Kashmir Files: For Electoral Gains in 2024

Kashmir Files: For Electoral Gains in 2024

With a resounding victory in recent assembly elections in four of the five states, the BJP has begun preparations for the next Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for 2024. The BJP which has emerged from the womb of RSS as its political outfit has set itself the goal of winning the 2024 elections in any case and before that it is determined to form its government in Kashmir. The resolve to have the entire country under their control is part of a 100-year-old dream of RSS that Modi has set out to fulfil. Alongside, sectarian forces are working to immerse India in Hindutva. Their aim is to generate a climate where Hindus hate Muslims to the core so that all the Hindu votes in the elections are reserved for the BJP party.

The latest endeavour for the accomplishment of the set goals is the film ‘Kashmir Files’ directed by Vivek Agnihotri, and starring Anupum Kher and Mithun Chakraborty, both staunch supporters of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which depict the exodus of Kashmiri pandits during Kashmir insurgency in the year 1990. Immediately after the film’s release, the BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Haryana made it tax-free and the Prime Minister made a lengthy speech in support of the film while addressing the BJP parliamentarians on March 15. He said that those who are opposing the film are the ones who do not want to admit the truth shown in the film. He further said that the film reveals the truth suppressed for years, and more such films need to be made to lay bare the truth to people. The film may be close to the stories of Kashmiri pandits leaving Kashmir, but now it is being used to spread hatred against Muslims in the country. Films like these are very dangerous and detrimental to the country and its unity, no matter how much the Prime Minister likes them. The effect of the Prime Minister’s endorsement of the film has led more and more people of a similar mindset to watch the film and conclude that those who expelled Kashmir pandits out of Kashmir, played with the dignity of their sisters and daughters, were Muslims. Several videos of the reactions of people after watching the film have gone viral. In one video people coming out of the cinema halls after watching the film are seen shouting slogans like ‘shoot the traitors of the country’. In another video, some people are seen chanting the slogans “Vande Mataram” and “ Jai Hind” in front of a movie theatre, and one of them is in a frenzy urging Hindus to stop watching movies starring Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan. One video clip shows a man harshly abusing Muslims using profanity without caring about the girls and women present at the place. The anthem of RSS, ‘Namaste Sada Vatsale Matribhume’ was sung in one of the cinema halls. In one of the videos, a man can be seen warning Hindus to be careful of Muslims who could attack them at any time. He was also seen telling the crowd that they had seen stories from Kashmir but such stories could unfold next in Kerala or West Bengal.

Modi is right when he says that truth must come before the country, but such truth should not be one-sided and incomplete. Is it not true that when the exodus of Kashmiri pandits took place, neither Congress was in power at the center, nor National Conference in Kashmir. Is it not true that in 1990, the BJP had supported V.P. Singh to become Prime Minister and the stalwarts of BJP like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani had chosen Jag Mohan, a favourite of RSS, to be the Governor of Kashmir? Was it not Jag Mohan who sent buses and trucks into villages and towns to ferry Kashmiri pandits and drove them away from the Kashmir valley? Is it not a fact that the insurgency in Kashmir in the 1990s was perpetrated by intruders and terrorists from Pakistan and Afghanistan and not by the local Muslims of the valley? Is it not a fact that more than 60,000 local Muslims of the valley were killed by terrorists and security forces after the Kashmiri pandits left the valley and that the same atrocities that the Kashmiri pandits suffered during their exodus were committed against the Muslims in the valley? If the Prime Minister is keen to convey such truths to the country and the world, should not films be made on the killings and massacres in Nelli in Assam, Meerut, Maliyana, Muradabad, Aligarh, etc.? Will there be films about the massacre of Sikhs? Will films be made on the truth of the heinous and shameful acts at Godhra Station and the massacres that ensued across Gujarat when Modi himself was the Chief Minister of the state Could Indians expect films about the massacres that took place under the guise of riots in many parts of the country following the demolition of Babri Masjid and the subsequent bomb blasts in Mumbai? Will the reality of Bhagalpur massacre be brought to light through films? Should not the truths behind the riots that took place in different parts of the country during the Rath Yathra of Lal Krishan Advani, the political mentor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, be brought before the Indians through films?

Speaking at the BJP parliamentary party meeting, Modi also said that if someone does not like the truth of Kashmir Files, nothing stops such a person from making another film based on his factual knowledge. Such a statement that too by a Prime Minister is extremely irresponsible, inappropriate, and dangerous for the country. Things are changing around the world and people are forgetting past hatred, animosity, and mistakes and trying to move forward with mutual love, respect, and regard for each other. It was with this spirit that Berlin Wall was torn down a few years ago, and the two parts of the country were reunited so that people there could live happily together. It was the same spirit that prompted the white and black people of South Africa to forget the crimes of the apartheid regime reconcile truths and shake hands to move the country towards progress and prosperity. When the situation in different countries is such for reconciliation between individuals and communities to live in a peaceful and amicable atmosphere, the stand of our Prime Minister calling for anyone to make films on explosive issues that generate mutual hate between communities does not seem appropriate. Should it be the wisdom of the country’s greatest leader to ask the wounds to keep bleeding and rub salt on them from time to time to spread hatred between different communities? Alas, when leaders take such stands, God bless our country. God save India.

Amid Hijab Row, Massive Bank Scams Go Unreported

Amid Hijab Row, Massive Bank Scams Go Unreported

In order to cover up its multitude of failures, the Modi government always pulls off devious tricks that fool gullible Indians. The government that assumed power under Modi in 2014 has become a nuisance to sensible citizens, but it foxily keeps the general public involved in the game of Hindutva faith. In recent days, India’s biggest banking scam has come to light but the government has swept it under the carpet by making the attention of the media and everyone remain focused on the hijab issue to that extent that polarization between Hindus and Muslims has increased and reached the boiling point. People of different faiths who have lived together for centuries harmoniously have turned hostile and have started questioning the religious practices of one another.
The spark of hijab controversy that originated in the Udupi district of Karnataka has now spread to all parts of the country and abroad, and everyone seems to be caught up in it, consciously or unconsciously. In this state of affairs, there is no one to ask Modi who is responsible for the latest and the biggest banking scam? In the past, the Modi government has helped Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, and his uncle Mehul Choksi to flee the country after their high-profile economic crimes of defrauding banks worth several thousand crores of rupees were exposed. But, the hijab row has succeeded in diverting public attention from the latest banking scam. There was a time when the policy of divide and rule used to be followed for remaining in power, but the Modi government has modified it to ‘misguide and rule’ to implement its agenda.

Media reports indicate that ABG Group (ABG Shipyard Ltd.) has defrauded a consortium of nearly 28 banks for a total amount exceeding 22,000 crores of rupees. What is even more shocking is that the ABG group has broken the record of all banking scams that have so far occurred on Indian soil. According to ABP News, the CBI has taken cognizance of the scam by registering a case and has arrested eight persons in connection with it. The other concerned agencies are likely to take notice of the crimes shortly and commence their proceedings. As per the CBI, banks defrauded include State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, IDBI Bank, Punjab National Bank and a leading bank in the private sector—ICICI Bank. The Gujarat-based ABG Group has not spared even the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) from being hit by its defrauding tactics. The scam was first exposed on 20 August 2020 when a Deputy AGM of the State Bank of India lodged a complaint against ABG Shipyard Ltd. and ABG International Private Ltd., two of the sister companies of the same group. The ABG Group of companies are engaged in the business of Ship building and ship repairs and refurbishing.

The CBI has recently booked cases against the companies ABG Shipyard Ltd.; ABG International Private Ltd.; Rishi Kamlesh Agarwal, the former Chairman-cum-Managing Director of AGB Group; Santhanam Muthaswamy, former Executive Director of the Group; Ashwin Kumar, Sushil Kumar, Ravi Vimal Nevetia, directors of the ABG Group along with many public servants and unknown persons from different cities and towns. The offences for which cases have been registered fall under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) such as criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, and abuse of official positions, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, and if convicted, each of the accused may face the punishment of a life sentence.

Modus Operandi of the Scam: The ABG Shipyard Ltd. availed huge loans and other credit facilities from banks and diverted the funds to its 98 sister companies in India and abroad. Overseas, the funds were utilized to purchase real estate and shares in the names of its affiliate companies, personal names, and also distributed to some of the relatives and friends of the company directors. Flouting all rules and regulations, funds were transferred from one subsidiary of the company to another, and mere adjustment entries were effected as window dressing to hide the illegalities behind the transactions. Some of the ships built by the group were sold abroad, but loans to the banks were not repaid out of the sale proceeds. According to the FIR, the proportion of fraud suffered by prominent banks in the consortium and other financial institutions in the total scam of 22842 crore rupees are as follows: ICICI Bank—7089 crores; IDBI Bank—3639 crores; State Bank of India—2925 crores; Bank of Baroda—1614 crores; Exim Bank—1327 crores; Punjab National Bank—1244 crores; Indian Overseas Bank—1244 crores; Bank of India—719 crores; LIC—136 crores. This scam has not developed overnight but progressed between 2012 and 2017, but all the concerned vigilant authorities had closed their eyes to it. The CBI has raided 13 locations after registering a case and has seized several documents related to the financial irregularities. As investigations proceeds, the names of several bank officials, more public servants, and some reputed politicians may come to light. Will the Modi government allow the CBI to continue its investigation in full honesty? It is doubtful. There is a general opinion that whenever direct or indirect involvement of his government or politicians of his party or funders to his political party come to light in the scam investigation or whenever competency or performance of his government is called into question, Modi government could trigger some controversial issue to keep the society enmeshed in it to avoid public rage. This is amply clear from the current hijab controversy unleashed at a time when a banking scam of the greatest magnitude in India had to be focussed on. Modi and his team have many arrows, darts, and javelins in the quiver. Time will tell when and which projectile weapon will be released from the string by them.

Whenever footfalls of elections are heard at the door, politics of hatred and enmity raises its ugly head in some form or the other

Whenever footfalls of elections are heard at the door, politics of hatred and enmity raises its ugly head in some form or the other

Whenever footfalls of elections are heard at the door, politics of hatred and enmity raises its ugly head in some form or the other. These days it is not surprising that such politics is played out against the Muslims before every election in India. In the current regime everyone right from the Prime Minister to CMs, ministers to MPs, MLAs, Corporators, regional leaders to street leaders, and others perceive that the first step to political success is to spew venom on the Muslims. This tendency has grown in leaps and bounds after the victory of Modi in the 2014 general elections. Such a proclivity of the persons in public life has terribly ruined the brotherhood matrix of pluralistic India. As a result, not just the Muslims but everyone in the subcontinent has fallen in the flames. Where incidents of the mob lynching of Muslim youths have become common, episodes of Hindu youths subjected to the same human rights abuse are not rare. Where attempts are made to damage the businesses of Muslims there exist reports that the trade and commerce of Hindus have also suffered. The sad part is that the powerful and influential classes have remained silent in playing their role to control the horrifying state of affairs. They expect the affected to take care of themselves. By thinking so they are failing to realize that flames do not have regard for any religious faith or financial status while engulfing the target.

Elections to the legislative assemblies in some states will be held in the coming five to six months. But the eyes of everyone are on the election to be held in Uttar Pradesh. BJP, the present ruling party in the state is busy cleaning up the images of Yogi and Modi and dreaming to the play cards of hatred and communalism. Mr. Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of the state, has kicked off his election campaign by using certain words with a derogatory innuendo that has hurt the feelings of the Muslims obliquely. In one of his speeches two weeks ago Yogi Adityanath while leveling allegations against Mr. Akhilesh Yadav, his predecessor in the office,has said that prior to 2017, the ration distributed by the government for the poor was swallowed up by those who used to say “Abba Jan.” By using the words Abba Jan, a term of endearment for fathers used generally by the Muslims, Mr. Yogi Adityanath has incurred the ire of the Muslims and opposition parties. He did not stop his comments on the ration issue but went on to say that in the previous regime even government jobs meant for the poor were snatched away by the people who used to say Abba Jan. What Yogi Adityanath has tried to convey is that Muslims in the previous regime of Akhilesh Yadav were referring to Mulyam Singh, the patriarch of Samajwadi Party as Abba Jan, and were enjoying benefits at the cost of the denial to the majority community. Non-BJP parties across the board have termed the remarks of Yogi Adityanath as ‘unparliamentary’ and ‘uncivilized’ and have urged him to maintain decorum and be within the ambit of decency in public life. Congress in clear words has asked him where he was when corpses of covid patients were floating in the Ganga river and has questioned his intentions to appear on the scene with the stories of ‘Abba Jan’ when elections are on the horizon.

It is an open secret that the BJP cannot fight any election with an agenda other than communalism and spreading hatred among people. The electoral strategies of the party solely revolve around maligning Muslims and causing polarization of voters. By downgrading Muslims with the concocted stories of ‘ration swallow up’and ‘abbajan’, Yogi is trying to coax the Hindu voters for re-seeking his election as Chief Minister for one more term. With similar tricks and stratagems, BJP fought the latest elections in West Bengal and Delhi. No stone was left unturned by the party to polarize voters on the basis of religion. Every possible attempt was made to depict Muslims in a bad light. But all strategies of the party fell to the ground. Both Modi and Yogi who campaigned for the party in these states had to cut a sorry figure. With the taste of recent defeats in the background, BJP and its leaders are tense with regard to the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. It is the critical compulsion of the BJP to give precedence to politics of hatred and communalism to retain its power in Uttar Pradesh, the last bastion to remain in power for long. For consolidating its vote bank, the party is expected to employ all possible kinds of trickeries, maneuvers, tactics, and ploys along with money and muscle powers. The stories of ‘ration’ and ‘abba jan’ appear to be minuscule fragments of mega plansfor seizing the power once again in Uttar Pradesh.

The jibes Yogi Adityanath is taking today at Muslims are akin to some expressions used by Modi in 2017 for the Assembly Elections in Uttar Pradesh. The words were ’Qabrastan and Shamshan’. What Modi meant by it was that when graveyards for Muslims are granted in villages crematoria should be established as well. When electricity is supplied in villagesfull day on the days of Eid, such a facility should be available for Hindus too on the occasion of Holy. Though these were not new issues, the logic of giving a religious complexion to them worked well and fetched landslide victory to the party. The coining of jargons of ‘ration’ and ‘abbajan’ for election purposes appears to have been learned by Yogi Adityanath from Modi. However, the intended influence of the new jargon did not last long. The vehement opposition and protests for the jibes by leaders of opposition parties and Muslims across the country punctured the balloons of arrogance and pride of Yogi Adityanath. The politics through jargons of ‘Abbajana’ and ‘ration’ cannot hide the failures of Modi and Yogi governments in controlling inflation, unemployment, Covid pandemic. Today both of them are unpopular for their dishonesty, irresponsibility, and indifference. BJP leaders know well that talking about real issues would damage the prospects of the party. So the last hope of the party to retain power is to play communal cards. The political planks with misleading issues of Aligarh, Abba Jaan, ration etc, have failed miserably. Now, the party may whip up the issues of Ram Mandir and Article 370. Possibilities of riots before elections cannot also be ruled out. The dispute regarding the Eidgah in Mathura may be driven to make it occupy the headlines. There is no strong leader in the opposition to counter the BJP. No doubt Akhilesh Yadav is a ray of hope, but he lacks the skills to counter BJP by taking the issues head-on in the manner done by Mamta Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal. Amidst all plans to mislead voters and cause confusion the glad tidings are more and more people are coming to know the game plans and true intentions of the party. The resentment and opposition graphs towards the party and its leaders in the state are rapidly moving upwards. If a strong anti-incumbency wave runs across the state in the wake of prevailing bad administration, then no one can prevent BJP from tasting defeat in the upcoming elections.

Abbajaan !Abbajan Jibe Depiction of An Atrocious Mindset

Abbajaan !Abbajan Jibe Depiction of An Atrocious Mindset

Whenever footfalls of elections are heard at the door, politics of hatred and enmity raises its ugly head in some form or the other. These days it is not surprising that such politics is played out against the Muslims before every election in India. In the current regime everyone right from the Prime Minister to CMs, ministers to MPs, MLAs, Corporators, regional leaders to street leaders, and others perceive that the first step to political success is to spew venom on the Muslims. This tendency has grown in leaps and bounds after the victory of Modi in the 2014 general elections. Such a proclivity of the persons in public life has terribly ruined the brotherhood matrix of pluralistic India. As a result, not just the Muslims but everyone in the subcontinent has fallen in the flames. Where incidents of the mob lynching of Muslim youths have become common, episodes of Hindu youths subjected to the same human rights abuse are not rare. Where attempts are made to damage the businesses of Muslims there exist reports that the trade and commerce of Hindus have also suffered. The sad part is that the powerful and influential classes have remained silent in playing their role to control the horrifying state of affairs. They expect the affected to take care of themselves. By thinking so they are failing to realize that flames do not have regard for any religious faith or financial status while engulfing the target.

Elections to the legislative assemblies in some states will be held in the coming five to six months. But the eyes of everyone are on the election to be held in Uttar Pradesh. BJP, the present ruling party in the state is busy cleaning up the images of Yogi and Modi and dreaming to the play cards of hatred and communalism. Mr. Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of the state, has kicked off his election campaign by using certain words with a derogatory innuendo that has hurt the feelings of the Muslims obliquely. In one of his speeches two weeks ago Yogi Adityanath while leveling allegations against Mr. Akhilesh Yadav, his predecessor in the office,has said that prior to 2017, the ration distributed by the government for the poor was swallowed up by those who used to say “Abba Jan.” By using the words Abba Jan, a term of endearment for fathers used generally by the Muslims, Mr. Yogi Adityanath has incurred the ire of the Muslims and opposition parties. He did not stop his comments on the ration issue but went on to say that in the previous regime even government jobs meant for the poor were snatched away by the people who used to say Abba Jan. What Yogi Adityanath has tried to convey is that Muslims in the previous regime of Akhilesh Yadav were referring to Mulyam Singh, the patriarch of Samajwadi Party as Abba Jan, and were enjoying benefits at the cost of the denial to the majority community. Non-BJP parties across the board have termed the remarks of Yogi Adityanath as ‘unparliamentary’ and ‘uncivilized’ and have urged him to maintain decorum and be within the ambit of decency in public life. Congress in clear words has asked him where he was when corpses of covid patients were floating in the Ganga river and has questioned his intentions to appear on the scene with the stories of ‘Abba Jan’ when elections are on the horizon.

It is an open secret that the BJP cannot fight any election with an agenda other than communalism and spreading hatred among people. The electoral strategies of the party solely revolve around maligning Muslims and causing polarization of voters. By downgrading Muslims with the concocted stories of ‘ration swallow up’and ‘abbajan’, Yogi is trying to coax the Hindu voters for re-seeking his election as Chief Minister for one more term. With similar tricks and stratagems, BJP fought the latest elections in West Bengal and Delhi. No stone was left unturned by the party to polarize voters on the basis of religion. Every possible attempt was made to depict Muslims in a bad light. But all strategies of the party fell to the ground. Both Modi and Yogi who campaigned for the party in these states had to cut a sorry figure. With the taste of recent defeats in the background, BJP and its leaders are tense with regard to the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. It is the critical compulsion of the BJP to give precedence to politics of hatred and communalism to retain its power in Uttar Pradesh, the last bastion to remain in power for long. For consolidating its vote bank, the party is expected to employ all possible kinds of trickeries, maneuvers, tactics, and ploys along with money and muscle powers. The stories of ‘ration’ and ‘abba jan’ appear to be minuscule fragments of mega plansfor seizing the power once again in Uttar Pradesh.

The jibes Yogi Adityanath is taking today at Muslims are akin to some expressions used by Modi in 2017 for the Assembly Elections in Uttar Pradesh. The words were ’Qabrastan and Shamshan’. What Modi meant by it was that when graveyards for Muslims are granted in villages crematoria should be established as well. When electricity is supplied in villagesfull day on the days of Eid, such a facility should be available for Hindus too on the occasion of Holy. Though these were not new issues, the logic of giving a religious complexion to them worked well and fetched landslide victory to the party. The coining of jargons of ‘ration’ and ‘abbajan’ for election purposes appears to have been learned by Yogi Adityanath from Modi. However, the intended influence of the new jargon did not last long. The vehement opposition and protests for the jibes by leaders of opposition parties and Muslims across the country punctured the balloons of arrogance and pride of Yogi Adityanath. The politics through jargons of ‘Abbajana’ and ‘ration’ cannot hide the failures of Modi and Yogi governments in controlling inflation, unemployment, Covid pandemic. Today both of them are unpopular for their dishonesty, irresponsibility, and indifference. BJP leaders know well that talking about real issues would damage the prospects of the party. So the last hope of the party to retain power is to play communal cards. The political planks with misleading issues of Aligarh, Abba Jaan, ration etc, have failed miserably. Now, the party may whip up the issues of Ram Mandir and Article 370. Possibilities of riots before elections cannot also be ruled out. The dispute regarding the Eidgah in Mathura may be driven to make it occupy the headlines. There is no strong leader in the opposition to counter the BJP. No doubt Akhilesh Yadav is a ray of hope, but he lacks the skills to counter BJP by taking the issues head-on in the manner done by Mamta Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal. Amidst all plans to mislead voters and cause confusion the glad tidings are more and more people are coming to know the game plans and true intentions of the party. The resentment and opposition graphs towards the party and its leaders in the state are rapidly moving upwards. If a strong anti-incumbency wave runs across the state in the wake of prevailing bad administration, then no one can prevent BJP from tasting defeat in the upcoming elections.

A Caveat To BJP Leadership – The current government under Mr. Narendra Modi is the first government in post- independent India that is resolutely bent upon destroying the democratic and federal systems in the country.

A Caveat To BJP Leadership – The current government under Mr. Narendra Modi is the first government in post- independent India that is resolutely bent upon destroying the democratic and federal systems in the country.

Mohammed Obaidulla Sharief Chief Editor, The Daily Pasban

The current government under Mr. Narendra Modi is the first government in post- independent India that is resolutely bent upon destroying the democratic and federal systems in the country. Apparently, it claims to respect constitutional values but in reality, believes in taking measures that are unconstitutional. It harbours antipathy to strengthening democratic and federal structures. It cannot withstand anyone who points out a finger at the policies made by it. It feels revulsion when controversial provisions of parliamentary bills or enactments are objected to. The ultimate intent of the party in power at the center is to form its governments in all the states by deploying all means whether justifiable or otherwise. In the states where the party is out of power, it is making all bids to deprive the state governments of their legitimate powers and rights. This is done by resorting to different arm-twisting techniques, sometimes by denying the budgetary allocations for the schemes or through some other means.

The rationale behind such tricks is to tarnish the image of the governments of the opposition parties in the non-BJP ruled states so that in the next polls the BJP could reap the electoral benefits in those states. The attitude shown by the government in the last monsoon session of the Parliament compels everyone to think that Mr. Narendra Modi is running a dictatorship in the guise of democracy. The opposition parties were seeking answers from the government to various issues such as pegasus surveillance, farmers agitations, rising prices of diesel, petrol, and essential commodities but the government turned a deaf ear to the questions. The arrogant behavior of the government has disappointed not only the citizens of the country but also the BJP members who revere the democratic spirit. These members of the ruling party instead of registering their dislike for the behavior of the government in the close-doors have come out in public to do so. These members alongside have counseled the opposition parties that their acts of creating ruckus and tearing the controversial bills will damage democracy and lower the prestige of the country before the international community.

Among such members, Mr. Nitina Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, is one who has tried to awaken the conscience of the leaders of his party to the democratic traditions. It is his courageous nature that has propelled Mr. Gadkari to point out a finger at the Prime Minister of the country else there is no one in the party who has the nerve to express his opinion on Narendra Modi and Amit Shah leave alone opposing them. Mr. Gadkari‘s statement on the most strong leader of the BJP and the Prime Minister has been so powerful that it has rekindled hope in the opposition which prior to Mr. Gadkari’s articulation had fallen into slumber under the perception of helplessness. The union minister has spelled out how the behavior of the people in power and the opposition should be and has suggested that lessons should be drawn from the lives and styles of governance of Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee as they were paragons of Indian Democracy. They showed us the ways to promote and safeguard democracy. Mr. Gadkari by denoting Mr. Nehru as a person of high caliber has proved that the efforts of the entire BJP team in trying to project Modi as a savior is not a proper disposition. His declaration that it is the duty of the government to run the parliament proceedings and if the house lands in disorder it is the failure of the government is a correct proposition in terms of parliamentary temperaments. The opposition has an obligation to question the policies of the government.

Undoubtedly, the bold and brave statement of Mr. Gadkari must have made Narendra Modi and Amit Shah get goosebumps but they cannot do anything as the remarks of Gadkari are nothing short of realities. Other than that, Mr. Gadkari enjoys the support of the RSS which constraints Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to take any action against the union minister. If such a statement had come from any other person in the BJP that member would have received a termination order in no time. While reacting to the worsening conditions and the deteriorating parliamentary values, Mr. Gadkarihas commented that the ruling party and the opposition should introspect and learn to behave in a dignified manner. He informed that Nehru always respected Vajpayee and used to say that opposition is necessary for a healthy democracy.

In a programme organized by the Hindi News channel “News Nation’, Mr. Gadkari said that Nehru and Vajpayee always said that they would uphold democratic values. Declaring Nehru as a person of extraordinary merit and caliber is no less important when it has come from a person like Gadkari who is known to have vast knowledge about politics and its dynamics. When everyone in his own party is trying to defame Nehru, the stand of Gadkari in uncloaking the traits of Nehru in promoting and safeguarding democracy calls everyone to correct their estimations about Nehru. By holding a mirror to the realities, Mr. Gadkari has revealed that the strengthening of democracy can only bolster the progress and development of India Even the slightest error in our endeavours could prove dangerous to the integrity and unity of the country. All said and done, governments will come and go but everyone whether he is a leader or an ordinary citizen must serve the country to make it great. In the words of the famous poet Raahat Indori:

Jo Aaaj Saheb-e-Masnad Hain Kal Nahi Honge
(Those on the throne today, may not be there tomorrow)
Kirayedaar Hani Zati Makkan Thodi Hai
Tenants (after all), not the owners of (any) personal property

Bye Election Results And Its After effects It’s No Good Crying Over Spilt Milk

Bye Election Results And Its After effects It’s No Good Crying Over Spilt Milk

Successive victories often plunge the victor into indifference and arrogance. Conversely, fear of defeat humbles an individual,making him become down-to-earth and realize his mistakes.But, of what use would late repentance be?

In the last few years, everyone whether a supporter or opposer of the Modi-led government, has protested directly or indirectly, explicitly or implicitly, against the everyday increasing rates of inflation and fuel prices. Even, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on several occasions drew the attention of the government to show how badly the common man was hit by the issues. Unfortunately, the government instead of addressing the issues turned a Nelson’s eye to the sufferings of the common man. But, the setback suffered by the ruling party in recent bye-elections to 29 Assembly and 3LokSabha Constituencies has brought the central government to its senses. Barely a day after the election results, the Union government slashed rates of petrol and diesel, and walking in its footsteps, Karnataka and almost all other states in the
federal setup have announced further reductions in exercise duty on fuel in their respective territories. This move would no doubt bring some relief to dissatisfied citizens. Reacting to the announcements, the Congress Party has derided the government and said that it is not the concern for the people but the election defeats of the ruling party that hascompelled it to cut fuel rates slightly. Besides fuel prices, the other factors that have contributed to the defeat of the BJP are the growing levels of inflation, unemployment in the country as well as the deteriorating law and order situations in the states ruled by it.

The party has suffered its worst defeats in Himachal Pradesh where it lost three Assembly constituencies and a Parliamentary seat to the Congress. Despite its shortcomings, the BJP along with its allies has managed to register a victory in 14 out of the 29 Assembly and 2 out of the 3 parliamentary constituencies.
The performance of the Congress Party in Assam was highly disappointing as the party failed to bag even a single seat out of the five. Though the party had fielded candidates having winning potentials and worked hard, the percentage of votes polled in its favour and for the ruling party which was 40 and 50 respectively,
made the difference. The BJP with its allies swept the Northeast states and the Congress was left empty￾handed. In Bihar, the scuffle between the Congress and the RJD parties in entering into an alliance for sharing seats enabled the ruling JD(U) to win both the seats in the bye-polls. Had the Congress and RJD agreed for one seat each, the JD(U) would have been stripped of victory in both the constituencies.

Ultimately, the results of the bye-elections have made it amply clear that the upcoming Assembly elections in 2022 in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur, and Jharkhand are not going to be a cakewalk for the BJP. The humiliating defeat it has suffered in Himachal Pradesh denotes that the resentment of the
people at the party is rapidly rising upwards. Growing unemployment, rising inflation, falling GDP, skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, high rates of fuel and LPG, and worsening law and orderhave remained the main issues in the recent bye-polls. Added to these, opposition to the three farm reform laws
against which farmers across the country have been protesting for over a year also had its play in deciding the electoral fates of the parties. If the state of affairs continues as it is today without any remedial changes being effected, then the issues that ruled the roost in the latest bye-polls will again dominate the
upcoming Assembly Elections in 2022, andof course with more intensity. Fighting elections against those issues might be extremely challenging for the BJP and the prevailing circumstances might facilitate the return of Congress to power. On the flip side, Congress and other parties need to realize that non
addressal of the said issues by the BJP-led government at the centre would not solely guarantee them victory in the upcoming elections. To garland BJP with defeat, it is imperative for Congress and other secular parties to get united on points of commonalities and face the elections.

The BJP may be drawing solace that a section of voters under the intoxication of the feelings of hatred against Muslims and other minorities, moral policing, etc. are overlooking the prevalent issues of unemployment, inflation, poverty, and so on. They are not able to notice the failures of the BJP government but are engaged in spreading disharmony through a variety of slogans and phrases such as Abbajan Abbajan, Love Jihad, Ghar Wapasi, and others. The BJP while assessing the real situation must not place reliance on this category of voters alone but must take into account the growing political awareness and the maturity levels of voters collectively and take steps to arrest the discontentment of voters by properly attending to the issues under discussion. It is the right time for the BJP government to take
seriously the mandate of people in the bye-elections and come up with effective policies to abate the sufferings of people under the impact of the said issues. Lest, the results of the upcoming elections in 2022 may not be to its full expectations and in the post-results, constraints may emerge calling for immediate addressing of the issues, in the same way as lowering of fuel prices following results of the recent bye-poll. Let Indians not wait for another occasion to welcome addressing of issues as ‘crying over spilt milk’ in the aftermath of another election results.