and moral courage.”Modi chose not to point out that the incumbent Israeli regime led by Benjamin Netanyahu brutally violated the spirit of Tikkum Olam. Modi couldn’t speak the truth because he was violating Indian tradition himself. He violated not only the Indian doctrine of taking a moral position on mindless violence and illegal occupation, he also defied our civilizational ethos by refusing to discuss the bigger crimes while hyping up the aberrations. He conveyed “deepest condolences” to the victims of Hamas terror attack without even mentioning the genocide carried out by Israel. He even referred to the death of some Israeli citizens in the Mumbai terror attack but avoided expressing the mildest concern over the unprecedented slaughter of thousands of people in Gaza that shocked the entire world. For a politician coming from the land of Buddha and Gandhi, this was a disgraceful act that demeaned our so humane civilizational heritage.But this diplomatic treachery was so manifestly unjust that even spurious arguments exposed the irony of both Modi and Netanyahu’s political sham. Modi said Jews lived in India without persecution and discrimination. What does this say about persecution and discrimination against Palestinians in Gaza? Modi referred to holocaust during the Nazi rule as humanity’s darkest chapter. Can Modi visualize how the Gaza massacre and its executioners will be remembered by history? Modi mentioned the Jewish teaching – whoever saves one life, saves the entire world. How will any conscientious person from anywhere in the world interpret the Gaza killings in light of this principle? The question is – what were the leaders, who take pride in Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam and Tikkum Olam doing when hundreds of innocent people were being killed off like animals almost daily? What the world thinks about Netanyahu is not a secret but Modi still pretends that he represents 140 crore people of India. It is, however, absolutely clear that Modi, who doesn’t speak for truth and justice, doesn’t represent the glorious Indian tradition. Mahatma Gandhi had categorically said Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French. Successive Indian governments have confronted injustice anywhere in the world and fought for Palestinian rights through the decades after Independence. While Modi chose to visit Israel when Netanyahu, completely isolated in the global community, is struggling to boost his electoral prospects, India’s rich tradition of opposing authoritarian regimes is manifested best in Jawaharlal Nehru’s stubborn refusal to meet both Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini despite earnest invitations in the 1930s.The Epstein filesWhen terrorists sprayed bullets on innocent persons in Pahalgam, the Modi government went to war with Pakistan. It didn’t close the chapter saying terror attacks happened in the Congress regime as well. Governmental responsibility entails adequate and credible responses, not a slanging match. But the BJP’s deception was exposed when they launched a counter-offensive against the Nehru-Gandhi family in response to Rahul Gandhi’s blunt charge that Modi is compromised. The government and the BJP brought out fake and unsubstantiated stories to tell the nation that Nehru and Indira were also compromised. Questions about links with paedophile and sex-racketeer Jeffrey Epstein and the surrender to American blackmail needed answers, not mud-slinging.The Congress has been punished by the people for whatever wrong they might have done. They are not in power anymore. Their leaders cannot be hanged for the misdeeds and follies of the current dispensation. Accountability is a tiger that chases the rulers. Congress chief spokesperson Pawan Khera presented details to show how Union minister Hardeep Puri and businessman Anil Ambani were negotiating with Epstein between 2014 and 2017 about India’s diplomatic engagements and Modi’s foreign policy. It is clear that Epstein was the fulcrum of Modi’s diplomatic outreach and he even influenced India’s approach towards Israel and America. Khera went so far as to describe Modi as a robot operated by Donald Trump, Netanyahu and Epstein.The Congress leader wasn’t speaking out of his imagination; verified facts released by the US Department of Justice bear out all the details. What’s a crying shame is that neither the Modi government answered any question, nor the mainstream media reported the press conference. While the shameless media always finds some other fish to fry, the government is duty-bound to prove that the prime minister is not compromised. Abuses and excuses won’t help.