Should Modi oblige on the demands from the sympathizers of the Sangh Parivar to vigorously fight corruption and pursue Hindutva in the last lap?
For the last lap of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP-NDA government, the sympathizers and well-wishers of the Sangh Parivar largely want to see Modi pursue, with a renewed vigor, two of the three main war-cries of the 2014 election campaign: 1) fight against corruption and 2) Hindutva.
The Congress-UPA-left have made it adequately clear through
recent developments that they are hell-bent on forcing the Modi government to declare Emergency
The third war-cry was economic development, discussing which will lead to a tedious and unending debate. Regardless, at this point, nothing major can be done from an economic standpoint to win back the voters. And for Modi government’s own good, after Demonetization and GST, nothing major should be done by them either!
So the question is: should Modi oblige on both of the demands from the sympathizers of the Sangh Parivar? In order to answer this question, we must first look at what the Congress-UPA-left is up to these days.
The Sangh Parivar assumes a moral high ground against the Congress-UPA-left on two main issues: 1) the 1975 Emergency and 2) corruption. Every criticism for the Modi government on subverting institutions is met with a standard response from the Sangh Parivar – you people imposed Emergency and have no right to point fingers at us. Every criticism for the Modi government on inefficiency is met with a standard response from the Sangh Parivar – you people have had a history of providing refuge to scamsters and looters for 60 years and it is taking us a lot of time to clean up the huge mess that we inherited from you.
The Congress-UPA-left have made it adequately clear through recent developments that they are hell-bent on forcing the Modi government to declare Emergency. Firstly, in the last couple of months, there has already been a loud buzz about an undeclared Emergency in the country. The left wing has managed to pump in enough content on the internet and media about the pressure and threats that they are getting from the ‘top’. Hence, many have begun to raise eyebrows on the possibility of there being a restriction on the media and why suddenly so many of the media houses have supposedly turned favorable towards Modi.
Secondly, in the last few months, there have been many attempts for Bharat bandhs from multifarious sections of the society – backward classes, farmers, students, etc. Looking at some of the reports, it is evident that many of these protests had either explicit or tacit support from the Congress-UPA-left.
Thirdly, the press conference held by 4 of the senior-most judges of the Supreme Court of India on January 14, 2018, was an unprecedented event in our history and many jurists taint it as one of the darkest days for the judiciary, second only to perhaps the Emergency of 1975.
And Lastly, the multiple and apparent gaffes by the Election Commission of India, Reserve Bank of India, Income Tax Department, etc. have certainly led many to question their independence and dispassion.
It is high time Modi makes some major changes in his party
and elevate popular/capable leaders like Dr. Subramanian Swamy. He should make his new cabinet for the next six years known to his voters!
With people coming on to the streets, Bharat bandhs, media and minorities crying foul, judges’ attempt to mutiny, defanged government institutions, and rising tensions in Kashmir, the Modi government may be forced to declare an Emergency if they don’t pay heed to these artificially manufactured crises. And what is the missing piece here for Emergency? Imprisonment of opposition leaders!
As counter-intuitive and immoral as it may sound, the last thing that Modi government wants at this point is to be perceived as actively resorting to a vendetta against opposition leaders. While his infertile fight against corruption was the biggest bummer of his term, now is a bit too late. The people of India wanted to see at least some corrupt politicians of the UPA regime in jail by now. Known for being a disciplinarian, the people expected Modi to fire babus loyal to 10 Janpath (Delhi), 24 Akbar Road (Delhi), and/or Constitution Avenue (Islamabad). None of this transpired in the first four years. Not only is it a bit too late for Modi to pursue this, his inaction has led to a rather complex and diabolical plot against him.
“He will either end up accentuating the ‘undeclared Emergency’ crisis or he will simply end up offending his already dwindling support base, as they already have been disenchanted of his insincere attempts to fight corruption and pursue Hindutva”
For the second moral high ground of the Sangh Parivar (corruption), the Congress-UPA-left have relentlessly tried to malign this government and some of their leaders – Rafale deal, NPA, Nirav Modi, Amit and Jay Shah, PiyushGoyal, etc. All it will take is one scam from the BJP and that will be the end of the second moral high ground of the Sangh Parivar.
Regarding Hindutva: With the exception of ‘sankatmochan’ Dr. Subramanian Swamy, the BJP seems to have lost all will to pursue section 370, Uniform Civil Code, Ram Mandir, etc. Implementing any of these would require strong political standing and support of the populace, which Modi no longer enjoys. Needless to say, the Congress in many ways have tried to appropriate and embrace ‘soft’ Hindutva, whatever it is that it means.
While the cases which are already sub judice will regardless follow the rule of law, it is not in the best interest of Modi to be filing new cases and fighting corruption and pursuing Hindutva with a ‘renewed vigor’ at this point. He will either end up accentuating the ‘undeclared Emergency’ crisis or he will simply end up offending his already dwindling support base, as they already have been disenchanted of his insincere attempts to fight corruption and pursue Hindutva. What he can do however is to make changes within his cabinet!
Great many tall leaders have had to taste disheartening defeat when their electoral assertiveness failed to transpire into reality. However the ones who were nimble, survived.
It is high time Modi makes some major changes in his party and elevate popular/capable leaders like Dr. Subramanian Swamy (Finance, Defense, or any other major Ministry) and sideline the ones which did not perform well. Additionally, we have had a few ministers holding multiple large portfolios which is just not sustainable! And we all know how capable Modi is not only in elevating and backing the leaders that he likes but also in sidelining the ones that he doesn’t. After all, someone should take responsibility of the failures in the fight against corruption and black money, and corrective actions should be taken so that every single corrupt politician is brought to justice when the internal security situation becomes conducive. While Modi does not have the political strength in the country anymore, he still enjoys the confidence of his own party men. He should make his new cabinet for the next six years known to his voters!
Given the psyche of we Indians, we are more likely to welcome his cabinet reshuffle as an introspective self-flagellation and less likely to see it as an admission of guilt. A great many tall leaders have had to taste disheartening defeat when their electoral assertiveness failed to transpire into reality. However, the ones who were nimble survived.
Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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Great thought process and point of view in the first place!
As mentioned above, if there are changes within his party that will be great to see (by changes I mean big people being shuffled around(replaced/thrown) and get some that are capable of bringing effective changes to the actual promises made.
The situation in our country is taking a negative exponential curve day by day (needless to say the opposition is trying their best to do this) things are getting difficult for the current government as their term reaches an end and its time to fight again for being in power for the next term.
If they show signs of working towards the promises they made 4 years ago, then there are chances that they might be in a better position to contest next year.
The Indian society is highly influential things could either way. Matter of the fact it is going to take 10 times the effort for the current government getting reelected for the next time.
Also, people should take into consideration that whatever changes the government has made in these 4 years and will make in the next one year will be backfired if the opposition is elected for the next. If that happens the consequences will be so adverse that one might not be able to change that anytime in the future.
All that we can do is hope for the best.
Leave the Hindu agenda , let it happen slowly if there is full hope of re-elected majority . For this hope at-least :
1. The Govt had not taken some steps to bring down the appeasement policies of minorities but it has taken an increasing trend. ( NAMO pronounced in several meetings that minority /majority is a vote bank policy like covering the face with a burqa but forgot what he said)
2. (NAMO NARAYANA said in public meetings that corrupt will be punished and sent to jail) – nothing happened during the initial years and at the fag end of the rule that too with the efforts of Mr.Swamy some action initiated on corrupt politicians . A few escaped and cat walked to foreign countries.
3. If NAMO had framed criminal cases against the looters during initial days and kept alive the cases threading them so that bad element do not unite. This was the tactics followed by Congress for many decades. Because of this failure BJP failed in recent by-elections. For this action instead of appointing pro Congress Delhi wallas like Arun Jaitelt & Co NAMO fails to include a few people like Mr.Swamy & some serious pro hindutva leaders in the ministry. Time is running out , when Congress was able to frame false cases against innocent samiyars & army officials why Modi failed to frame real looters in-time. Yes, he has failed to punish the real looters and wasted 4 years of his term. Pl wake up and frame cases on all the Congress goons like Sonia & Co, Chidambaram & Co, Karunanidhi & Co and other Bombay, Delhi Congress looters and keep their cases alive.
4. Do not bother about coming back to power. It is also not a bad idea to bring emergency, deport dyNASTY Sonia & Co to Italy and bring controls to all media mafias immediately.
A rather emotional bit here with impatience and poor understanding of realpolitik works. Most importantly it appears to bat needlessly for people like swamy. Modi does not work. Swamy is more effective outside govt than inside. The splinters he is bound to cause with every blast he engineers will hurt the govt more from inside than outside.
He means well and is a crusaders of sorts. Readers and followers of pgurus will vouch for that. But india is larger and rest of india does not know a thing of the crusades planned in these forums.
Real politik says it all. All opposition and all big money in biz will not want Modi to do anything drastic that swamy wants. They will rather eliminate the threat. I mean it because this country’s politics and ability to get one mad cap with a few thousands of ruppea to engineer an elimination plot is real. Rajiv Gandhi’s does alone. Not one leader of his party which is known for psychophancy got killed along with him. None were on dais. Perhaps it was known.
Similarly a popular leader like Modi gives many chances when he mixes with people.
The appointment of the chairman at icici who is a man chosen by pawar ambani and chidambaram despite the Alibaba cries shows the way. Modi knew it for sure but will never stop it. He cannot.
Against all negatives I may seem to say, the hope is to clear india of corruption. Enforcing laws to show some examples of punishment quickly and most importantly pass a bill to nationalise all assets that may appear illegal with onus to prove genuine on the owners. This is the only way people will see result
Swamy may want chidambaram to go to jail. Not the ordinary Indian who is more keen to see his illegal assets attached swiftly and put to good use for citizens as first priority and his being punished exemplarily only as a second and consequential incident
I will be surprised to see even one big wig into jail before GE 19 and any assets of his nationalised. Laws are built to ensure lawmakers are beyond law
Instead of using talent and experience of senior leader Mr Modi filled his cabinet with ” Yes ” men or woman. He elevated people who defended him and only him ruthlessly in TV debates, but winning TV debate is different than winning popular votes.He lainiated many many Sr people ( viz Mr Govindachrya , Mr Advani ) and relied on people who have or never will elections of their own and based on their social work.He assumed everybody other than himself as dishonest.He encouraged band of illconceived inexperienced and probably unemployed to troll any and everybody who even remotely criticised him.He assumed people have elected him forever.In his hurry to achieve results he resorted to drastic or ill-conceived decisions.
Inthe end he is held responsible for all the hardship as others in his cabined are so novoice as people dont take them seriously and cosider them therefore incapable of taking or defending any decision
The tree he has planted will bear fruits not now but in long term whereas people have become so impatient and not to prepared to wait any longer and expect instant results
Mr Modi intended to bring in changes too fast too early. A person who has been an addict , sublected malnutrition and sick cannot be expected to run a 100-meter sprint in a day!
Just as he was benefitted by good or bad deeds of his predecessors his successors will benefit from his actions
Meanwhile, time is running short he better brings in experience soft mature leader to reassure people who have and will support him again
Looks like its a narrative to push Swami into the ministry. Modi doesn’t work that way I guess guys.
Yes, you are absolutely right. Swami is above 70, Modi has announced that those above 70 yrs. are for Marg dharshan only. That’s why MM Joshi was also not offered a berth in hid cabinet. PGurus will be happy, if Arun Jaitley is moved to any insignificant portfolio and Piyush Goyal took over Finance as a Cabinet Minister.