https://twitter
com/narendramodi/status/1072526642357198849 Never before has an electoral result given such relief to the masses who have been living under siege ever since the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, assumed office in 2014
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, which together make up the Hindi heartland, weren’t the only things at stake in these assembly elections; India’s soul was as much on the line
With civil society being pushed to the margin, institutions of democracy under constant attack, minorities feeling completely humiliated and marginalised, liberals and seculars branded as anti-state and prominent public universities being turned into centres of Hindu majoritarianism, Modi’s government was making India an unrecognisable place for its own citizens
The brazenness with which the BJP started treating its own people was appalling to say the least; manipulating media to propagate manufactured narratives, invading people’s privacy and suppressing political dissent, Modi turned against the very people who brought him in power in the first place
Hence, given the current political situation of the country, the assembly election results are a landmark outcome
The aura of invincibility that Modi had acquired over the years stands diminished
People have sent a message to the Indian prime minister that he needs to renounce his conceit and stop acting like God
Never before in independent India’s history has a prime minister refused to talk to his own people and maintained silence on issues that seriously impact the country
Be it the killing of innocent Muslims for eating beef, the murder of a prominent journalist by a radical group or demonetisation and other harsh economic measures, Modi chose to remain silent throughout
A prime minister hired to further the agenda of development has instead been turning the nation into a laboratory catering to his majoritarian project
Development has in fact become a subset of this ideological agenda
Instead of development, it is division and hostility that has been flourishing in India since 2014
The recent verdict is therefore a warning signal and a strong disapproval of this brand of politics
The victory of the Congress party establishes the balance of power in the Indian polity
Prior to the Tuesday elections, Congress had been suffering defeat after defeat since 2014
The weakening of Congress was emboldening right-wing political parties and giving them political space that was too intrusive for a secular and multi-cultural republic
The party leader Rahul Gandhi acquired a whole new aura after delivering three states to the Congress
Ridiculed and maligned by the BJP for very long, the young Gandhi will directly challenge Modi in the General Elections to be held in 2019
This victory comes exactly a year after he assumed office as the party president
The rejuvenation of the Congress party is a revival of hope in liberal and secular India
The verdict is a reassertion of people’s faith in democracy and the political middle path
People have spoken loud and clear that they want change
It is now the responsibility of secular political parties to come together and create an alternative strong enough to defeat the BJP government
The BJP government today has a lot of money and takes its campaigning to a whole new level altogether
Winning an election against an opponent with strong corporate backing, very formidable media support and solid backing of state machinery will not be easy
We can only hope that a secular alliance under the leadership of the Congress will be a strong contender for the throne of New Delhi in 2019
These election results also serve as a lesson for the media
It is important that the media stops serving as a mouthpiece for Modi’s sectarian ideology and divisive agenda
To this end, it is important that the opposition’s voice be heard too
People have voted to claim their own India
They don’t want revolution or radical change; they want their own democratic space
| Date: | 13-Dec-2018 | Reference: | View Original Link |
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