ASSEMBLY RESULTS UNDERLINE MATURITY OF INDIA VOTERS
By Binoy Viswam
The propaganda mills of the BJP are on over time job to paint it as a victory of their majoritarian fascist policies. But what has happened in Maharashtra and Haryana was the peoples’ rebuff to their policies favoring the rich. When they had come, it was with mammoth majority, with 303 seats in parliamentary polls, but the real masters, the people, were soon disillusioned. India witnessed the real face of RSS-controlled BJP from day one of the second tenure of Narendra Modi government. In first session of Parliament itself they passed 32 bills without any parliamentary scrutiny.
The ruling dispensation throughout its course was engaged in a political experiment in its own style to make communal extremism as the foundation of nationalism. Constitution of India committed to diversity of thought and faith was made to freeze. All its institutions, including judiciary were asked to be on their knees. Measures and names adopted were varied such as National Security Act, National Citizens Register, Triple Talaq law, Abrogation of article 370, 35A etc. But the inner thread of all these were one and the same. Blind and unjustifiable islamophobia!
During this period people were pushed into more and more hardships. Rate of unemployment rose to 45 years high. Purchasing capacity dropped to six years low, drastic fall in the exchange value of rupee, the lowest level of GDP growth in last five years, widespread feeling of insecurity as the aftermath of demonetization and GST reforms — all these collectively form the reality of life in today’s India. Is there anyone in the country who doubts the fact that in economic front too, Modi government is an absolutely failed government?
Placing an enemy image on the other side and preaching extreme nationalism is a treaded path of failed right-wing governments in history. Mussolini and Hitler championed this ‘art’ of selling nationalism to cover up their gigantic failures in solving problems of hunger and unemployment. Sangh Parivar, throughout its existence has excelled in imitating that alien stream of thought wearing the garb of nationalism. Their action plan always was to flare up emotional hype to divert the attention from bitter realities of day to day Iife. This is the essence of ’post truth’ period. BJP, most cunningly, made use of it in reaping electoral victories in 2014 and 2019.
In Maharashtra, where BJP aimed at a convincing single party majority, they could win only 105 seats out of 288! Voters did defeat the speaker and seven ministers of the Fadnavis government boasted to be populist one! It led to the unending bargain with Shiv Sena, their ally. In Haryana BJP entered the fray saying that out of 90 they are to win 70! Finally, with only 40 seats, the mighty party was forced to cobble a post poll alliance with regional JJP, surrendering them the post of Deputy Chief Minister.
These electoral results underline the political understanding and maturity of the Indian voters. They may be poor and illiterate, but have not mortgaged their collective wisdom before any political zamindars! Those masses have also shattered the unfounded myth that BJP is invincible. The heroes of the present political turn out are the people and the people only. And those people pose a question before the Congress and others in the opposition ranks. It is regarding their response to the big assaults the BJP unleashed against the Constitution and its basic principles: What the Congress did when Democracy, Secularism, National Sovereignty and Socialist goals of the country were severely under attack?
In this complex political situation after the elections, vistas of opportunities are also opened along with challenges. Weakness to intervene effectively in the emerging developments is the crux of the crisis faced by the left. The left has sincerely fought with its limited strength both inside and outside the Parliament for the people’s cause. Left have captured three out of six in the Kerala by polls and won a seat in Maharashtra Assembly. Still it has miles to go for achieving the essential striking capability and vibrancy that the times demand and the people expect.
Massive resistance and purposeful united actions are the need of this turbulent times. People want the opposition to wake up and fight. That is the fundamental lesson, any political party having allegiance to the constitutional values have to draw from the just concluded elections. The battlegrounds are ready for Jharkhand and Delhi. Then comes a series of bitter battles before the decisive one in 2024! The main enemy in all these political battlegrounds is the BJP controlled by the fascist RSS. They are the proven enemy of India’s unity, integrity and progress. They should be defeated to fulfill the dreams of the freedom movement. This is the time for the secular, democratic, left forces to come together to take up the challenge. (IPA Service)