Talha Mansoor reflects on the tenuous future of Modi regime
Pressure increased on Modi – Narendra Modi is in office since almost a decade and in the process has not only polarised India but has also cast a negative influence in the region. It is widely expected that he would resort to every possible stratagem to counter India’s reinvigorated opposition that is pressing down on him as was borne out by the no-confidence motion in the parliament. The opposition is strengthened by the return of main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi who was debarred from attending the parliament on account of comments criticising Modi. His return was made possible after his defamation conviction was suspended by the Indian supreme court. The 53-year old bachelor Rahul Gandhi, though is no more president of the opposition Congress party, holds plenty of clout within the political circles and is quite hopeful that he may bring his party, once the dominant political force in the country, back in power after been humbled by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) twice in national elections. Rahul Gandhi has important political credentials as he is the son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers beginning with independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru.
Though Modi’s government succeeded in defeating the no-confidence motion against Modi as the opposition walked out of the parliament but this motion was launched by the Congress party in a bid to force comment from Modi on months of deadly ethnic conflict in Manipur that has badly disrupted lives. At least 120 people have been killed in Manipur since May in armed clashes between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community. Soldiers were rushed in from other parts of India to contain the violence and a curfew and internet shutdown remain in force across most of the state. Dismissing the no-confidence motion, a BJP lawmaker, has said the Congress party’s no-confidence motion was a bid to boost Gandhi’s political career. Modi’s Hindu Nationalist BJP won 303 seats in the 543-member lower house in the 2019 election and is expected to comfortably defeat the no-confidence vote that it has dismissed as a headline-grabbing gimmick. The weakened Congress has tried to stitch together a grand coalition with disparate regional opposition parties in the run-up to the 2024 national elections, in which Modi will seek a third successive term. Congress hopes to beat the BJP by challenging what they say is its centralised and nationalistic appeal to voters.
Modi is actually quite concerned about the all-India opposition getting united and it is now widely conjectured that he may try to further polarise his Hindu constituency by initiating extremely negative actions against India Muslim community. The reason for this conjecturing is that Modi fears a possible defeat against the freshly unified INDIA opposition that the Modi-led BJP thinks that this alliance is genuinely solid despite its constituent members having a history of bitter rivalry in their respective areas. The representatives of INDIA do concede that there could be niggling problems ahead in forging a truly invincible opposition but they insist that the leadership of 25 main opposition parties are very confident that they will be able to manage their differences.
They point out that INDIA aims at working to dismantle the system of crony capitalism, a reference to a select group of Gujarati businessmen that have openly supported Modi and are said to have benefited from his generosity in return. The opposition alliance is focused on saving the country’s secular and federal structure and protecting its minorities from a majoritarian assault.
It is reported that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the main rival of Congress party that gave it tough time in Delhi and Punjab, is now seriously ironing out of their mutual differences. The two parties are now taking joint action to drum support against a bill that would dilute the executive powers of the Delhi government headed by AAP. Similarly, old rivalries between the communist-led left parties and the Congress and Mamata Banerjee’s government, are being addressed. It is now clear that the opposition parties are now following the principle that the main party in any state would take the lead to accommodate the smaller contending groups. This implies that political self-interest of political groupings will be put on the back burner and this position has unnerved the BJP and its discomfort is evident by it summoning its hitherto invisible NDA alliance partners that it was consistently ignoring. This particularly development points out that Modi is concerned that in the forthcoming election his solo flight will not ensure victory. The most important weapon of the opposition alliance is that there is no prospective candidate for the top slot put forward by it. The opposition is keenly aware that Modi can go to any extent to win elections and retain power and his ruthlessness is legendary. His capacity for going for desperate measures is also well-acknowledged and the opposition is trying to avoid any pitfalls that may play in Modi’s hands. The Weekender
Pressure increased on Modi
ByTalha Mansoor
An advocate
Dated
August 13, 2023
Talha Mansoor reflects on the tenuous future of Modi regime
Pressure increased on Modi – Narendra Modi is in office since almost a decade and in the process has not only polarised India but has also cast a negative influence in the region. It is widely expected that he would resort to every possible stratagem to counter India’s reinvigorated opposition that is pressing down on him as was borne out by the no-confidence motion in the parliament. The opposition is strengthened by the return of main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi who was debarred from attending the parliament on account of comments criticising Modi. His return was made possible after his defamation conviction was suspended by the Indian supreme court. The 53-year old bachelor Rahul Gandhi, though is no more president of the opposition Congress party, holds plenty of clout within the political circles and is quite hopeful that he may bring his party, once the dominant political force in the country, back in power after been humbled by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) twice in national elections. Rahul Gandhi has important political credentials as he is the son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers beginning with independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru.
Though Modi’s government succeeded in defeating the no-confidence motion against Modi as the opposition walked out of the parliament but this motion was launched by the Congress party in a bid to force comment from Modi on months of deadly ethnic conflict in Manipur that has badly disrupted lives. At least 120 people have been killed in Manipur since May in armed clashes between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community. Soldiers were rushed in from other parts of India to contain the violence and a curfew and internet shutdown remain in force across most of the state. Dismissing the no-confidence motion, a BJP lawmaker, has said the Congress party’s no-confidence motion was a bid to boost Gandhi’s political career. Modi’s Hindu Nationalist BJP won 303 seats in the 543-member lower house in the 2019 election and is expected to comfortably defeat the no-confidence vote that it has dismissed as a headline-grabbing gimmick. The weakened Congress has tried to stitch together a grand coalition with disparate regional opposition parties in the run-up to the 2024 national elections, in which Modi will seek a third successive term. Congress hopes to beat the BJP by challenging what they say is its centralised and nationalistic appeal to voters.
Modi is actually quite concerned about the all-India opposition getting united and it is now widely conjectured that he may try to further polarise his Hindu constituency by initiating extremely negative actions against India Muslim community. The reason for this conjecturing is that Modi fears a possible defeat against the freshly unified INDIA opposition that the Modi-led BJP thinks that this alliance is genuinely solid despite its constituent members having a history of bitter rivalry in their respective areas. The representatives of INDIA do concede that there could be niggling problems ahead in forging a truly invincible opposition but they insist that the leadership of 25 main opposition parties are very confident that they will be able to manage their differences.
They point out that INDIA aims at working to dismantle the system of crony capitalism, a reference to a select group of Gujarati businessmen that have openly supported Modi and are said to have benefited from his generosity in return. The opposition alliance is focused on saving the country’s secular and federal structure and protecting its minorities from a majoritarian assault.
It is reported that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the main rival of Congress party that gave it tough time in Delhi and Punjab, is now seriously ironing out of their mutual differences. The two parties are now taking joint action to drum support against a bill that would dilute the executive powers of the Delhi government headed by AAP. Similarly, old rivalries between the communist-led left parties and the Congress and Mamata Banerjee’s government, are being addressed. It is now clear that the opposition parties are now following the principle that the main party in any state would take the lead to accommodate the smaller contending groups. This implies that political self-interest of political groupings will be put on the back burner and this position has unnerved the BJP and its discomfort is evident by it summoning its hitherto invisible NDA alliance partners that it was consistently ignoring. This particularly development points out that Modi is concerned that in the forthcoming election his solo flight will not ensure victory. The most important weapon of the opposition alliance is that there is no prospective candidate for the top slot put forward by it. The opposition is keenly aware that Modi can go to any extent to win elections and retain power and his ruthlessness is legendary. His capacity for going for desperate measures is also well-acknowledged and the opposition is trying to avoid any pitfalls that may play in Modi’s hands. The Weekender
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