By Afroz Alam Sahil & Afshan Khan
A person’s true character is revealed not through speeches or public appearances, but through the relationship between their intentions and their actions. Grand words are easy to deliver; it is moral intent that is tested in practice. When intentions are compromised, ethical claims collapse under scrutiny.
This principle applies to families as well. When those in positions of authority fail to safeguard the rights and security of their members, the breakdown of the family becomes inevitable.
The same logic applies even more forcefully to the state. The political character of a country is shaped by the intentions its power chooses to protect. When those in authority offer tacit or explicit approval to groups aligned with their ideology to commit violence against others, particularly by targeting their beliefs, identities, or festivals, the nature of that power is laid bare. In such cases, symbolic gestures or displays of goodwill cannot obscure the underlying reality.
On the morning of December 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended Christmas greetings to the people of the country and attended a church service later that day. Images of him seated alongside Christian worshippers, holding a book of carols, carried a strong public message. According to available records, no Indian prime minister since independence, whether Jawaharlal Nehru or Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is known to have visited a cathedral to sing carols on Christmas Day. In that sense, the moment was exceptional and highly symbolic.
In politics, however, the distance between symbolism and lived reality is often decisive. Across different parts of India, Christmas celebrations were disrupted or attacked by groups aligned with the same ideological ecosystem as the ruling leadership. Yet there was no unequivocal condemnation or firm response from the ruling party. Silence, in such contexts, functions as a political signal.
This absence of accountability emboldens those responsible. They operate with the expectation that, at worst, they may face brief detention, secure bail from lower courts, and re-emerge with enhanced social or political standing.
It is here that the relationship between intention and power becomes central. In a democracy, the critical question is not what leaders say from public platforms, but who is protected, who is restrained, and who ultimately receives justice in everyday life.
This story was originally published in beyondheadlines.in. Read the full story here.