"Aao mil ke kamal khilayen (Come, Let us make the Lotus bloom)’, said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh moving the political resolution wherein the BJP National Executive highlighted its achievements in terms of putting a check to terror menace and working for faceless Indians. BJP has certainly got into poll mode. Thinking Big, now the saffron party vowed to capture power for 50 years. Critics could easily call it 'arrogance'.
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| Modi: With Atal family |
That's a good way to start the conversation.
As the subject suggests - the research and findings about Modi, BJP and secular India - for me - have been intriguing. Things have been provocative too. Godhra train inferno happened in 2002. Thus after 16 years, we have a fairly expansive canvas.
The kind of political fallout, speeches, media reportage....often selective amnesia. Political opportunism. Double standards etc...Historians and journalists have defined the events one way or the other. There is an accepted version, perhaps the easier one. There is also an unusual one. I always tried to do pure reportage and hence in effect both sides could be annoyed! But generally I have been tagged as a 'Modi Bhakt'.
One friend says I have been a 'Modi Bhakt plus' prior to 2014 and says - how you are changing a bit! Am I ?
I had named first book 'Godhra - A Journey to Mayhem'. That is the journey all about. From easy scapegoat of all follies to the mega star...a popular 'Hindu' leader - Narendra Modi has seen that all.
Importantly for me, how Modi actually overcome the hurdles. Did he use the disadvantages and gave a different narrative to turn the table?
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| Man on his Toes |
Amit Shah says Modi has not lost elections since 2001. This is partly correct as BJP lost in Delhi and Bihar. He cannot absolve Modi of all the blames for the defeats.
Essentially pushing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charishma against the onslaught of 'opposition unity' and gearing to deal with issues like fuel price and unrest among its core voters the upper castes, the BJP National Executive meet here on Sunday adopted a resolute declaration that it will bounce back to power with a bigger mandate than that of 2014.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the charge from the front saying he sees "no challenge", while BJP chief Amit Shah known for his organisational skills and efficacy in poll management asserted that if voted to power in 2019, the saffron party will rule for next 50 years.
"Prime Minister said he sees no challenge in the country today," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters briefing the media about Mr Modi's valedictory address made at a closed door meeting of all senior leaders including Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, BJP chief Amit Shah and office bearers drawn from across the country.
In 2014 polls, BJP recorded an unprecedented victory winning as many as 282 seats recording clean sweep in a number of states like Gujarat and Rajasthan and had won as many as 71 seats in Uttar Pradesh. To take the battle to the enemy camp, Prime Minister said the grand alliance parties were not willing to accept the leadership of Congress. "It is a mater of regret that those who failed in government (the Congress and others) are also failure in opposition," Mr Modi said.
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| 2014 Spirit |
"2019 hum jeetengey....aur jeetne ke baad pachas sal tak humey hatane wala koi nahi hae (We will
win 2019 definitely and once we win the next year's polls none can remove us from 50 years)," Mr Shah told the party's National Executive meet.
Mr Shah, whose tenure was extended on September 8, 2018 with the leadership deciding to go to polls under the organisational leadership of the incumbent BJP president, said: "I am not making such an assertion by sheer arrogance, but I making the statement based on our works".
The BJP president also announced that before the next year's polls, Prime Minister will travel across all Lok Sabha constituencies. "Mr Modi has already visited 300 Lok Sabha constituencies....the remaining ones will be also covered," Union Minister Prasad said.
HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said: “Despite four-and-a-half years in power, Prime Minister's popularity has not gone down due to his vision, passion and direct communication with people".
However, some leaders remained skeptical about all that 'India shining' type claims and pointed out 'privately' at the strong protest from upper-caste people in many BJP-ruled states.
The protesters have demanded that the policy of reservation should be rolled back and the 'restrictions' on misuse of the SC-ST law be "re-introduced".
Senior leaders reportedly apprised the party leadership that the caste-based organisations influential in their own right - Swaran Sena, Brahman Mahasabha, Rajput Samiti, Kshtriya Mahasabha and Sawarn Sangathan have taken to the streets.
For his part, BJP chief Mr Shah, however, told the National Executive: "There has been an attempt to create confusion regarding SC/ST issue, but that will not cause any impact on 2019 elections".
He also rested immense confidence in "the fragrance of good governance" under Prime Minister Modi and asserted that the "charisma of Modiji" will fetch party convincing and 'bigger' victories in 2019 as well as ensuing state assembly polls in five states.
On Saturday, Amit Shah said BJP will do well in all 19 states where it has government and will also sweat it out encashing anti-incumbency wave in West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana.
NOW THE POLITICS OF IT
Important question is can he repeat the success story?
Sycophancy is the brain-eating amoeba of politics - anywhere India, Pakistan or even in tiny state called Nagaland - my original constituency. Those of us who believe Modi can WIN are now in minority - at least in the intellectual clubs of Delhi. For a decade and now last four years, it is fashionable to be anti-Modi.
So yours sincerely this blogger is 'out of fashion'. Nevertheless, one does have a few questions to ponder about while analysing the possibility that Modi is playing a game - that he is sure to win!
The 'Godhra hero or villain' its all in the eyes of the beholder.
Chief protagonist of Gujarat politics and today's India 'Modi' deserve a closer scrutiny. The 'Moditva' is perhaps also a game of surprise.Once Modi told Mallikarjun Kharge: "mere ko jan ne ke liye aap ko aur shodhan karna parega (You have to do lot more research to know me)
My take has been our intellectuals, politicians and political scientists all seem to have awful lot of thoughts about Modi. There was a motive to discredit him in more ways than one. And of course I too have thought about him....
Also my fear has been a section of Indian intellectuals has been in training...and perhaps often paid to slam him. Frankly, for me it is also a matter of concern that media has become a tool for propaganda.
Are we surprised, today Modi is making use of that tool and doing it very well.
Modi gets some of my sympathies...I have no hesitation to admit about it. He fought since 2002 and is still fighting.
In 2013 ....urban naxalism was a national threat. The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was equally vocal about it. Today it is an NGO ...do u get my point!
One more, why did Congress call Bharat Bandh on a day there was High Court ruling on tax evasion case.
Bharat Bandh was linked to Rahul's tax evasion case: BJP
Sep 10: Shortly after Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi's plea challenging the reopening of tax assessment case for 2011-12 was dismissed by the Delhi High Court, BJP welcomed the verdict and dubbed the development as a "very big win" of the Modi government against corruption.
"Yeh bahut barie jeet hae," BJP spokesman Sambit Patra told reporters here.
In this context, he claimed that the real motto behind the idea to call Bharat Bandh on a day the case against Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia on IT tax evasion was to come also stands 'exposed'.
"The Gandhi family including Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.....they knew very well that today they are going to lose the case in Delhi High Court and that is the reason as to why today was a day they had given the call for Bharat Bandh," Mr Patra said.
ends
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