The results of the by-polls held in several states have thrown no surprise. Save Palghar Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra and Tharali Assembly seat in Uttarakhand, BJP has lost all other seats, BJP’s ally NDPP has won the Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland. BJP, however, suffered heavily in all other constituencies, including Kairana, a prestigious place in UP.
Earlier I wrote about the simmering anger of the common man over the ever-increasing petrol and diesel prices, craftily contained for nearly three weeks before the Karnataka elections to rapid climb to dizzy heights soon after that smacking of political opportunism.
No Prime Minister in the memory had to set aside his official responsibilities to engage in such vitriolic campaigning. It seems there is no alternative to PM Modi in the ruling party even for the smallest of the by-polls. Loyal friends and poll allies of BJP, like Shiv Sena, have been treated shabbily and are biding their time to part with BJP, or have already parted ways.
The ruling party seem no different from its predecessors in squeezing the governors to harass opposition-ruled state governments as we are witnessing in Delhi, Puducherry or Karnataka. Embracing tainted leaders like the Reddy Brothers and Yeddyurappa have made BJP’s stand against corruption sound hollow and fake.
India sadly now stands divided into communal lines like never, secularists branded anti-national, trolled and ridiculed in public or social media. No economist has come forward assessing the damages due to rifts and disharmony in monetary terms, which could be in billions of dollars.
Four years have ended and just a year remains for the BJP government. Many of the election promises see no sign of fulfilment. Despite the PM’s intense engagement with foreign countries, USA threatens sanctions against India, if we pursue with our plans to buy missile systems from Russia, import oil from Iran or Venezuela. The incidence could reveal India’s factual position, which may not change too soon.
The banking system is in shambles. After the Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi scams, cash-rich banks are not eager to lend, nor industrialists in any hurry to borrow. The telecom, power and steel is struggling, though the ailment could have merely been inherited by BJP.
The opposition has tasted blood by winning most seats they had together fought against BJP, and this could be the precursor for 2019 too. Against a combined battle, BJP will stand no chance and would sink to a double-digit tally in the next parliament elections unless they shun their over-reliance on Hindutva and address urgently more pressing issues like jobs creation.
I wish PM Modi focusses properly for 2019!
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide voix
