Daily Times

The much-talked-about two-day summit of Group of 20 (G20) nations is about to unroll in the heart of the Indian capital, New Delhi, in the latest attempt of the Modi administration to present its best foot in front of the international community. However, in a manner eerily alike, the city’s sprawling poor population, stray dogs and wild monkeys have been quickly pushed to the fringes. Perhaps, out of sight, out of headlines remained the mantra that encouraged the government to make the megacity sparkle at the expense of those who should have mattered the most: ordinary Indians.

Farmers, workers and the poor languish in the outskirts as a result of evacuation drives, which have displaced nearly 300,000 people. Cleaning the neighbourhoods that foreign leaders and diplomats will visit of anything that can poke holes in the majestic vision, the Indian administration propagates the holy message of One Earth.

In the past, these beautification schemes took hold in the occupied valley of Jammu and Kashmir where similar barricading tactics were employed to divert international attention away from the naked violations of fundamental freedoms. The hastily-constructed brick wall in the state of Gujarat to welcome the then-American President Donald Trump drew ire from all quarters as a measure intended to block the view of the world’s largest slum.

Today, again, with rampant demolition of night shelters, dismantling of roadside shops and clearing away of homeless encampments, Indian authorities are sending the same message: the right to life has become a luxury in the incredible land. A long list of discomforting questions demands the government to explain its priorities on dealing with poverty. In a city, where even remote estimates put the number of homeless at nearly 50,000, how would the administration plan to rehabilitate lost dwellings, lost livelihoods and broken dreams? *