Shiban Khaibri
” Work for a cause, not for applause,
live life to express , not to impress, don’t strive
to make your presence noticed , just make your absence felt ..”
It goes without saying that the combined opposition comprising so many political parties with only one avowed agenda of defeating Narendra Modi and preventing him from making it a historic third term in 2024 Lok Sabha elections so as not to build records and at the outset, equal that of Mr. Nehru , the first Prime Minister of this country, has ostensibly totally failed in its mission. In defeat, they search for something like victory and curiously enough, celebrate it too. One must feel aghast over the narrative chorused by most of the constituents of the opposition block that the BJP has been defeated by the people and they instead have been made ”victorious”. Another one from the Congress President that “Modi Government has been formed by mistake and it will fall soon” leaves nothing more to judge in respect of the intentions – “will fall soon”. How much on pricks and how much ill at ease in wishing and praying and possibly being quite busy through “work in progress” for letting it fall soon – can be openly seen , not only imagined? And “they” expect you to praise and justify and eulogise and glorify ”such type of service” rendered to democracy, secularism and constitution in wishing an early collapse of a democratically elected Modi Government. Hate at its ugliest peak. Other things remaining the same, Modi is there with a splendid hat trick , agreeably with the requisite support of allies unlike in his earlier two terms. However, he appears to be firmly in the saddle , but at the cost of repetition much to the discomfort , disbelief and aches and pains of this combined opposition known as INDI alliance. Why not, the very purpose , the very idea, the very rationale behind formation of the IND alliance got defeated at the hustings as their massive planning in this respect got increasingly awry. Perhaps , it was anticipated by the architect of the alliance, Nitish Kumar who bid adieu to it much earlier and joined the NDA in pre-poll alliance. Even though his party JD(u) lost as many as 4 seats as compared to 2019 elections , yet he won 12 gaining a muscle to flex in Bihar rendering the much talkative RJD to no importance .
The fact , however, cannot be overlooked that this combined opposition , at least , succeeded in preventing the BJP from reaching the magic number of 272 to form the Government on its own without the support of allies called as NDA. It is also a fact that both the terms of 2014 and 2019 , the Government was BJP led NDA in which despite the Party having sufficient majority in the Parliament had its NDA partners’ representation in the cabinet. So it was always the NDA even during Late Vajpayee’s tenure . In simple parlance two alliances – NDA and newly formed INDI – fought elections , NDA won and formed the Government while INDI alliance lost and has been mandated to sit in the opposition. Anyway, the screaming and shouting and crying even at foreign platforms about “democracy imperilled under Modi rule in India” stands fairly exposed about peddling lies of such dimensions.
Before a brief analysis of the developments in respect of these elections is made, looking to the concerted aggressive , if not wholly hostile stance adopted against the newly formed Government, it has to be admitted that the combine of INDI is counting not months, weeks or days but practically hours to see how this Government headed by Modi Ji is ” manoeuvred” to be pulled down as he is heading a coalition Government in absolute terms unlike in 2014 and 2019. TDP and JDU the main allies of the BJP are regularly taunted and sympathised too for getting portfolios “not of their liking” . On daily basis investments of mistrust , doubts, sense of being losers etc is invested in the psyche of these important constituents of the NDA with a hope of getting some dividends which , however, appear to remain in a state of illusoriness. Even a slight whiff , a motley statement from here or there, is sought to be capitalised with a fervent hope of forming hotchpotch Governments . Even if and agreeably so, such Governments lasting each a few months in office , cost paid in terms of reversal of gains notwithstanding , one great satisfaction is sought to be derived that Modi could be dislodged even if belatedly, by their own calculations.
Looking to the prospects of such intentions as witnessed by their actions, rhetoric , claims, peddling half truths , spreading falsehood or sowing seeds of mistrust and gloom in the public in which unfortunately Congress Party is taking a lead , nothing was going to be achieved . Yes, a long wait is to be endured for five full years by which INDI alliance , if surviving that far , could still sharpen their arsenal to fight elections, read the BJP while the BJP could gird up its loins learning from its mistakes — mostly as a result of sheer complacency and the contesting candidates largely depending on the charismatic Modi – coupled with absolute feeble and poor countering to attenuate the bouts of falsehood lavishly spread by the combine of INDI alliance mostly by Congress, Samajwad Party and AAP .
One wonders over the depletion of all the reserves of falsehoods with the INDI alliance vis-a-vis 2024 LS elections so as to spare none for 2029 elections to beat the BJP with – as what more could be thought of, manufactured or carved out to mislead and also entice the public especially the vulnerable groups and those with castes and sub-castes sensitivities. That the BJP’s slogan of “Aab Ki Baar 400 Paar” was to change the constitution” was not taken that seriously by the concerned groups as it was routinely frequently propagated that the BJP was subverting the constitution . That “BJP was going to finish guaranteed reservations” for which the target of 400 was fixed and realising and fulfilling that objective , EVMs too could be manipulated — like very serious allegations and canards — were reverberating the election campaigning . That worked with near deadly accuracy in the most sensitive state of Uttar Pradesh where the BJP lost as many as 29 seats in comparison to 2019. Samajwadi Pary heavily invested in campaigning the white lies in the form of BJP poised for ”Constitution changing” and “Reservation withdrawing” rhetoric gained as many as 32 seats as compared to 2019, Congress got a windfall of a gain of 5 seats which it never had even imagined. However, Rashtriya Lok Dal which had a pre-poll alliance with the BJP ,facing the same weather full of mist and turbulence, got a gain of 2 seats , winning by the same number.
Another interesting thing to note is that as to how even PDP President and former CM of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti got the news from which sources on May 9 itself that “BJP faced worst defeat in three phases but doubting her own claim warned that “if BJP came to power again , they will finish the constitution of India and nobody will have the right to talk or to seek reservation”. If she is or was right in her view point , she would have easily won Anantnag -Rajouri Parliamentary seat . She lost for the second consecutive time hence neither BJP’s so called “communal card” , nor “finishing the constitution” nor even “preventing the eligible from seeking reservation” like wild , baseless and wholly manufactured narrative stands rejected. Perhaps , the constituents of INDI alliance had together thought of and conspired to aggressively spread the canard of ” Withdrawing reservations” and “changing of the constitution” . However, it did not work up to the desired levels and the outcome proved as a bombshell since Modi was sworn in as India’s Prime Minister for the third consecutive term.
The handling of Jammu and Kashmir issue made vexed right from 1947 when Pakistan sponsored, aided, abetted and launched attack on Kashmir reached its worst levels of absolute mess and wide disturbances in 1989-90 when Pakistan sponsored terrorism devastated all that Kashmir was and stood for. Abrogation of Article 370, under the cover of which every possible manoeuvrings were being made for more than six decades, was thought to be something next to impossible and unthinkable and the clenched warning that even to ”slightly tinkering about it would result in bloodshed and there will be none even to hold Indian Tricolour” proved a miserable damp squib. The handling of the situation by the Modi Government before, during and after abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir proved absolutely wonderful, superb, peoples’ friendly and flawless where not to speak of not even a bullet was required to be fired but even not a stick was needed to be used to restore normalcy because no procession, no protests , no resistance, no opposition etc was witnessed anywhere from the general public. The fear mongering of “bloodshed” , therefore, proved absolutely as a hoax, a hallucination, a deception and a ruse. People of Kashmir are seeing for themselves how things changed under Modi rule- non-stop infrastructural development, no hartals, no stone pelting, no forced holidays in schools and offices, unhindered business and commercial activities and the like and how the “opium” of Article 370 was administered by the successive regimes in Jammu and Kashmir for six decades for no benefit , not even in the least, to the common man.
The journey of governance of this Government, however, was not going to be smooth as the frustrated opposition , this time in combined numbers, more than 2014 and 2019 was bound to corner, oppose , fight, confront and question this Government very frequently and cause other impediments for which the NDA Government has always to be in the mode of readiness and facing the challenges successfully. Elaboration is hardly needed. Modi Government decidedly has to deliver comparatively in a better way , that alone will take the wind out of the sails of those groups of the opposition who believe more in thwarting, withholding , opposing and criticising rather than in co-operating and suggesting for the sake of the country and the countrymen.
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