Brand Modi In Assembly Elections

‘Brand Modi May Not Work In Upcoming Assembly Elections’

Kamal Bhargava, a lawyer and political observer, says election results of five state assemblies will have little bearing on the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. His views:

It can be said that the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 will decide the direction of the country for the next many years. To some extent, it is believed that assembly elections are the gateway to the parliamentary elections, even though issues in the parliamentary and assembly elections are altogether different. Hence, the outcome in five states where elections are on the cards will surely set both the mood and the tone for the general elections.

The opposition today claims that BJP may face defeat in the 2024 polls as its popularity is going down in several states. However, there have been instances when the party in governance at the Centre got defeated in state elections but performed well in parliamentary election thereafter. With the country on the verge of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, political parties are leaving no stone unturned in claiming their stake in forming the next government.

After two terms, the Modi-led Bhartiya Janta Party is trying their level best for a hat trick, with Modi eyeing to level the record of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Meanwhile the Opposition is busy in forming an alliance I.N.D.I.A. to keep BJP in abeyance.

While completing nine years in office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had via a tweet “to keep working even harder”. This could be a growing worry in the BJP for the 2024 general election as one could once again sense “total dependence” on Brand Modi that might not work in forthcoming state polls. Many a time, even Modi has advised its present MPs to depend more on their individual work rather then repeatedly relying on ‘Brand Modi’.

ALSO READ: ‘Assembly Elections Do Not Augur Well For BJP’

But here what matters is, issues like unemployment, price rise, communal disharmony, and steps for the welfare of women and farmers. And to some extent the opposition is trying to catch up with these issues too. One fear of the ruling party pertains to using government machinery like CBI and ED in getting political personalities behind bars.

Modi is known for bold and indifferent decisions. Be it Triple Talaq, repealing of Article 370, One nation, one Election, Women Empowerment Bill — he knows the pulse of a common man. He has taken the country and its politics to a different level having one of the largest fan following across the globe. By the time the opposition thinks of countering the government, something new and different is already on the floor. BJP has been working on different notes. But when it comes to development no doubt one can count on different aspects. Be it the new laws, repealing the age-old ones or construction of highways, connectivity, law and order, etc. For the people of North, the biggest gift one could get is the road and rail connectivity. Reaching NCR in just one hour was a dream. But BJP made it possible.

The saffron party is still in a strong position with regard to the 2024 general elections. At any point of time, BJP’s biggest strength is its organizational strength and management. Its minutest and both micro and macro planning gives it an edge over other political parties. For the opposition, it is an uphill battle at all levels. None stands to his stature. But to some extent one can see signs of a quiet worry setting in, in the BJP with I.N.D.I.A. struggling hard for a comeback.

As told to Deepa Gupta

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‘Raids on NewsClick Are a Message by BJP to Dissenters Ahead of 2024 Polls’

VK Cherian, a Delhi-based journalist and writer, says the present regime wants to muzzle any critical media work to crush dissent. His views:

The raids on media portal Newsclick — this is indeed terrible. As for the charges, even the junior staff of NewsClick were woken up at 6:30 am in their homes and questioned, with politically leaning questions. A senior deskperson was asked about coverage of farm laws protests, Delhi riots etc. Their devices, laptops and mobiles, were seized.

And all of them got a feeling after the questioning that though they have not been arrested (only two are in police custody currently), they can be picked up by police — anytime. Even the contributors’ houses were raided in the early hours and they were treated as employees of the media portal.

Indeed, I believe it is a ploy to muzzle the media before the Lok Sabha general elections of 2024. The message is clear: that the present regime will not tolerate any critical media work on them and they will go after anybody on one pretext or the other if they write news or opinion which the government does not like. Clearly, the freedom of speech of the media, as enshrined in the Indian Constitution, has taken a back-seat with this regime.

ALSO READ: Brazen Use of Central Investigation Agencies Is Unprecedented

The man in the Centre of the entire controversy is of Sri Lankan origin, an American Citizen, Neville Roy Singham. He carries the legacy of the aborted ‘Trotskyite revolution’ in the island nation in the 1970s and had his IT company operations in India and China. He has reportedly sold off his company and is now running few institutions to propagate ‘Left ideology’, which the present regime in India hates.

The fact that a nephew of the CPI (M)’s Polit Bureau is involved with Roy, the main funder of Newsclick, makes it easier for the present regime to discredit the Left movement in India. The New York Times article on his activities and alleged links with China has come in handy for them, as the money-laundering case in India against Newsclick did not lead the investigating agencies anywhere. And now they have made it into a political-terrorism related case.

The state of the media in India is pathetic since no established ones want to confront or criticize the ruling regime in Delhi — not even ask basic questions on current affairs issues and policies. If they dare to do so, not only the particular media-person will be targeted, but the entire organization would be under the scanner.

(The narrator has headed the financial public relations agencies such as Adfactors PR and Concept PR in New Delhi. He has also worked in the media with groups like Deccan Chronicle, Mathrubhoomi, The Hitavada, Amrita Bazar Patrika, Financial Express and The Hindu Business Line. He is the author of The Scam and the Rajas of the Money Market, Crisis of Corporate Communism — Politics of Murder in Kerala and India’s Film Society Movement: Its Journey and Impact)

As told to Amit Sengupta

2024 Lok Sabha election

INDIA Alliance Resolve To Contest 2024 LS Election Jointly

The constituent parties in the Opposition INDIA alliance on Friday decided to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election together “as far as possible”, said the alliance’s resolution taken during its third strategic meeting being held in Mumbai.

“We, the INDIA parties, hereby resolve to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections together as far as possible. Seat-sharing arrangements in different states will be initiated immediately and concluded at the earliest in a collaborative spirit of give-and-take,” said the resolution. 

The resolution also said that the parties will “organize public rallies at the earliest in different parts of the country on issues of public concern and importance”. 

INDIA alliance also decided to coordinate among themselves on political communication and media strategies and will campaign with the theme ‘Judega Bharat, Jiteega India’ in different languages.

“We, the INDIA parties, hereby resolve to coordinate our respective communications and media strategies and campaigns with the theme in different languages,” the resolution said. 

Earlier speaking at the INDIA alliance meeting Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge warned that the alliance leaders should be prepared for more attacks from the various agencies of the government. 

“We should be prepared for more attacks in the coming months, more raids and arrests due to this government’s vendetta politics. The more ground our alliance gains the more the BJP Govt will misuse agencies against our leaders. It has done the same in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bengal. In fact Last week, it was done in Jharkhand and in Chattisgarh… The communal poison that the BJP and RSS have spread over the last 9 years is now seen in hate crimes against innocent train passengers and innocent school children,” said Kharge. 

The third formal meeting of the opposition bloc INDIA alliance began on Friday with the aim of coming up with an action plan for the next Lok Sabha Polls.

The first meeting of the joint opposition was held in Patna on June 23 and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. (ANI)

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