Can they earn trust with bullets and bluff?

With the economy stuck in a rut and riots in Delhi that claimed the lives of 47 people, mostly young men, there has been a "sharp breakdown of community trust, and political temperatures are rising", wrote R Jagannathan. Only "One man can single-handedly change this scenario if he commits himself to it: Prime Minister Narendra Modi." Trouble is that citizens are asked to trust the government while it passes increasingly draconian laws to restrict our freedoms. A biometric identity card, known as Aadhaar, was introduced apparently to ensure that subsidies reached intended beneficiaries and were not stolen by officials. However, in a blatant lie, income tax payees must link their Permanent Account Numbers (PAN) with Aadhaar or face a penalty of Rs 10,000, even though we receive no pension, old age care or healthcare for all the taxes that we pay. In an interview, Modi said, "Want industrialists to believe in the India story. They should carry on their business and complete their investment plan without any fear." However, despite a reduction in corporate tax rate Modi asked tax officials to meet their targets. How this was to be accomplished without terrorising taxpayers is not explained. As a result, "Twenty-two top-level tax department officers have opted for voluntary retirement so far this year (2019) and around 34 did so in 2018, according to Bhaskar Bhattacharya, vice president of the Income Tax Gazetted Officers' Association." "The European Commission is considering imposing a five-year moratorium on the use of facial recognition technologies in the European Union (EU). In the United States (US), municipalities have passed, or are considering passing prohibitions, and California is considering a similar legislation. This alarm is justified. India, however, is rushing to adopt public facial recognition without any legal restraint, and discussion," wrote Mishi Choudhary and Prof Eben Moglen. With our money, but without our consent. Recently, there have been protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) all over India, which were met with police firing live ammunition at protesters. In UP, at least 21 protesters were killed and videos show the police unleashing wanton force, "deliberately destroying private vehicles, shops and mercilessly beating all and sundry including onlookers", wrote Manoj Joshi.  While citizens face punishment, criminal brutality by the police goes unpunished. Modi could provide more funds to states to pay for subsidies "provided they promise not to mindlessly offer farm loan waivers," wrote Jagannathan. Severe amnesia. It was Modi who promised farm loan waiver in UP to win election. While this government "asks for the trust of its citizens, it simultaneously makes clear that it does not trust them. And that the onus of proving trustworthiness, is primarily, not on the government, but on the people," wrote an editorial in The Indian Express. A gestapo state breeds fear, not trust. Modi is known as the master of jumla. Will he fool us forever?