The Architecture of Autocracy: Propaganda, Transnational Repression, and the Poisoning of Indian Culture

The RMN Foundation maintains that the current “narrative building” in India mirrors the “Gleichschaltung” of 1930s Germany.

By Rakesh Raman
New Delhi | March 31, 2026

As the world enters the second quarter of 2026, the RMN Foundation is sounding a global alarm. The “Smokescreen” of manufactured narratives in India is no longer just a domestic issue; it has become a central component of a regime-led strategy to mask transnational repression and systemic democratic decay.

1. The Institutional Verdict: V‑Dem & USCIRF 2026

The latest institutional reports confirm the dark reality that the RMN Foundation has consistently highlighted.

• Global Democratic Decay: The V‑Dem Institute’s 2026 Report (University of Gothenburg) identifies India as a primary driver of global autocratization, with democracy levels for the average citizen falling back to 1978 levels.  I have documented how the dismantling of media and judicial independence has turned India into a “closed electoral autocracy.”

• State Department Recommendation: For the seventh consecutive year, the USCIRF (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom) has recommended that the U.S. State Department designate India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). The 2026 report specifically cites the “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” violations of religious freedom and the regime’s involvement in transnational repression crimes targeting dissenters abroad.

2. Culture Poisoning: Cinema as a Tool of the Modi Regime

The most insidious arm of this autocracy is “Culture Poisoning”—the use of big-budget cinema to rewrite history and provoke a volatile voter base. The RMN Foundation has identified a pattern in recent releases that function as high-budget political advertisements for Narendra Modi:

• Dhurandhar: The Revenge: As confirmed by The Economist, this film is “undisguised propaganda” for Modi himself. Its fabricated $147 Million (₹1,231 Crore) box office claim is a “Data Laundering” exercise designed to project global dominance while the domestic reality is one of economic misery.

• Ikkis & Maatrubhumi (Battle of Galwan): These films serve to sanitize the regime’s military and diplomatic failures, turning real-world losses into “cinematic victories” to sustain the hyper-nationalist fervor required for autocracy.

• Border 2: A nostalgic vehicle being weaponized to revive 1930s-style militarism, shifting the focus from the citizen’s rights to the state’s perceived “glory.”

3. The 1930s Parallel: From Democracy to Personalist Dictatorship

The RMN Foundation maintains that the current “narrative building” in India mirrors the “Gleichschaltung” of 1930s Germany. In that era, the state hijacked the film industry (UFA) to create a cult of personality and dehumanize minorities. Today, through films like Dhurandhar, the Modi regime is pursuing a similar path—hiding criminality behind a wall of “perfect audience ratings” and fraudulent box office records.

4. Transnational Repression & The Global Threat

The USCIRF’s focus on transnational repression is critical. The regime is no longer content with silencing dissent within India; it is now accused of reaching across borders to target those who speak the truth. This is why the RMN Foundation’s work—and the protection urged by Reporters Without Borders (RSF)—is vital.

A Call for Global Sanctions

The RMN Foundation supports the USCIRF’s recommendation for targeted sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for these violations. We must move beyond “dialogue” with an autocrat who hobnobs with tech bosses while overseeing the “Global Democratic Decay” of 1.4 billion people.

The “Smokescreen” is lifting. The world must now decide if it will stand with the truth or remain complicit in the poisoning of a civilization.

By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and editor of RMN news sites. He is presently engaged in the development of Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) applications and the exploration of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) frameworks.

He contributed a regular technology business column to The Financial Express, part of The Indian Express Group. He was also associated with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as a digital media expert to help businesses leverage technology for brand development and international growth.

Donation to RMN Foundation