by Irshad Ahmad Mughal
This was a recent statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a speech delivered to an audience in Gujarat, intended to reinforce his image as a superhuman and undefeatable leader following a recent conflict with Pakistan. He directly addressed Pakistani youth, employing rhetoric filled with hatred, violence, and inflammatory language—hardly appreciated by the international peace-loving community.
Modi loves rhetoric but fails to grasp its impact, particularly on impressionable young Hindus whose hearts are already filled with hatred toward Muslims and Pakistan. The title of Sarment’s play, “I Am Too Great for Myself,” suits his personality, as it depicts characters in bad faith—thrusting us into transcendence only to imprison us within the narrow confines of our factual essence. His words reveal his true nature, which he denies—evident in his interview with Karan Thapar regarding the killings of Muslims in Gujarat.
In his recent speech, delivered after a military setback against Pakistan, “He has become what he was”—or, as another famous quote goes, “Eternity at last changes every man into himself.” These phrases and actions are manifestations of bad faith. As Suzanne says to Figaro: “To prove that I am right would be to recognize that I can be wrong.” This is the inverse of “I am too great for myself,” where transcendence collapses into facticity, providing endless excuses for failures and weaknesses.
Modi’s underlying message to Hindu youth was: “My son, live in peace, focus on your business—otherwise, face the enemy’s bullet.” This thinly veiled threat may not be understood by all, but its intent is clear.
Bad faith only penetrates consciousness when a man is not what he claims to be. If a man is what he is, bad faith becomes impossible. When Modi says, “Face my bullet,” it distorts reality—he holds no gun, nor will he ever. His words present what he is not, revealing a disconnect between speech and action.
His message was directed at Pakistan, intended to intimidate. Thus, his speech was not an independent declaration but the words of a frightened man seeking to frighten his enemy—a slave to fear, trying to escape it through fear itself. This is his dilemma.
To be sincere is to be what one is. Modi wished himself to project “brave not as coward”—but only if that cowardice remained in question, slipping away the moment he tried to define it. Instead, bad faith frames him as courageous when he is not. One enters bad faith as one falls asleep and remains in it as one dreams. Modi seems trapped in this dream. Once realized, escaping bad faith is as difficult as waking oneself—it is a mode of existence, like wakefulness or dreaming.
Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.”
Gide said, “I love, therefore I am.”
Camus said, “I rebel, therefore I am.”
Modi says, “I hate, therefore I am.”
About the Author:
Irshad Ahmad Mughal is the chairman of the Iraj Education & Development Foundation, based in 82B, New Chaburji Park, Lahore.
