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.
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| 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".
ends
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