CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 61: SILENT WHISPERS

Delhi – Prime Minister’s Office, South Block – 5th November 1948

The crowd at Ramlila Maidan had long dispersed, but the echoes of the BJD’s debut still rang in Arjun Mehra’s mind. The spectacle had been perfect and powerful. But still, they were just the surface. What mattered now was understanding what lay beneath.

He leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming against the mahogany desk. The real test wasn’t in the cheering crowds or the newspaper headlines.

It was in the quiet conversations happening in public gatherings, in the bustling bazaars, temple and gurudwaras after prayers, in the hushed discussions in Muslim and Christian communities, and other similar places where people spoke their true thoughts.

Outside his window, the November evening was painting Delhi in shades of amber and gold. The city looked peaceful and prosperous. But Arjun knew better than to trust appearances. He had learned long ago that real power lay not in what people said publicly, but in what they whispered privately.

"Mohan, inform Patel-ji and Director Sharma to visit my office." he told his secretary.

Twenty minutes later, Sardar Patel settled into the familiar leather chair across from Arjun’s desk, while Director Sharma of the Intelligence Bureau stood with a thick folder in his hands. The room felt heavy with unspoken questions.

Arjun studied both men for a moment. Patel looked tired—the weight of recent decisions etched into the lines around his eyes. Sharma, ever the professional, maintained his composed demeanor, but Arjun could sense the tension beneath the surface.

"Director," Arjun began, his voice cutting through the silence. "BJD has shown its face to the nation. And while they were welcomed by the huge crowd that day, I need to know what the nation really thinks. Not the public cheers, but the private whispers.

Especially among minorities. I assume IB should have eyes and ears within these communities by now."

Sharma opened his folder, scanning the pages briefly. "Yes, Prime Minister, the reaction has been... mixed. On the surface, there’s genuine curiosity. In general populous, many people see the BJD’s focus on national pride as refreshing.

They’re tired of the old political games. They want something that feels authentically Indian."

He paused, glancing at Patel before continuing. "But among minority communities, the mood is a bit different. There’s confusion, slight fear, and in some places, what I can only describe as quiet panic. Of course, not everyone, but yes, a sizable number of them."

Patel leaned forward, his weathered hands gripping the armrests. "Panic? That seems strong."

"Not without reason, Sardar-ji," Sharma replied, his voice taking on the careful tone of a man delivering bad news.

"Think about it from their perspective. They expected this new political party to be liberals. They thought any opposition would be fiercely secular, defending minority rights against a more central to right policies.

Instead, they see the BJD championing Dharmic cultural identity, our native one. And the Congress party they once knew seems to have transformed into something focused purely on development, not minority advocacy."

Arjun watched Sharma’s face carefully, noting the subtle signs of unease. "Continue."

"It’s left them politically homeless, Prime Minister. Their traditional allies have changed, and the new opposition represents everything they’ve been deliberately taught to fear and oppose. They don’t know where to turn."

The director’s voice dropped lower. "But the confusion is just part of it. What really frightens them is the silence. They remember the organizations that used to speak for Muslims, the Muslim League, the Khaksar Movement, Majlis-e-Ahrar. They’ve all simply... vanished.

No explanations, no trials, no public statements. They’re just gone. Even the Communist Party."

Arjun’s expression remained neutral, but Patel shifted uncomfortably in his chair. The Iron Man of India had orchestrated many of these disappearances himself, yet hearing about their effect still unsettled him.

"Tell me more about this," Arjun said, his tone deceptively casual.

Sharma flipped through several pages, his eyes scanning intelligence reports. "Our operatives report that mosque gatherings have become remarkably subdued. The usual post-prayer discussions about politics have dwindled to almost nothing.

When they do occur, they’re brief, careful, and filled with coded language."

He looked up from his notes. "In Lucknow, for instance, Imam Rashid Ali, who used to be quite vocal about minority rights, now limits his speeches to purely religious matters.

When questioned privately by our sources, he admitted that he simply doesn’t know what’s safe to say anymore."

Patel rubbed his temples. "And the Christians?"

"Similar pattern, Sardar-ji. The Catholic Church leadership has instructed their priests to focus on spiritual guidance rather than social commentary. Bishop Thomas in Madras told one of our informants that he feels like he’s walking on eggshells.

The Protestant communities are even more cautious, they’ve always been a smaller minority, and they’re acutely aware of how vulnerable that makes them."

Arjun nodded slowly. This was exactly what he had hoped to hear, though he kept his satisfaction carefully hidden. "What about their youth? Surely, they’re not all silent?"

"The young ones are perhaps the most affected," Sharma replied. "They grew up expecting to participate in political discourse, to debate and argue about India’s future.

Now they are in a strange position, those who genuinely love the country and want to contribute, they’re now quiet about the political landscape.

After all, their main aim is to develop the nation, which is already happening due to various new policies and trade deals. But, others, who value their religious identity more, they’re afraid that any criticism might be interpreted as disloyalty."

The director pulled out a specific report. "We have documented cases of young Muslim professionals who have stopped attending political gatherings entirely.

A group of Christian students at St. Stephen’s College disbanded their debate society after one member was questioned about his comments on religious education policy."

Arjun leaned forward slightly. "Questioned by whom?"

"Local authorities, acting on reports from concerned citizens," Sharma said carefully. "Nothing official, just...friendly inquiries about patriotic commitment."

The room fell silent for a moment. All three men understood the implications of these "friendly inquiries."

"What about resistance?" Arjun asked. "Any push back?"

Sharma’s expression darkened. "There have been isolated incidents, Prime Minister. A few attempts to organize underground networks, some clandestine meetings. But our surveillance capabilities have improved dramatically.

Our agents, who has infiltrated these networks, make it nearly impossible to coordinate without detection."

He paused, then continued with obvious reluctance. "Two weeks ago, we uncovered a network of Muslim intellectuals trying to establish what they called a ’Cultural Preservation Society.’ A watered down version of Muslim League as a core.

They were planning to document traditional practices they feared might be suppressed. The organizers were... discouraged from proceeding."

The weight of these words settled over the room like a heavy blanket. Arjun felt no guilt, this was statecraft, not personal vendetta. Nations required unity, and unity sometimes demanded uncomfortable measures.

What they were looking at, was a self censorship in a way. They can practice whatever they want, as long as they keep to themselves.

This was also one of the reasons why China managed to get so far ahead of India, so fast. They never allowed the religious issues to be politicized, and minorities conditions....that wasn’t too wonderful either.

The democracy he established required not just a credible criticism, but a fearful one, particularly from groups that might challenge his monolithic vision of Indian nationalism.

Arjun stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the city lights beginning to twinkle in the gathering dusk. "And internationally? How is this being perceived?"

"The foreign press sees a model of post-colonial stability," Sharma replied. "Democratic institutions functioning smoothly, economic development proceeding rapidly, social harmony maintained. They praise India’s peaceful transition and orderly progress."

"Good," Arjun said, turning back to face them. "That’s exactly what we want them to see."

He returned to his desk and sat down, his fingers steepled before him. "The silence tells us our methods worked, Director.

Perhaps they were unconventional, but they were necessary. We’re building a nation that moves beyond old divisions. Those who cling to them, or try to exploit them, will be left alone and isolated."

Patel too nodded slowly, though his expression remained troubled. "And if the international community ever discovers the truth?"

"What truth?" Arjun asked mildly. "That we maintained order during a difficult transition? That we prevented communal violence? That we built a stable democracy while other newly independent nations descended into chaos? History will judge us kindly, Sardar-ji. Winners write the history books."

Sharma closed his folder with a soft thud. "There is one more thing, Prime Minister. Our psychological analysis suggests that this climate of uncertainty and fear may be creating a generation that is more compliant but also more anxious.

The long-term social implications are... unclear."

"Every great transformation requires sacrifices," Arjun replied. "The generation that builds the foundation may not live to see the completed structure, but their children will inherit something magnificent. We are creating a strong, unified India.

Future generations will thank us for having the courage to make difficult choices."

The three men sat in contemplative quiet, each understanding that they were witnessing the birth of something strange, a democracy that looked perfect from the outside while being completely controlled from within.

The whispers of the unseen hand had become the nation’s guiding voice.

As the meeting concluded and his advisors prepared to leave, Arjun allowed himself a moment of satisfaction.

Outside, Delhi slept peacefully under a blanket of managed tranquility, unaware that its dreams were being carefully curated by the man who had promised to make India great again.