Behind Modi & Shah’s folded hands:
Scene One: The Movie Hall of Illusions
The lights dim. The screen flickers. A grand movie begins.
On stage: two powerful characters—one, a master of silence; the other, a master of spectacle.
- One sits in the shadows, quiet, watchful—Amit Shah. A Jain by birth, holding the reins of power for nearly two decades, yet never once stepping forward when his own community bled.
- The other commands the spotlight—Narendra Modi. With thunderous speeches, ritual appearances, and sweet words like “Micchhami Dukkadam”, he dazzles the crowd with applause, while behind the curtain, nothing changes.
The audience claps. The show feels real. But when the lights come on, the truth is brutal: it was all illusion. A betrayal wrapped in performance.
Act One: The Silent Betrayal of Amit Shah
Amit Shah’s story is the most bitter. A Jain himself, he sits at the very top of power. If anyone could protect Jainism’s holiest sites—Shikharji in Jharkhand, Palitana and Girnar in Gujarat—it was him.
Yet what did Jains get? Silence.
- When Shikharji, the Jain Mecca, faced encroachment and tourism schemes, Shah turned away.
- When Palitana temples faced misuse and encroachment, he stayed silent.
- When Girnar’s sanctity was compromised by parallel sects and restrictions on Jain rituals, there was no intervention.
For 20 years, he has been the silent betrayer. Not with words—but with absence.
Act Two: The Illusionist Modi
Narendra Modi plays a different role. He knows optics. He knows how to please ears and win hearts:
- He attends Jain functions with folded hands.
- He praises Lord Mahavira in speeches.
- He tweets “Micchhami Dukkadam” during Paryushan, earning instant claps from Jain followers.
But beyond the stagecraft lies emptiness.
- Did Modi intervene when Shikharji was threatened? No.
- Did he protect Jain temples from encroachment? No.
- Did he push for Jain representation in textbooks, laws, or politics? No.
Modi has given Jains sweet words, not strong action. He is the illusionist—crafting an image of protector while offering nothing.
Act Three: The Audience Realizes the Trick
The film continues. Jains clap in theatres, tweet blessings, share Modi’s greetings with pride. But when their temples fall, when their monks fast unto death, when their protests echo in the streets—the screen remains blank.
This is not leadership. This is betrayal.
- Amit Shah betrayed by silence.
- Modi betrayed by illusion.
Together, they form the cruelest pair: one who does not speak, and one who speaks too much.
Curtain Call: The Hard Truth
If this were a movie, the credits would roll with applause. But this is not cinema—it is reality. And in reality, Jains remain:
- A community of just 30–35 lakhs in a nation of 145 crores.
- Contributing nearly a quarter of India’s GDP and tax revenues.
- Yet treated as invisible, their holiest sites under siege, their rituals diluted, their political voice silenced.
Amit Shah and Modi did not defend Jainism. They used it. One with silence, the other with slogans.
The betrayal is not in what they did—it is in what they chose not to do.
Final Frame: A Question for the Audience
The lights come back on. The illusion fades. The betrayal stands exposed.
If leaders born of our soil and celebrated by our faith can betray us with silence and spectacle, what hope remains for a community that gives so much and asks for so little?
