An essential facet of BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s campaigning is that he has addressed considerably on those issues on which no other political parties and their leaders have dared to speak. The Congress party, which is expected to have addressed these issues of the commoners have shamelessly stayed away from it deliberately and spent all its time, money and energy in containing the ever growing influence of Modi. Like him there is none other who has travelled all over the country. Even Sonia Gandhi’s countrywide tour of 2004 could not grab such euphoria that Modi is gathering like a star. And in all these rallies, which is accounted to be over 400 so far, over 95%, has been on key issues, such as, inflation, unemployment, farmers problems, security and the rest of it, which concerns the general public. As Modi himself said in one of his recent interview to an English News Channel that these commoners issues should have been addressed by the ruling government because the people of the country wants an answer and it is the duty of the government to speak out the truth. But the Congress led UPA government is keeping quiet, like its feeble Prime Minister, SMS (or Sardar Manmohan Singh). Even if Dr Singh had utilized the SMS route, taking a leaf out of Modi’s social networking approach, then there may not have been so much of anger, as it is pouring, for the Congress.
Modi on the other hand had addressed very rightly on these issues which matters most for the commoners – who wanted to hear what they can expect from the new government. The “neech rajneeti”, “neech deeds” that the Congress led UPA government has indulged in is now overtly clear to the public. The CWG scam where ministers, bureaucrats and officials have eaten up money from toilet papers, Supreme Court of India verdict on grains for poor children but those were sold to liquor manufacturers and sellers, earmarking Rs1000crore Nirbhaya fund for mothers and daughters and reallocating the same again in the interim budget whereas nothing is spent at all and a heap of other misdeeds that the Congress led UPA government has committed in its rank misrule, are they not “neech rajneeti”? Looking at the Congress loot apparently indicates what people indulge in when famine strikes. But it is understood that they are hit by a famine whereas here there is nothing as such and yet they looted everything with a motive that they might not get anything to eat in future.
In fact two political parties – AAP and Congress – seem to have no agendas right from the very beginning. With the former resorting to its only tactics of anarchy and hooliganism, the latter have no other issue than raking the unsalable Gujarat riots initially followed by engaging itself only in commenting and countering what Modi is saying in the electoral battlefields. The Congress is not only adrift of agendas but also devoid of capable leaders and so we see the trio of son-mother-daughter going all out to hold on to the electorate. The Congress is in such a bad shape that most of its stalwarts too can’t muster courage to fight the elections. A party which is eyeing a hat trick in the general election in the world’s largest democracy overlooking public concern for inflation, unemployment, farmers’ plight and the rest of it can stem from two main reasons. One, the party is overconfident that despite the scams and corruptions that it is dipped in none can remove it from power and two, it has already conceded defeat. The second reason seems to be applicable now because looking at the body language of Congress leaders it can be gauged that they aren’t overconfident. So far the party has not even put up its prime ministerial candidate although it is ostensibly clear that Rahul Gandhi is the one.
Modi’s nationalistic stature coupled with his pro-people agendas like social and economic development across caste, creed and religion, tackling inflation, inclusive growth and good governance is what is pulling masses from all over the country from every religion. And their cross cultural presence is only because of Modi’s euphoria that other political parties are unable to capture. The Congress campaigning and its often banking on Godhra carnage has rather become a “beating around the bush” stunt by congressmen which must be pointed out by the PR agencies appointed by the party to elevate the stature of Rahul Gandhi. This has even been used with a half-hearted appeal by congressmen in the past knowing well that it is not cutting much ice. What about the 1984 Sikh riots when thousands of Sikhs were butchered in the streets of the national capital? Was this not equally communal and bludgeoning? And why are the congressmen ducking these questions when most of its “hands have got blood stains”. What about the Operation Bluestar episode about which UK has revealed some blemishing details about the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her clandestine seeking of foreign help in the mission? And very recently the 1962 Indo-China war and how India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s forward policy is blamed for the debacle. Now is the Congress trying to tell the people of the country that what happened in Gujarat in 2002 was “only” wrong and the historical pogrom and blunders committed by them was for the betterment of the motherland? It can be analyzed from these mishaps that had this country not been in the hands of Congress since independence then it would not have so much of injuries and blots on its body that is seen now.
That the urgency to contain and stop Modi is not only a Congress desire but also of Samajwadi Party in UP is revealed in the Varanasi controversy. In order to contain Modi, his scheduled rally was obstructed in Varanasi citing threats. So far, Modi has done over 400 rallies all over the country which has even been acknowledged by the union home minister that there is no security threat and repeated by P Chidambaram and yet the permission is not given by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Now when a democratic political party is obstructed whereas other such parties are allowed to hold rallies in the same venue then it is certainly bound to raise credibility questions of the ECI. Modi has rightly questioned shockingly as to why the ECI is biased against a particular political party and its candidate. “If it is an autonomous body then it is not showing rather working under an influence,” he said. This election has been truly a fight between one man (Modi) and rest of it similar to exhibition cricket matches to raise funds for generous cause when a particularly national team is up against the rest of the world. Though the cause here is generous too to free the country from a dynastic rule it is hoped that this David (Modi) will ultimately defeat the goliath. It may not be denied that the Varanasi stage has earned so much of significance only because of Modi contesting from here or else the big rallies by AAP and Congress would have never taken place had Modi decided to contest only from Gujarat.
Modi is indeed a straightforward politician and talks directly. His recent comment on Rajiv Gandhi is a clear indication in this regard. When he was questioned about his comment he was candid enough to say that he is ready to apologize even if a single word that he has spoken is spiteful and bitter. He rather countered rightly that he has given factual information about a person and if a factual error has taken place during the time of Jawaharlal Nehru in the country or anybody else then will it not be spoken. It is the right of every citizen to speak the truth. He rather questioned what has happened to the media of this country that if a commoner speaks the truth about a dynasty then it questions the commentator and asked has India gone so down that there is no right left for the common men to speak the truth. That Modi has dared to speak on the delicate issue cross border infiltration in the northeastern region is an example of nipping the bud. This is otherwise not expected from Congress which indulges in vote-bank politics. His recent comments in West Bengal about people from neighboring Bangladesh who observes Durga Ashtami and speaks Bengali are Mother India’s children was never heard or even thought of that some leader would speak about this cajoled community. It is unexpected of Congress to speak about them not only because of the vote-bank politics that they do but the Congress trio of Rahul-Sonia-Priyanka, who are persuading countrymen to rely upon them once again were brazenly missing when the national capital was burning over one of the horrified rape incident last December. A political party that has been ruling the country mostly since independence when meet such gross negligence, how one can expect it to address while people in other countries are dying. But one can blindly rule that had the rape victim in the national capital belonged to a minority community particularly the one on whom it overtly depend then it would have been the first to jump and earn some mileage. That is the reason, why we have seen in the past, when the American drones killed Osama Bin Laden in his hideout in Pakistan and was buried by the Americans under the sea so that people of his faith cannot even get to pray in his grave, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh opined that no matter how big a criminal one might have been, his religious traditions should be respected while burying him. Many opined later that this was just to appease the Muslim community.
Modi on the other hand was speaking legally on the basis of a Supreme Court of India judgment, which has been repeated by Mamata Banerjee inside the parliament in the past, former union home minister Indrajit Gupta, former minister of state PM Sayeed among others. He said that there are millions of Indian origins living in Africa, Asian countries and if they are suffering and is subject to perpetration in those countries, where would they go. He is making a serious nationalistic point here which has often been ignored by the Congress led governments in the past and so we have seen so much of humiliation of Indians abroad whereas the Indian government acting as mute spectator.
It follows, without saying, what a government should do when its citizens are subject to perpetration. That is the reason why there is so much of concern when a Chinese or an American citizen is perpetrated because of the strong stands taken by their nations when such a situation arises. But in India for the Congress, what else matters than its dynasty? Modi rightly says here that for those affected Indians there is only one place to come that is India and it is our duty to give them justice. He is speaking absolutely from the legal perspective. It is indeed an irony of its own nowhere seen perhaps on this earth that Muslim infiltrators from Bangladesh are given safe heaven in Assam, West Bengal and other states in India with voter identity cards, ration cards and other beneficiary schemes because they serve as vote-banks for Congress, TMC et al whereas the Hindus from Pakistan are living in seclusion for decades in Rajasthan looking up to the government of the country to embrace them as the sons and daughters of Mother India. Hindus from Bangladesh who have come to India are living a similar life whereas there are no benefits for them whereas infiltrators are given every opportunity. Where is the justice then? “Political parties are inviting infiltrators from Bangladesh but they are against giving space to Taslima Nasreen. Why is this double standard,” asked Modi. While pointing to Mathuwa Samaj living in West Bengal for 40 years, he said that the government is not giving these dedicated people anything whereas infiltrators are given everything. The Hindus in Bangladesh are uprooted, killed, their properties are damaged by the majority there and there is not a voice of concern from India. Where will they go? In fact, as Modi points out, it is the responsibility of every Indian state to embrace who wants to come here irrespective of any caste or religion and only loves their motherland. They are not coming back here to loot the country but for their motherland. Modi even made it clear that Hinduism is a way of life and it has even been judged by the Supreme Court. An inclusive India where every citizen can dream to stay freely and work is what Modi aspires to make this country. And with the public support his dream of “One India, Ideal India” is apparently where India is approaching. The country today truly needs a medicine to cure it. And that is “Modicine”, as BJP President Rajnath Singh correctly said. Not an India which brands people on vote-banks and fosters a segregated society.
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