In India for good times -- people commonly say this lucky man has his five fingers immersed in a bowl full of butter. It's a sign of winners take all gambit. The lucky man has to be Narendra Modi.
Indian Parliament adopts resolution hailing Ram Temple as fulfilling of "aspirations"
The House also adopted a Resolution moved by the chair, "22 January will be a historic day for the years to come...It was the day that fulfilled the hopes and aspirations of all Ram devotees".
India is no longer confused. On Feb 10, 2024, last day of the proceedings of the 17th Lok Sabha, the Lower House of Indian Parliament took up a 'general discussion' on Ram temple and consecration.
Rarely such a topic would be selected for parliamentary debate. But it's new India, - Bharat - as PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and his hundreds of admirers would like to believe. Is it not Hindu Rashtraalready?
Modi's trusted aide and federal Home Minister Amit Shah says, "No one can read the history of this country by ignoring the Ram Mandir movement. Since 1528, every generation has seen this movement in some form or the other".
On the other hand, a Muslim lawmaker had his own tale. A story of irony and pathos.
AIMIM MP and Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi poured out his anguish during the debate:".....Am I a spokesperson of Babar, Jinnah or Aurangzeb?...I respect Lord Ram but I hate Nathuram Godse (man who assassinated India's image of religious tolerance and peace apostle Mahatma Gandhi) because he killed the person whose last words were Hey Ram".
India has come of age -- a never expected pace as in the last 10 years.
Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, who spoke in Lok Sabha, said that Mahatma Gandhi's "Ram Rajya" was the one where none, including minorities, was discriminated against.He sought to know why BJP leaders coined a slogan “Jai Shri Ram” but it as perhaps made not in a tone of compassion but in a tone of “bitterness and violence”.
The happenings in India - during last few weeks - are linked to coming elections where Modi ismore than serious to create a record and ensure his hat-trick.
In terms of electoral management Modi already has a lethalcombination of effective synthesis of Hindutva and Development. While Development yardstickis often debated as India continues to face issues like joblessness and price rise; thanks torecently inaugurated Ram Temple, the Hindutva slant is at its peak.
Nevertheless as elections in India draw nearer, PM Modi is reflecting some kind of'over seriousness' of a good academic student. The student is sharp, preparations forexamination is also well done; yet the student thinks he should visit all teachers who are set toset the Question Papers.
In case of a student, either you appreciate the seriousness or at best advise the parents not to put further pressure on the kid. But what do you do in politics? Maybe one can push back and wonder what Narendra Modi is up to?
Well, the simple answer is Modi wants to win the general elections and return to power for the third timein a row. It will be a national record itself as none other than India's first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehrucould return to power for a third consecutive term.
"Modi wants to make 2024 elections his greatest victory ever," wrote commentator R Jagannathan in 'Times of India'.
Moreover, Nehru had achieved the milestone in the 1950s. It was a different India.
Modi wants to win but wants to win in a style. "He wants to humble others. Modi wants to wrestwhatever political space India's grand old party Congress has. He wants to split farmers inthe north. He wants to make a big dent among provincial Telugu voters in two Deccan states ofTelangana and Andhra Pradesh," says Tushar Bhadra in Varanasi, Modi';s parliamentaryconstituency.
Recently in Rajya Sabha, Indian Parliament's House of Elders, Modi claimed that while his Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) could win 370, the alliance led by his party (BJP plus regional parties) will easily cross400.
If Ram mandir was not good enough to sway radical Hindu voters -- at least Modi's machinations seem to suggestit -; his party government in the northern state of Uttarakhand has passed the much controversialUniform Civil Code Bill.
The new law envisages banning polygamy and consanguine marriages – prevalent among some Muslims
– and criminalises Islamic practices such as Halala, iIddat, and forms of Islamic divorce. 'Iddat' is the 130-day period in which a woman must not remarry, to remove all ambiguity about paternity should pregnancy have occurred after the death of her husband or after a divorce.
The UCC also means :** The same Laws for Marriage, Divorce and Inheritance for all
** No Gender difference between a son and a daughter; and the kid
will be referred to in the law book as a 'Child'.
** There will be equal Inheritance rights for both men and women
** Strict prohibition to Child Marriage
However, Muslim leaders feel the BJP is trying to 'impose' something which is against theirreligious practices.
AIMIM leader and lawmaker from Hyderabad, Asaduddin Owaisi, goes a step further
and says - "I have a right to practice my religion and culture, this Bill forces me to follow a different
religion and culture. In our religion, inheritance and marriage are part of religious practice, it is a violation of
Articles 25 and 29 to force us to follow a different system".
Those trying to oppose the UCC also say the Article 44 of the Constitution, asking for a Uniform Civil Code,
clashes with Article 25 that assures the freedom to propagate religion.
It's true the Article 44 of the Constitution lays down that the State/governments shall endeavour to
implement a Uniform Civil Code throughout India. But Article 44 is a Directive Principle and thus
need not be implemented or enforced by force as imposition.
The general view is that the Ram Temple at Ayodhya and continued media-court highlighting two other Masjids at Mathura and Varanasi have already polarised Indian society. This is a perfect setting forpro-Hindutva leader Modi and pro-Hindu party BJP. Modi is a creation of polarised and rather anti-Muslim politics starting from Gujarat in 2002.
The Uniform Civil Code is generally understood as something Hindus teaching "Mughal ruler Babar'schildren - that is Muslims, a lesson".
There is an allegation that the Hindu-majority state (Uttarakhand) has witnessed an increase in anti-Muslim sentiment in
recent months, including the demolition of Muslim shrines. There was a clash in Haldwani even recently.
“The state is now encroaching on the Quran and Sharia,” says Mufti Raees Kashmi, a leader with of Uttarakhand Imam Organisation.
Yet on Feb 9, Friday, Modi sprang a surprise by announcing three new names as recipients of
India's highest civilian award to two former Prime Ministers P V Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh.None of them were from his party.
He also announced the honour in favour of India's best known agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan, thefather of Green Revolution.
Rao was a die-hard Congressman; but during his stint as India's Prime Minister, the Babri Masjid was
razed to the ground in December 1992, His detractors say ether, Rao allowed the demolition to take place as he was a Hindu religious person; others say he was not a man of action.
Old timers recall that more than once during his career, Rao had famously said: "Not to take a decisionis also a decision".
But Rao had qualities too. Rao had put Indian economy on the track of fast 'revival' in 1991 when the economy was on the brink of meltdown. It was political acumen ofRao that he had appointed Dr Manmohan Singh as in-charge of the Finance Ministry.
Singh also became Prime Minister for two terms between 2004 and 2014.But Modi has his political reasoning for awarding Rao.
"Rao was follower of the first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. He transferred his loyalty and became a devotedlieutenant of Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi.and later also served under Rajiv Gandhi (Nehru's grandson).
But when it came to Sonia Gandhi after her husband Rajiv's assignation...Rao had issues. Sonia-Rao differenceswere many. And this is what suits Modi and his politics of 2024," says Assam-based analyst AshutoshTalukdar. Moreover, Rao was India's first south Indian prime minister and he was a Telugu speaking leader.
At present near the Deccan plateau, India has two vernacular language Telugu speaking states Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Put together these two states send 42 MPs into India's parliament. BJP won four seats in Telangana in 2019and is keen to expand its base; while it has no much ground in Andhra.
Observers feel as Indians are emotive voters, this move to award Bharat Ratna to Narasimha Raocould help the saffron party. Moreover, it is generally whispered in corridors of power that the Congressparty would have never given Bharat Ratna to Rao as Sonia will be against any such move.
Charan Singh was a farm leader belonging to dominant agrarian community in Uttar Pradesh, Haryanaand Rajasthan. Politically, it will go in favour of Modi.Moreover, there was a strong farmers' stir in 2020-21 in northern India. All these are being addressed.
Add to it, Late Charan Singh's grandson and a former lawmaker Jayant Chaudhary is already sending infeelers and his willing to strike a pre-election deal.
In India for good times -- people commonly say this lucky man has his five fingers immersed in a bowl full of butter. It's a sign of winners take all gambit. The lucky man has to be Narendra Modi.
ends
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