One of the key elements of the enticing dream Narendra Modi wove before becoming the Prime Minister was “ease of living”. He parrots that phrase every now and then. But how easy life is rendered when the Election Commission of India all of a sudden strikes a poor man’s name from the voter’s list and asks him to prove his citizenship before the Union home ministry that is wallowing in the “detect-delete-deport” mania? That’s nothing but strangling the lovely ease-of-living doll to death.Citizens can’t even level the charge of abetment to murder against the Supreme Court which so patiently oversaw the elaborate disenfranchisement exercise and finally sanctified it. But we can discuss whether the verdict legitimising the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) demonstrated the Supreme Court’s sympathy for the marginalised. Everybody knows the grim reality that the majority of poor Indians do not possess the requisite documents to satisfy the government that has weaponised its ghuspaithiya illusion. The real scenario is much more frightening than it appears. The poor, wandering aimlessly to scratch a living, are left with little energy and resources to arrange for food, medical treatment and school admission for children. They have now been thrown into the cauldron of legal wrangles. They can digest the ignominy of the denial of rights to vote. But how do they handle the fear of losing their citizenship? Being rendered state-less is a destruction of identity. Chief ministers of West Bengal and Bihar have already threatened that every privilege of being a citizen, including the welfare schemes, will be snatched from those whose name is not in the voter’s list. Add to that the possibility of being thrown out of the country. Is that ease of living, Mr Prime Minister? Are these the acchhe din you promised? Millions of people are in the grip of fear. And it’s not just the poor who are grappling with apprehensions, even the elite are facing the music. A powerful, well-entrenched gentleman in Kolkata could not renew his passport because the police refused to give clearance as his name had been struck off the electoral roll. He had voted in previous elections. He tried in vain to convince top police officials. An important trip to the US had to be cancelled. This trouble, imposed on bona-fide citizens of India, is a cruel invention by the Election Commission, achieved under the noble supervision of the Supreme Court. The burden of proof is on the citizen whose ancestors have been cremated on this soil. The software that placed them in the category of “doubtful voter” didn’t give any credible reason for this discrimination. And the Prime Minister doesn’t have a word of sympathy for that cursed citizen.The Supreme Court said that the commission’s word was not final on the citizenship question. But how many have the wherewithal and resolve to restore their pride as a genuine citizen? The commission has already provided a legal basis for discrimination and the state hasn’t offered a just and compassionate solution. Detect, delete and deport… these words scorch people’s souls. The number is in crores. Lawyers and activists describe this as a new low in judicial history. What is more alarming is that the system may be sowing seeds of a bloody revolt with such reckless acts.The Supreme Court has underlined that the EC draws its powers from Article 324 of the Constitution. But that’s legalese. Article 324 can’t be seen in isolation. The EC can’t violate the constitutional spirit by unleashing administrative mayhem by misusing the power drawn from one article. Equality and justice override all other functions of any institution constituted under the democratic framework. Playing with fire For millions of people struggling for drinking water, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s saintly advice – stay hydrated – will be like embers falling on their parched lips. But Modi, who so carefully took toffees for the Italian Prime Minister, cannot hand over water bottles to every thirsty Indian no matter how sensitively he responds to the crisis. The drinking water crisis, after all, was not invented by him. His predecessors will have to share the blame. There is, however, no excuse for the scandalous failure in conducting exams. The knife of NEET paper-leak was still piercing the tender souls of 20 lakh students when the CBSE shocker sprang up to show the rot in the system. Paper-leaks have become routine over the last decade; some estimates put the number between 70-90. The government has been accused of reckless mismanagement and of giving patronage to persons responsible for the mess. If the real culprits in the most dreadful recruitment scam, known as Vyapam in Madhya Pradesh, would have been given exemplary punishment, the education mafia wouldn’t have flourished across the country. The flawed CBSE evaluation system has portrayed India as a banana republic. Students have posted messages on social media, showing bungling of unimaginable proportions. This is nothing but playing with the careers of students, an act that will not only imperil India’s future but erase the younger generation’s faith in the system. The frustration and anger of the youth were manifested through creative responses to the cockroach controversy. Massive protests have been organised in several states but the Prime Minister neither articulated his concern, nor conceded to the demand for sacking Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. While previous governments yielded to public pressures in true democratic spirit, Modi seems to have buried the sacred principle of accountability. Questions asked by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi are legitimate and need credible answers – Why was the CBSE OSM contract handed to COEMPT – a company already mired in controversy under its old name, Globarena? On whose orders was it done? Why were no background checks done? What is the connection between COEMPT’s management and the Modi government? Reports suggest that the Request for Proposals (RFP) was diluted and the technical bar was lowered to accommodate COEMPT. The OSM (On-Screen Marking) system was adopted in haste despite warnings from teachers and experts. The government can’t escape this crisis by demonising those who are asking questions. Public anger will erupt one day if convincing answers aren’t provided. Love for Israel? Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, has said “there is absolutely crazy support for Israel, truly crazy in India even as we have problems with de-legitimisation in much of the world.” Describing his last visit to India as a “love fest”, Netanyahu added, “I think there are more followers from India than anywhere else.” Netanyahu too has presumed that India means Modi and his blind followers. While Indian intelligentsia and majority of citizens are seething with rage over the genocide in Gaza as well as the sinister attack on Iran, the collective indignation of opposition parties was unambiguously articulated by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in articles condemning the Modi government’s attitude on the injustice with Palestinian people. Modi’s visit to Israel just two days before the attack on Iran too triggered unprecedented outrage.The presumption of “love fest” is a fantasy induced by Modi’s brazen misrepresentation of Indian reality. Much like the conscientious people across the world, the majority of Indians too are shaken by Israel’s massacre in Gaza and the mindless bombing in Lebanon. It’s crazy for Netanyahu to believe that India is in love with Israel. Are the Indians happy with Israel for killing 72,000 innocent civilians in Gaza, out of which around 50,000 are women and children? Has the land of Buddha and Gandhi been so brutalised? Has our compassion been totally replaced by mindless bloodlust? No. India will remain a country committed to peace and justice no matter how governments feel and behave. Netanyahu’s mischievous attempt to hide behind India at a time when Israel is being isolated in the global community is doomed to fail. Even in the US, Israel’s closest ally, over 60% of people are now opposed to US President Donald Trump’s nexus with Netanyahu. The disenchantment with the Zionist lobby is complete. While around 29 countries still don’t recognise Israel as a sovereign nation, more than a dozen nations are supporting the move for legal action from the International Court of Justice. Many countries have cut diplomatic ties with Israel over the past few months. Traditional US allies – like France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Britain – too have adopted extremely hostile public posturing against Israel. Netanyahu’s assertion of an “eternal bond of friendship” might have left Modi giggling in approval but India’s soul is bleeding at the sight of carnage in Gaza.Sanjay K. Jha is a political commentator.