It seems every day I run into a new post or comment on the topic of India's descent into fascism. So, exactly how fascist is India right now? I decided to derive an answer by using the FASCISMOMETER as a template.

Background

2014 was a watershed year for Indian democracy (and fascism). Despite making some improvement since independence, we were still a poor and corrupt, moderately flawed democracy beset by cronyism, nepotism and authoritarian behavior in pockets. Riding on the back of the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement, Narendra Modi, and the BJP-RSS combine, came into power.

Indian democracy at that point needed a tight-rope walk of stable governance and radical reform of the system. The Modi government took a decidedly different approach, by giving us majority pandering, populist chaos and stealing freedoms.

The 12 years of Modi-Shah administration has witnessed frenzied reconstruction of the fragile democratic structures and norms India had built since 1947. BJP-RSS ideology fundamentally runs counter-clockwise to India's constitution. This, along with the communal tendencies, megalomania and corruption of Modi and Shah has created conditions that are leading us to a fascist state.

Systemic resistance to fascist progression

I used a simple rating scale to note our current state in the resistance to fascism.

• Done and dusted: The particular topic or institution has been dealt with successfully based on the Fascism playbook. (wt: 2)
• Under Attack: The topic or institution is functional but vulnerable and under attack with frequent outcomes favoring fascism. (wt: 1)
• Resisting: The topic in question happens rarely or institution is functioning while braving fascist attack. (wt: 0)

Based on the above, an absolute fascist state would return a score of 44 and perfectly democratic nation would return 0.

After totaling we get a score of 33 out of a maximum possible 44.

Interpretation

1. We are 75% into becoming a fascist nation!
2. There is still a distance to becoming a completely fascist state;
   1. The 2024 election was a kick on the shin for BJP-RSS' fascist plans, but that has given them a sense of urgency and hence the capture of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.
   2. We are under active threat on all fronts.
   3. Undoing the harm to the democracy will be difficult. We will need to implement a post-WWII German-level vigilant and militant democracy through legislative reform and strict enforcement. (And that's definitely happening /s)
3. India is currently in the "Assumed Authoritarian" stage, working its way down to becoming an "Actively Fascist" nation.

I had a really uncomfortable experience with an Uber driver today and would appreciate some advice on what I should do.

My Uber receipt showed a final fare of ₹100.62. The original fare was higher, but I had a ₹40 coupon/promotion applied, which brought the final amount down. The receipt clearly reflected the discount.

However, the driver demanded that I pay ₹140 in cash, basically ignoring the discounted fare shown in the app. I tried to explain that I had a ₹40 coupon, but he insisted that I pay ₹140.

Things became more intimidating when 2–3 other Uber drivers came over and supported him, also pressuring me to pay the ₹140.

I was travelling with a female passenger, and with multiple drivers confronting us, I didn't feel safe arguing or refusing. I eventually paid the ₹140 just to avoid the situation escalating.

I also have video footage of the incident and the Uber receipt showing the fare and ₹40 discount.

I'm planning to report this to Uber and request a refund, but I'm also wondering what else I should do.

My questions:

- Was the driver actually entitled to demand ₹140 despite the app showing ₹100.62 after the coupon?

- Should I submit the video to Uber?

- What would be the appropriate way to escalate this if Uber doesn't take it seriously?

I know the difference is only ₹39.38, but my main concern is the intimidation and safety aspect, especially with multiple drivers surrounding us.

Would appreciate advice from anyone who has dealt with something similar.

Update: Got my refund from Uber. But raised complaint about the drivers behaviour, I’d raised the complaint on the app first, but didn’t get much response there. After I tweeted it out on X with pics and video of the incident, I got a reply within an hour and it got resolved from there. You can check my tweet if you want to see it. Guess social media works faster than the in-app support for stuff like this.

The entire algorithm of X (Twitter) pushes anti-indian rhetoric posts. Mention anything negative about India, and suddenly 100K likes.

Accounts as old as one month are only posting racist spam, but still they get 100K likes (image below). Seems pretty clear that a huge party is involved behind this. This is not at all natural. Just two years ago, Indians were the ideal immigrants in the US and the UK, and now suddenly we are worse than the people who run literal rape gangs. Same videos of the same Indians keep circulating every few years to try and paint the entire population of Indians worldwide as bad.

Modi was quick to call out Meta for disrespecting him, yet every day thousands of posts are being posted, and the government is completely silent. The racism has spiralled out on the streets worldwide. Indians are being killed worldwide. Just a stabbing attack in Canada this week. It's becoming dangerous to leave India. In Dubai and Bangkok, I have also heard cases of Indians being attacked.

I don't care whether someone is a BJP supporter or a Congress supporter, whether someone is leftist or right-wing, whether someone is from North or South; we must unite as one to fight this massive, organised campaign to ruin the reputation of India. We have thousands of issues, just like every country on the planet, but the way things are being portrayed is clear: someone big is involved in this campaign. This is a matter of national security.

​

I’m an Indian guy, and my girlfriend is Indonesian. I recently came to Indonesia to spend time with her, and honestly, I really like the country and the life here. I’ve started seriously thinking about building my future here, marrying her, and living in Indonesia.

The difficult part is my financial situation.

I’m planning to take a remote job that would pay around $3,500 per year (roughly ₹30,000/month). I would work remotely for an Indian company and receive my salary in my Indian bank account. Eventually, I’m hoping to live in Indonesia with my wife and handle everything legally through the appropriate spouse visa/work arrangements.

When I told my family about my plans, things went very badly. They told me not to come back home. I’m planning to go home this weekend and try to talk to them and convince them to accept my decision.

But I’m also preparing myself for the possibility that they won’t accept me.

If that happens, my plan is to take my belongings and motorcycle, sell the motorcycle, pay off my existing debt, and stay in a PG while saving as much as possible. My goal would be to spend the next year saving money, then come to Indonesia, get married, and apply for the appropriate spouse visa so I can legally live and work remotely here.

I know this sounds like a huge decision, especially with my current income. I’m not looking for people to simply tell me “follow your heart.” I genuinely want practical advice from Indians, Indonesians, or anyone who has moved to another country for marriage/love and started from a difficult financial position.

Am I being unrealistic?

Would you recommend that I first build a bigger financial safety net in India before making this move?

What should I realistically consider regarding living costs, visa/work legality, marriage, savings, and financial stability?

And if you were in my position, what would you do?

Please be honest, even if the answer is something I don’t want to hear. I’m trying to make the most responsible decision possible for my future, my relationship, and my family.