Nehru in 1961 wanted to give up the claim to "Little island" :::::::: Congress and DMK are two parties who approached Katchatheevu issue as though they have 'no responsibility' for it : Dr Jaishankar

   Congress and DMK are two parties who approached Katchatheevu issue as though they have 'no responsibility' for it : Dr S Jaishankar said at a press conference here on Monday, April 1. 

"As if it is for today's central government to resolve it...this has just happened. They are the people taking up the cause", he said adding, "We believe the public has a right to know. The public has a right to know how did the situation come about".   

Katchatheevu island is where fishermen from Tamil Nadu go to fish. But they are detained by the Sri Lankan Navy as soon as they cross the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) to reach the island.

On Sunday too, Prime Minister Modi slammed the Congress for handing over the island to Sri Lanka and also accused the grand old party of "weakening" the country's integrity and interests.

His remarks came in response to a Right To Information (RTI) report which revealed how the Congress government led by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi handed over Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1974.

The External Affairs Minister further claimed that "we know who did this, what we don't know is who hid it. We believe that the public has the right to know how this situation came up".

"This issue has been hidden too long from the gaze of the public. The fishermen are still being detained today, boats are still being apprehended, and the issue is still being raised in Parliament. It is being raised in Parliament by two parties who did it," he said.  

"Whenever there was an arrest, how do you think they were released? It is very good to give statements from Chennai, but the people who do the work are us."

The Prime Minister's remarks on Sunday led to criticism from both the Congress and DMK.

While Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge asked if the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre took any steps to resolve the issue and take back the island, the DMK said the BJP was busy playing blame games with the Opposition and alleged it was "afraid" to campaign on its achievements.  

Further pursuing the debate that's already in the public space, the External Affairs Minister said, "We know who did it...now we are discussing who hid it". 

Dr Jaishankar during the 1970s especially around 1974 when the issue was first taken up for a bilateral agreement, the then Attorney General Setalvad had said, the "sovereignty" of the island in question actually remained with India. 

"... We are talking about 1958 and 1960... The main people in the case wanted to make sure that at least we should get the fishing rights... The island was given away in 1974 and the fishing rights were given away in 1976... One, the most basic recurring (aspect) is the indifference shown by the then central government and the Prime Ministers about the territory of India...

"That fact is they simply did not care...," Mr Jaishankar said in his press conference.

Dr Jaishankar went on: "To demonstrate that if one looks at ... This is an observation by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in May 1961 ... He (Nehru) writes --- "I attach no importance at all to this little island and I would have no hesitation in giving up our claim to it".  

"I (Nehru writing) don't like matter like this pending indefinitely and being raised again and again in Parliament".  

"So to Pandit Nehru this was a little island ....he saw it as a nuisance, why are people bringing it up again and again in Parliament. So for him the sooner you give it away the better".  

"This was not just Nehru's views...this view continued with Indira Gandhi too....". 

Recalling the parliament debate of 1974, he said, a member called G Vishwanathan from Tamil Nadu says: "We are worried about .....thousands of miles away from Indian territory but we are not worried about this small island. PM (Indira Gandhi) told a AICC meeting that this is a little rock...I am reminded of those days when Pt Nehru called about our northern boundary as a place where not a blade of grass grows...

I would like to remind the Prime Minister that after this historic statement by PM Nehru, Pt Nehru never regained the confidence of the country......This is going to the Prime Minister when she says this is only a little rock and there is nothing to worry about". 

Katchatheevu island row blows up !! It will frustrate DMK supporters and play game-changer in Tamil Nadu polls ... BJP fields Jaishankr, PM says "new details unmasked DMK’s double standards"

While addressing a press conference at BJP headquarters in Delhi, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said, "In the last 20 years, 6,184 Indian fishermen have been detained by Sri Lanka and in the same period 1,175 Indian fishing vessels have been seized, detained or apprehended. 

This is really the background of the issue that we are discussing". The articulate Foreign Minister and a trusted aide of PM Narendra Modi in the foreign policy realm says, "In the last five years, in Parliament and in consultative committee we have repeatedly discussed this  ....Katchatheevu issue has been repeatedly raised by all parties". 

He also stated that Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M K Stalin has written to me numerous times and "my record shows to the current CM I have replied 21 times on this issue". 

"So this is not an issue which as suddenly surfaced...This is a live issue ....It has been the subject of correspondence between the Union government and the state government". 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that new details on the Katchatheevu island issue "have unmasked DMK’s double standards totally". His remarks came a day after he attacked the Congress over its decision to hand over the strategic island to Sri Lanka in the 1970s.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, "Rhetoric aside, DMK has done NOTHING to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s interests. New details emerging on #Katchatheevu have UNMASKED the DMK’s double standards totally."

In all that ED is doing; and in all that PM Modi says --- one biggest drawback is Leaders like Himanta or Praful Patel "receiving leniency" after they join BJP or NDA 

 Several northeastern leaders have been spared. It is a matter of fact that Leaders who faced corruption charges saw 'leniency' from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after they join BJP or got/get themselves affiliated with the ruling National Democratic Alliance. 

Blogger tracks it all... !! 

Obviously, things may be too late. Things may not be well substantiated.  But it is also true that the alleged instances of double standards vis-a-vis soft-peddling or preferential treatment undermine the credibility of ED, PMO and other democratic and governance institutions.   

According to 'South China Morning Post', "....accusations of stifling press freedoms and targeting critics through corruption allegations have generated significant concern." The article claims, criticism extends to the perceived unequal treatment of politicians facing corruption charges, with some individuals seemingly receiving leniency after affiliating with the ruling party. 

Of course, the general reading so far is the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking hat-trick will get a cakewalk. In terms of persistence war, things still stand as a disaster for the BJP or the neta class in general. Deception becomes an important factor. Hence, Modi's 400 plus target came more as a well thought of electoral strategy than any realistic prediction.  

"The target of 370 for the BJP and 400 for the NDA by PM Modi in Parliament was well thought of statement. It could successfully intimidate the opposition especially a disorganised Congress at the national level. In some states, the regional satraps like Mamata Banerjee was still battle ready. And the 'target' worked a powerful rhetoric and political tonic motivating the party workers." says Varanasi-based Tushar Bhadra.  

The biggest issue is of complacency -- this malady had harmed the BJP of the Vajpayee era most in 2004. 

Still Modi has many advantages. The Prime Minister's 'implementation' of free-food programmes and substantial subsidies targeting farmers, women and the impoverished has garnered him widespread populist support. 

On other fronts, – the successful hosting of the Group of 20 Summit and India’s lunar rover landing in August 2023 – have elevated Modi’s standing on the global stage. PM and his foreign minister S Jaishankar have handled Russia-Ukraine conflict well so that Modi is today seen as a global peace broker. Both Russia and Ukraine want him to play a much bigger role by the fall of autumn this year. 

But can the poll outcome in the ultimate throw up a last-minute surprise and upset Modi's personal ambitions to create history ?

No Indian Prime Minister after its first, that is Jawaharlal Nehru, has got re-elected for three consecutive term. But, yet, the milestone is still far off and 'not achieved' till the last ball is delivered. 

The ruling party is determined to increase seats and vote share in West Bengal where Sandeshkhali has certainly put the Trinamool Congress on defensive. The BJP has won a few key Biju Janata Dal leaders such as B Mahatab and has given them tickets. 

Mahatab has won the prestigious Cuttack seat multiple times and could do it yet again rather comfortably. 

The Team Modi is sweating it out to make deeper penetration into hitherto 'unconquered' southern states including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and even Kerala. It has to hold on to its ground in two-Congress ruled states Telangana and Karnataka and in fact many things will depend on BJP's ability to taste 'concrete' success in the south. 

Of course, the opposition alliance is still struggling to get its act together is a big advantage for the BJP.

March 31st rally in Delhi need not translate into votes due to various reasons including the opposition's inability to create a common theme to take on the mighty electoral juggernaut of the BJP.

Thus analysts often say all the activities around election is typically BJP and Modi centric.  Moreover, the opposition in general and especially the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi have failed to pass the right election-related messages for the people.

The narratives are still well controlled by Modi. In Assam, sitting MP Gaurav Gogoi said Rahul Gandhi during Bharat Jodo Yatra raised "bread and butter issues" and joblessness - but will these rhetoric translate into votes?

It is a well known fact that the ground reality has seen a sea change. And despite being the son, grandson and great-grandson of former Indian prime ministers, Rahul Gandhi has already suffered two bruising landslide defeats to Modi in 2014 and 2019. And yet no accountability was fixed on him. 

To a large extent, Rahul Gandhi is seen as a liability. Mamata Banerjee is typically cautious about Rahul and his other state-level colleagues such as Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

 

Both the Congress party and 53-year-old Rahul himself has "studiously" avoided projecting himself as an 'alternative prime minister' to Modi. The common reading is any fight between Modi and a 'dynast Rahul' would only give an advantage to former 'tea vendor' and self-made Modi. The PM's combo of Hindutva, a poor tea vendor's son and as a catalyst of development give him huge advantage.

Moreover, Modi's welfare works vis-a-vis girl child education and saving them and construction of roads and toilets give BJP a clear head-start. 

The Modi detractors say Modi and his party have weaponised investigative agencies and tax authorities to cull political opponents and reduce the chances of a fair election. 

Did Rahul Gandhi almost sounded resigned to his fate and imminent defeat when he screamed at Ram Lila ground on March 31 (2024), Sunday: “If the BJP wins this match-fixing election and changes the constitution, it will light the country on fire. 

This is not an ordinary election. This election is to save the country, protect our constitution.“

But does Rahul Gandhi have any substantial explanation to argue that why it bad to struggle so hard since 2013-14 -- that his since Modi swept to power a decade ago.

Sharing the stage with Gandhi during the rally at the popular Ramlila Maidan gathering site in New Delhi were opposition leaders including regional party heads who have overcome their differences regarding which party would contest which seats. Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of Kejriwal, told the rally: “This fascism will not work in India. We will fight and we will win.”

PM Modi countered that. He said in an election ally at Meerut that his fight against corruption had rattled the opposition.  “Big corrupt people are behind bars and even the supreme court is not giving them bail,” Modi said in the rally. 

Congress – besides struggling with detentions and raids by India’s financial crime-fighting agency – says it is battling “tax terrorism” amid large tax demands by the government and the freezing of some of its bank accounts, which it says are attempts to financially cripple the party.

But people of India under norms, the Congress party cannot get any special treatment vis-a-vis tax disputes especially after Delhi High Court too did not help them. 

 

ends 

"Pawan Bansal hazir ho" ::::: Congress alleges 'Tax terrorism' by BJP Govt headed by Modi ... but there is a story of a 'failed deal'

 The Congress party has the good old Indian habit -- blame others even if the fault is yours and then claim victimhood ! The 'tax' issue actually blew up as it had failed to submit its return and the court declined to come to its rescue. 

On March 22, 2024, the Delhi High Court dismissed Congress party's pleas challenging the 'reassessment proceedings' initiated against it by the Income Tax Department.

A bench of Justices Yashwant Varma and Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, while pronouncing the verdict, said, "We dismiss the writ petitions."

This month after the court order, the tax departments did make it move and recovered from 'Congress bank accounts' - Rs 135 crore. The amount meant 'recovery of dues and interest' as per the banking and tax rules. 

There's another case of Congress fault line. The tax involves seven financial years between 2014 and 2021. There is also an allegation of unaccounted transactions of Rs 500 crore. 

The timing for all these is 'pretty bad', as they put it. The original amount of 'tax' default goes to Rs 53 crore of 1994 when P V Narasimha Rao was the Congress president and Sitaram Kesri was the treasurer. Under Kesri, files were hardly maintained; cash was the norm and every Congressman and woman would sing: 'Na Khata, na bahi...Jo Chacha Kesri kahi, woh sahi". 

Uncle Kesri might have died; but such practices are not entertained in new Bharat.

Another year vis-a-vis tax issues for Congress is more recent - 2019. It was election year and the polls were lost by the grand old party. The slogan 'Chowkidar chor hae' against Narendra Modi had boomeranged.  All the political parties had to submit tax return by Dec 31, 2019; but the Congress had missed the deadline.

Now take the rule book. The political parties do not have to pay an tax. That's fine -- but the rules framed years back say -- the political parties have to submit Tax Returns and that's mandatory ! This Congress did not do.

Here comes a tale. The role of the then AICC treasurer Pawan Bansal -- who was replaced by Ajay Maken lately.  

"The Congress internal probe on the income tax row reportedly points at procrastination on the part of its former party treasurer Pawan Bansal and another AICC functionary, currently in charge of arranging helicopters for the party. 

Apparently, the AICC functionary had convinced Bansal that he would get the row with the income tax department settled through a commissioner. The deal, however, never materialised," writes longtime Congress watcher Rasheed Kidwai in 'India Today'.

Ting tong !! Why should Tax officials and the PM Narendra Modi get all the blame? 

The problem with tax rules in India is while a political party need not pay tax. submitting of return is compulsory and probably along with Mallikarjun Kharge even US envoys should take note of these !! 

If a party misses the deadline of submitting  the return - the real fun starts .... Tax exemption is lost and all your 'income and donation' can also become taxable. 

So what's was around Rs 199 crore ...along with dues and fines, the amount has shot up. Pay fine and one can go ahead. But Rahul Gandhi was advised to enlist the help of mom Sonia Gandhi (a former Congress president) and Kharge (incumbent party chief) to address a joint press conference. A historic one and they cried about the Tax Terrorism. 

Intellectual advisors like Jairam Ramesh followed it up in their press conferences. 

It's brilliant, and its called 'we are the victims' of Narendra Modi's intolerant India.

Ting tong; oh baby sing a song -- Ding Dong bell, Congress netas in the well. Na? 

Democracy is under threat is easier version for Sickular bus and also 'English media'.  

 

'ek aur admi Hafta (read Tax) dene se inkar karne wala hae'  ??????? 

mamata says CPI-M and Congress are hand in gloves with BJP :::::::: Vintage Namo yet again .... nullifies 'protect families' rally !! " ...no middleman can steal money from poor. I am fighting Corruption, that is why the corrupt are behind bars" -- talks about Kejriwal episode so crystal clear

On a day, opposition parties ganged up in Delhi and at the same good old 'Ram Lila ground', Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister said at a rally in West Bengal that: the CPI-M and the Congress are in league with the BJP in her 'Banglae (state)'.  

"Each vote you give to CPI-M will go to the BJP, each vote for Congress is casting your vote in favour of the BJP," said a desperate self-style paragon of 'only secular/sickular fighter'.

 PM in Meerut  

"In last 10 years, country has seen that we have started the fight against corruption. We have ensured that no middleman can steal money from the poor. I am fighting corruption, that is why the corrupt are behind bars today," PM Narendra Modi. 

The remark talks about Arvind Kejriwal episode so crystal clear ! Modi successfully takes the battle to the 'enemy' front on a day Congress leader Rahul Gandhi almost gave up the 2024 battle by talking about EVMs and 'match fixing'. 

"Modi's mantra is 'Bhrashtachar hatao' and they say 'Bhrashtacahri bachao'. This election is between NDA, which is fighting against corruption, and the other group, which is fighting to save the corrupt," the Prime Minister said kick-starting his Lok Sabha election campaign in Uttar Pradesh from Meerut.

UP sends maximum of 80 lawmakers into Lok Sabha and with the Ram Mandir already inaugurated on Jan 22, 2024, Modi and his party hope to garner higher numbers from the state.

In 2014, the game-changer results came from UP when BJP won 71 and two seats went to its allies. In 2019, however, the tally dropped a bit.

The Prime Minister asserted that the upcoming polls are not to elect a government, but to make a 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) by 2047.

The BJP has fielded actor Arun Govil, who played Lord Ram in DD's much acclaimed serial 'Ramayan' in the eighties. Notably, Govil was earlier associated with the Congress and had even campaigned for Rajiv Gandhi when the latter had come under severe attack over Bofors gun deal scandal. 

Earlier, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he is trying to fix the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. 

Gandhi said the saffron party "won't win more than 180 seats". 

"Do you all see IPL matches, .... there is a term 'match-fixing' in cricket. Narendra Modi ji is trying to do match-fixing in this election. Their slogan of crossing 400, without EVM, without match-fixing is not going to cross 180," he said while addressing an opposition rally at Delhi's Ramlila ground.

The rally was apparently called to extend solidarity with 'arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal'.  

However, Rahul Gandhi's remarks could be interpreted in certain quarters as an attempt to create ground for 'looking for excuses' for an inevitable defeat.  

The Congress leader said Prime Minister Modi wants that the opposition should not be able to contest elections. Therefore, Gandhi alleged, he appointed his people to the Election Commission, sent two chief ministers to jail, seized Congress bank accounts, and put pressure on the judiciary. 

Gandhi said all the bank accounts of Congress have been closed at the time of elections. 

"What kind of election is this...where leaders are being threatened, governments are being toppled and Chief Ministers are being put in jail. This is an attempt to fix matches, which Narendra Modi is doing in collaboration with a few industrialists of the country." 

On the bank accounts matters while Congress is desperately trying to get some sympathy, the fact of the matter is tax laws apply to all and the grand old party cannot claim any special treatment during the poll season. Moreover, lack of funds have already frustrated a number of Congress candidates in north east especially when the role of money is immense during polls.

In Arunachal Pradesh, already Congress candidates have withdrawn nominations and thereby 10 BJP candidates including Chief Minister Pema Khandu have already won unopposed.  

 

In his speech at Meerut, the Prime Minister also said: 

"I am not just probing the corrupt. It is my guarantee that whoever has looted the people of my country, I am returning the stolen wealth of my people back to them".

 

'Victory season unfolds for Team Modi' ....'Land of rising Sun' - Arunachal Pradesh shows the way..... Saffron party wins 10 seats in assembly unopposed

 

Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu elected unopposed

Deputy CM Chowna Mein among 10 BJP candidates win Assembly polls

Chief Minister Khandu was the only person to file a nomination from the Mukto assembly constituency in Tawang district, while Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein won the Chowkham seat uncontested after his lone rival Bayamso Kri of the Congress withdrew his nomination on Saturday. 

Chief Minister Pema Khandu, a former Congressman, had earlier won unopposed in 2014 and 2011 in a bypoll. 

In the process, the BJP is almost set to get a cakewalk to power yet again in politically sensitive border state of Arunachal Pradesh. A sixth of the 60-member state Assembly has been elected unopposed.

In 2014, 11 candidates had won without an election but then it was a Congress show. Table has simply turned.  

It is more common for MLAs to win unopposed than Lok Sabha MPs. Since the first elections in 1952, 298 MLAs and 28 MPs won their seats in the absence of any opponent.

In Assemblies, Nagaland leads the way with the most MLAs elected unopposed at 77, followed by Jammu and Kashmir at 63, and Arunachal Pradesh at 40.

In 1962, the Assembly polls in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal and the erstwhile Mysore state and J&K saw the most state legislators elected unopposed in a single year at 47. After that, the highest tallies for a single year came in 1998 at 45, and in 1967 and 1972 at 33 each.

Khandu: Team Modi's 'first man of the match' 

Elections to remaining 50 constituencies of the 60-member assembly and two Lok Sabha seats will be held on April 19, the first day of polling in this year's battle.

Single nomination paper has been filed in six assembly constituencies while in four others, opposition candidates including from Congress withdrew their papers. 

Records and statistics : 

The Congress has, by far, had the most MLAs elected unopposed at 194, followed by the National Conference (NC) at 34, and the BJP at 15. Twenty-nine Independents have also been elected unopposed to date. Khandu and former J&K CM Syed Mir Qasim have been elected unopposed a record three times each. 

Khandu’s Mukto Assembly seat has seen the most instances of an MLA elected unopposed at five. Before Khandu, his father and former CM Dorjee Khandu won the seat unopposed in 1990 and 2009.

'Uncontested to Lok Sabha' - Old record

Since 1952, J&K has seen the most MPs elected unopposed at four. Only eight states have sent more than one legislator to Parliament uncontested, including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The most MPs elected unopposed in a single election came in 1952, 1957, and 1967 at five each. The most recent unopposed election was in a 2012 bypoll, when Dimple Yadav, the wife of Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh, won Kannauj in UP unopposed. Before that, the last time an MP won uncontested was in 1995.

In terms of MPs, too, the Congress has seen the most get elected unopposed at 20. The NC and SP follow with two each. Just one Independent has won the parliamentary election unopposed. There is no BJP candidate on this list, reports 'Indian Express'. 

Notably, only two Lok Sabha seats have seen an MP elected unopposed more than once – Sikkim and Srinagar.

Among the notable MPs who were elected unopposed are former Deputy Prime Minister and Maharashtra CM Y B Chavan from Nasik; former J&K CM and NC chief Farooq Abdullah from Srinagar; former Nagaland CM and ex-Governor of four states S C Jamir; Odisha’s first CM Harekrushna Mahatab from Angul; former member of the Constituent Assembly T T Krishnamachari from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchendur; and former Union Ministers P M Sayeed from Lakshadweep and K L Rao from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.  

Veteran Naga leader S C Jamir was nominated as the first Lok Sabha Member from the state of Nagaland in year 1961. This was part of peace efforts and formation of the new state. Statehood was granted to Nagaland from Dec 1, 1963

Blessed are few moments:::: Veteran Jamir (then 91) giving joy ride to blogger in Dimapur

Amid 'Modi Guarantee' in Indian elections Robust Opposition still a mirage

The 74-year old Narendra Modi, according to a Pew survey last year, enjoys a unique and special support or approval of  80 percent of Indians. 

His opponents try to look for multiple reasons to explain why despite 10-year in office as the Prime Minister and thirteen (13) years before that as Gujarat Chief Minister, there is no real anti-incumbency against him.

This is a world record. Of course, it may still be unwise to dismiss the undercurrent. But they say -- PM Modi sits atop a well-oiled campaign juggernaut awash in corporate donations. Even the corporate funding through Electoral Bonds has been found to be unconstitutional and has been banned by the Supreme Court.

Nevertheless, an huge money has already come to the ruling dispensation.  

In less than three weeks time, the first round of voting will take place in India to elect its new Lok Sabha - the 543-member House of the people. Various surveys and pre poll analysis by pundits give incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi a huge advantage. 

In many quarters a strong impression has been given that there is 'no real competition' or threat to the Prime Minister who had wrested power in 2014.

The last decade has been a typical 'Modi era' and his rule marked a departure from various

long lasting facets of Indian parliamentary democracy essentially cherishing pluralism.

But both Modi critics and admirers say -- the worst or the 'best' -- as one would see from different prisms- 

is yet to come. And, they say it could come in the next five years if Modi's ambitions are fulfilled. He is eyeing 

a brute majority with 400 plus seats for the BJP and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The NDA was floated in the 1990s when former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was at the helm. 

Vajpayee was the moderate face of Hindutva politics -- who even had a personal liking for 'Gandhian

socialism'. But Modi is a hard-liner and a real tough nut. He thrives in strong Hindutva politics and

mixes his development and welfare in governance with a strong dosage of Hindu communalism in a country

of 1.45 billion people with nearly 80 of them are Hindus.

His associates such as 20-year younger Yogi Adityanath thrives in being called the Bulldozer baba.

As a result the minorities in many places feel threatened and they include Catholic Christians also besides Muslims

-- who are sadly blamed for India's partition in 1947 when Pakistan was carved out of a Hindu majority sub-continent.

"I say, the worst or the best of the Modi-led regime will come in the next few years depending on how one looks

at it. He has been a hyper active Hindutva leader already but if he musters an enhanced mandate of 400 plus

seats, PM Modi will go for pushing some radical changes in legal and social trajectories. India may opt for a 

Presidential form of politics and the Hindu way of life, social practice and teachings may be imposed in

school curriculum, social functions and also in administration," says social scientist Ramakanto Shanyal.

Union Railway and IT Minister Ashwain Vaishmaw says next five years are important as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the roadmap for a Viksit Developed India by 2047.

Indian history of communal politics has a peculiar past.

 "In 1905 when Bengal under British rule

was partitioned in the name of religion; intellectuals revolted. But in 1947, the same intellectuals accepted

the partition. Again after independence, socialism and pluralism with protection guaranteed for minorities

were taken as a norm; but in the last 10 years under Modi, there have been pro-Hindutva approaches for

everything. This communal journey will be more strident, more Hindu rituals will be visible in public

life and as Masjids may be crushed down, people will clap," says Shanyal.

Agrees Ashutosh Talukdar, another keen observer in communally sensitive state of Assam.

"Modi has successfully weakened the opposition by various means. Some of it is created by opposition parties

themselves, but the Prime Minister has used official agencies to file corruption cases and order raids.

Forget India's minorities; various opposition leaders including from Congress are today threatened

and feel alarmed," says Talukdar.

Some of these allegations could be true as no less than Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently claimed

that a senior leader from Maharashtra 'cried' before his mother Sonia Gandhi (former Congress president)

and then switched over to the BJP. The said leader had his name in an infamous housing scam. 

Congress leader Sanjay Das in Meghalaya said, "It is true we have a high unemployment rate across

India. But Modi is not bothered as even widespread criticism is unlikely to significantly change the election 

results...At least this is what BJP leaders feel. They can misuse power and our worst apprehension about

the hacking of EVMs". In today's India, nothing is ruled out because, "no one can really say no to 

Narendra Modi".

Here are a few instances which substantiate Sanjay's apprehensions.

Top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was convicted on 'defamation charges' last year for insulting 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was disqualified. The conviction was later suspended by the 

Supreme Court.

The Congress party has said now it can’t campaign properly because Indian income tax officials have frozen 

its bank accounts due to a tax dispute. 

The Modi government took action against AAP leader and a prominent opposition face, Arvind Kejriwal.

Another Chief Minister in Jharkhand Hemant Soren was also put behind bars.

The Modi cabinet enacted a new law that gives the prime minister a seat on the selection committee for the 

three-member Indian Election Commission.

The arrest of Kejriwal has of course rekindled India’s ‘democratic backslide’ debate.

The US has protested and so has Germany but both the western allies has been told not to interfere in India's internal matters.

On the other hand, Modi's support base is intact.

Many Indian voters also perceive Modi as an incorruptible, non-dynastic figure who gets things done and keeps his promises, from implementing social welfare policies to building the controversial Ram Mandir temple. There is a reason one of his current campaign slogans is emphasizing the “Modi Guarantee”—that the leader comes through when he needs to, runs a piece in The Foreign Policy.

Ends 

I know of youths and middle-aged people now in Delhi or Kolkata, who do not have a very good opinion on 'parochial forces' of northeast

Conventional wisdom reflected in much of the commentary on the diaspora’s political leanings underscores the diaspora’s simultaneous support for the left-of-center Democratic Party in the United States and the right-of-center BJP in India.

This raises the empirical question of whether such a contrast actually exists: Could the same person have divergent views on the same issues when considered in different contexts?, said a survey report from carnegieendowment.org in 2021.

Probably we have come back to the same debate yet again both in American contexts and in India when the polity has entered the election season. 

Or do respondents’ policy attitudes remain stable across countries and contexts?

If political views are universal, then Indian Americans should exhibit similar responses to similar questions in both the United States and India. If, however, views are contextual, then Indian Americans might hold more liberal views about policy in the United States and simultaneously more conservative views on policy in India.

Now look at some of the crucial aspects of foreign policy framing by the Modi government. On a wide range of issues — from the war in Ukraine to the war in Gaza, and on issues such as Taiwan — India has continued to avoid articulating a coherent policy stand. 

Whenever New Delhi has been vocal, it has done so to defend its right to be silent and neutral. 

At the same time, in recent years New Delhi showed a neo-assertive and affirmative policy stands. 

PM Narendra Modi in the last decade 're-defined' certain trajectories as he has used 'foreign policy' to espouse Hindu nationalist causes almost exclusively.

He did not play it as a defensive tool either. Hence the 'export of ancient Hindu culture' got an added emphasis and this meant inauguration of Hindu temples in Ayodhya and also abroad.

Notably prior to his era, for decades, India had portrayed itself as the poster boy of liberal democracy in the developing world. 

Some of these were not required or not in India's own interest. Under previous regimes, the Indian government showcased India’s syncretic, multi-religious culture, and its unique ability to 'foster and embrace diversity'. This might have harmed the interest of the majority community.

The world's largest democracy played up a faulty line that Minorities had a greater degree of entitlement and right and the Majority/Hindus could be insulted and discriminated against. 

But the governance-crime towards minorities and Muslims thrived. The Sachar committee report only exposed the top 'sickulars' - the Marxists.

Of course, India's neighbors over the decades descended into civil wars and communal chaos, and at the same minorities in India - both Christians and Muslims - did not integrate emotionally with India's national interest to the level they ought to. 

On their own minorities always thought Art 370 was necessary. The national integration in north east probably only meant naming few institutes in the name of Gandhis and Nehrus - ensuring chunk of votes for Congress party. Corruption thrived and parochialism was the order of the day. 

The cry from Sickular brigade on Manipur was never seen in the past when states after states and on annual basis Bengalis, Biharis and other Indians were discriminated against. The 'local' majoritarianism was far dangerous and hateful. 

I know of youths and middleaged people now in Delhi or Kolkata, who do not have a very good opinion on 'parochial forces' of the northeast. If there was 'unemployment', the lack of industries was not debated; the northeast organisations got busy chasing out 'outsiders' - either Plain manu in Nagaland, Vai naupangs in Mizoram or Dhwakers in Meghalaya.  

I know elderly people - and a few who expired - had last wishes of visiting and staying for a while in Jail Road house in Shillong or in some Bengal--infested colonies in Nagaland. 

Blogger: Open sky .... often allowed Candid talks 

Take the debates to the foreign policy front yet again. In recent years, India’s domestic politics has given Narendra Modi increasing common ground (with countries like China and Russia) on issues such as the regulation of human and business rights, the expansion of state control over sundry policy domains, and the containment of Western values in global governance.  

"Modi’s extraordinarily successful management of these inherent tensions in his dealings with the United States so far is perhaps his biggest foreign policy achievement," says a piece in 'The Diplomat'.  

The article also aptly highlights a few other aspects which call for closer scrutiny. 

PM Modi has envisaged India as an 'independent pole' in a multipolar world. And in the pursuit of that goal, Modi has also retained India’s long-standing policy of neutrality, non-alignment, and fence-sitting.

On a wide range of issues — from the war in Ukraine to the war in Gaza, from Iran to Taiwan — India has continued to avoid articulating a coherent policy stand. Whenever New Delhi has been vocal, it has done so to defend its right to be silent and neutral.

As a corollary, Modi has also continued and expanded the efforts of past governments in seeking a series of alliances with countries that are avowed enemies of each other. 

India has therefore been extremely comfortable in being part of both the Quad (with the United States and its allies) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (with China, Russia, and their allies). It has also been able to extract advanced weapons from the U.S. while simultaneously seeking opportunities for joint defense development with Russia, says the piece in 'The Diplomat'.

snap: The Diplomat 

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Has BJP fielded its next foreign minister in Sandhu from Amritsar ?? :::::: Former BJD leader Mahatab makes it to BJP list in Cuttack, Preneet Kaur is BJP nominee from Patiala in Punjab

In BJP's new list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and veteran lawmaker from Cuttack, B Mahatab's name figures. He will try his luck from the same seat in Odisha.

In the 8th list released on Saturday, the saffron party has named six of Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha candidates including Mrs Preneet Kaur -- who has been fielded from the prestigious Patiala Lok Sabha constituency. 

The BJP has named senior diplomat and former Indian ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, from another key constituency of Amritsar.

He may give a strong competition to incumbent External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar. 

Moreover, three-term MP Ravneet Singh Bittu from Ludhiana and ex-AAP MP Sushil Kumar Rinku have been fielded from Jalandhar reserved seat.  Bittu joined the BJP from Congress a few days back ad so did Rinku who had won Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-poll in 2023 on AAP ticket.

From Faridkot reserved segment, the BJP sprung a surprise by fielding Hans Raj Hans, who is the sitting North West Delhi MP in the outgoing 17th Lok Sabha. Has has not been fielded in Delhi.  

Former Sujanpur MLA Dinesh Babbu has been fielded from Gurdaspur, where the party has dropped sitting MP and actor Sunny Deol. Late actor Vinod Khanna represented Gurdaspur since 1998. But after his death in 2017, the Congress candidate Sunil Jakhar had won the seat.  In 2019, the BJP fielded another film star Sunny Deol and who made it rather comfortably. 

In 2009, the Gurdaspur seat went to Congress nominee Partap Singh Bajwa. The Lotus party at present has two MPs in the 17th Lok Sabha -- Som Prakash from  Hoshiarpur and Sunny Deol representing Gurdaspur.  Preneet Kaur is the sitting MP from Patiala and switched over to the BJP from the Congress recently.

'Pawar' battle in Baramati: Ajit Pawar's wife vs Supriya Sule in polls

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has fielded Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra, against his estranged cousin Supriya Sule from Baramati seat in Maharashtra for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

NCP candidate Sunetra Pawar said, "Today is a huge day for me. I want to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union HM Amit Shah, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar for showing faith on me".

Congress needs 140 to demand Prime Ministership.... BJP cannot have that even with 240 MPs :::::::: "Caught in a dance with destiny....." .........Congress crushing defeats... repeated failures --- and the reasons there of

India's 'democratic capitalism' as practiced by Congress and other parties for six decades in India's history since independence left people, chiefly Hindus. frustrated.  It also failed to create sustainable growth beyond 5 per cent on average. 

(All these may not matter.... Congress leaders are calculating based on 2004 formula -- if we get 140-150 seats ... we can have our own government, our own Prime Minister, our now National Advisory Council and our own 'remote control'. )

They also believe for the chae-wallah Hindutva icon Narendra Modi even win in 240 seats may not ensure prime ministership. That is Indian secularism - read SICK-ULARISM.... and also recall Late Pramod Mahajan's famous 1996 speech ---

- "I am from the single largest party..I am in opposition. Congress is the second largest party ..it is supporting the government but not in the government and Mr Ramakant Khalap is the only member of his party...and he is the government".  

But in the last 10 years; Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'good governance' sprinkled with a few essential economic measures and so-called 'authoritarian capitalism' gave a higher scale of economic growth. India's economy came from rank 11th to 5th and soon it will attain the third position after the United States and also China.  

We need to take a closer look that 'Universal suffrage' since 1950s gave Indians a vote but real time VOICE to faceless Indians were heard post Emergency and also in 2014 when a decisive mandate was given with a 'volcanic capacity' to remake the political landscape.

Post-Indira Gandhi assassination mandate in 1984 was only a sympathy for a sobbing son. 

Indian voters have learnt many lessons after that. 

According to certain analysis, that people's VOICE rejected the old order, the Congress strength came down to all-time low in 2014, even the idea of so-called Third Front that was so visible in 1996 and to an extent even 1998 mandate was rejected. 

In the process, people preferred a new kind of leadership in the shape of Narendra Modi. 

Modi's combo offer of Hindutva and Development was unique but a reality and the Congress could not understand the message and kept on banking on old theories. 

By 2015-16, Rahul Gandhi-had led his party into the lap of Left liberalism and thus the narratives of ultra-communism and often seen as 'urban Naxalism' swallowed it. 

These new set of narratives made it a darling of a section of elites and English media but the harm caused to its electoral prowess was humongous.     

Blogger 

Now some ear-on-ground checking:::

# Can Congress win three to five seats in Gujarat?

# Will BJP lose out about 5-10 seats in Rajasthan?

# Will Karnataka give Congress -- around 18 to 20 seats? 

#What will happen to 'sympathy' for Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi and Punjab? 

Now the other way round -- few answers and observations.

** If Gujarat gives Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo shock and hand over five seats to the Congress and AAP together .... the logic will say at least Shah should quit being 'BJP's chanakya' !! 

** If Punjab's 13 seats, 3-5 seats in Delhi come to AAP and Congress and the grand old party's 'former AVBP CM' Revanth Reddy handover 10-12 seats to Congress then the entire national scenario in terms of post-poll permutation and combination can change. Well, one may have 2004 'revisited' type story. 

The Congress has the potential to spring these surprises but it has always mishandled the cards.  

                                      

After defeats in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan -- they went indoors for days unable to stomach the results. 

Narendra Modi sensed that very well and he played the usual mind game. His personal move to announce 370 and 400 plus as targets for his party and NDA was a deliberate move. 

Probably, he could read people's pulse that things were not as rosy as made out to be especially in terms of governance after Post-Corona. 

Of course without a leader like Modi at the helm of affairs, India's condition could have been worse in 2021 and 2022. But it goes to his credit that he has handled certain things like diplomacy and economy very well. In 2022, India's GDP was around seven per cent and no major global power including China and the US came near that. The EU had around 3 per cent. 

The global economy in 2022 had grown by just over 2 per cent. 

In diplomacy, he maintained friendship with Vladimir Putin - first for defence requirements and secondly for oil. 

An upset US can only nurse its wounds. Just recall the moment when Joe Biden alongside Namo and both the leaders holding their glass had said - "Toast to our partnership .... to our people .....  two great friends, two great nations and two great powers". 

 

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