Thread by @tanejamainhoon

What we are seeing play out with the #Tanishq ad has long been coming. Since the British, many-a-government has tried 'divide and rule' for its votebank, but it is the genius of the current political machinery that creates news cycles to keep us busy hating each other.

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2/ The previous governments did elaborate PR to appease minorities (while not actually caring about them), which pushed the majority towards a severe persecution complex. Our present government has seized the opportunity to capitalise on that by feeding into this irrational fear.

3/ It's the genius of our current political apparatus that keeps us outraging over smaller issues, while there is no one to hold the government accountable on ANYTHING.

Wait, did China say that it doesn't recognise the 'illegal Ladakh UT'? Not sure, but I'm livid about Tanishq.

4/ Through masterful narratives and politicised controversies, we've been divided into two halves, BOTH of which completely, absolutely believe that the other side is intolerant and is out to get them, while our side has the real patriots protecting India's culture and soul.

5/ Such patterns are created and fed to an eager-to-opine social Indian, to anger and alienate us.

In a country of a BILLION people, there'd be extremist views held by some people in every community. But we were made to believe this is the norm.. until it's now become the norm.

6/ So now, each outrage is, by its very nature, become 'selective'.

Why would someone fighting for the rights of minorities - in THAT MOMENT - also fight for the rights of majorities?
Why would someone defending the majority - in THAT MOMENT - agree that minority rights matter?

7/ And each discussion has turned into a competition of trauma: Where my trauma, happening to me/my people, today, does not matter, because a previous government - or a government in another state - did not care about yours earlier.
'But what about' is India's new national sport.

8/ The truth is, most governments don't give a shit about India or its people, or we'd have accountability, transparency, progress, unity.

We voted the last government out because we wanted ‘real change' by 2020. Nothing changed, except that we can't ask for 'change' anymore.

9/ I'm going to be trolled for saying all this because politicians, media, and even algorithms have led many to believe that if anyone is critical of the government, it is 'paid agenda'.

Because government is god, and citizens are secondary. And no one can think for themselves.

10/ And to those boycotting #Tanishq:
You hate Muslims based on the 10 one-sided things you've read about them & about 'Pakistan'/'Saudi' that you ask people to go to. That they are intolerant, oppress minorities, suppress expression.

Ever wonder who you're becoming as Hindus?