Tag: INDIA Versus NDA

Time For The Saheb To Go

By Amit Sengupta

Almost 75 in a nation of the young and aspiring, the cynics are of the considered view that the PM should perhaps consider joining the ‘Margdarshak Mandal’ of his party, along with luminaries like his mentor, LK Advani, and Murli Manohar Joshi. There is a time to arrive and celebrate, and there is a time to go, as the song goes. Or else, history might repeat itself in a pattern so predictable and pathetic that even immortality would seem commonplace, as Argentine poet and short-story writer, Jorge Luis Borges would say.

Not only the eerie silence on a ravaged Manipur, which continues to be trapped in tragedy till this day, and the hounding and harassment of our world champion women wrestlers while protecting a BJP bahubali from UP, all the trump cards seem to be collapsing for the Hindutva regime in Delhi. The ‘nafrat ka bazaar’ seems to have no buyers, and the ‘mohabbat ki dukaan’ seems to be resurrecting yet again in a country brutalized by the vicious ‘acche din’ — since the ill-fated, hate-filled, scorching summer of 2014.

The Uniform Civil Code card failed so abysmally that it did not even take off. The organized Nuh-Gurgaon communal polarization, in what has been a historically peaceful social co-existence, was yet again countered by the farmers, and so effectively, with their huge mahapanchayats, that the sublime synthesis of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and ‘Allah-o-Akbar’ sweetened the air like the sweet smell of melting jaggery in the lush green fields of western UP. The farmers have yet again played such a resilient, path-breaking and visionary role in this era of hate politics that their contribution will be written in golden letters in the history of our times.

Now, they seem to be riding on the ‘double-engine’ of a ‘one-nation-one election’ syndrome, after their partisan ‘double-engine’ regimes have behaved with such grotesque and willful irresponsibility in Manipur and Haryana. So, is the fake messiah not sure of his one-dimensional, money and muscle powers anymore?

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has responded with sound rhetoric: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is talking about ‘one nation, one election’ now. He will later talk about just central elections and do away with the need for state elections. He will then assert, ‘one nation, one party’, ‘one nation, one leader’, ‘one nation, one language’, ‘one nation, one pehelwan (strongman)’, ‘one nation, one religion’. These are useless things. These will not be successful.”

So, will the PM also win Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Telengana – where the Congress seems poised for a decisive victory? Besides, will he also ride the glorious chariot of victory in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi, Maharashtra and Kerala? And what about Jammu and Kashmir — where he and his party has played all their cards wrong, and unleashed such mass suffering — will he hold assembly elections out there, with or without Article 370? Indeed, without UP and Gujarat, what does the BJP have to score decisive victories against INDIA?

ALSO READ: High Time Adani Group Was Investigated In India

Contrary to those perennial cynics who are actually playing a dubious game for the BJP, all seems to be well with the INDIA alliance. As for the contentious issue of one-to-one seat- sharing, this has been in the process of finalization since the early dialogue led by Nitish Kumar with opposition leaders. The Congress has constantly pushed forward the spirit of consensus and flexibility, and, even this time, Mamata Banerjee was seen engrossed in conversation with Rahul Gandhi, while, she, yet again, greeted Sonia Gandhi with great warmth.

Even Akhilesh Yadav seems to have upped his ante, including on social media, and with the participation of Jayant Choudhury, leader of RLD in western UP, they will once again give a tough time to the BJP, which, anyway, had no ground support among the farmers in this fertile, green revolution belt. It is only after the socially engineered, polarizing violence unleashed before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, that a peaceful western UP witnessed hate politics for the first time.

After the successful Mumbai meeting, Nitish Kumar said, “There is no problem with seat-sharing. We are talking among ourselves. Internally, everything will be done very soon. Don’t worry about these things. We will do it and then let you all know. We have decided to finalise everything this month.”

If anything, the recent assembly results for the bypolls are signs of an unhappy narrative unfolding for the ruling party. INDIA has won four, the BJP three, and that too in Tripura and Uttarakhand, which do not really count in the larger electoral battle. The Trinamool Congress has wrested back the Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengal from the BJP. In Kerala, contesting against the strong and popular turf created by the late Oomen Chandy, the BJP has lost its deposit. And, most crucially, it has lost the bitterly contested seat of Ghosi in UP where the INDIA alliance fielded a joint candidate. 

Meanwhile, there is more bad news coming for the crushed Hindutva brigade in Karnataka. RSS strategist BL Santosh, who botched it up so badly in the assembly polls, called a meeting of the party and its state leaders. Significantly, former chief ministers BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, former deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa, BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, Padmanabanagar MLA R Ashok and Mahalakshmi Layout MLA K Gopalaiah, and other leaders from Shivamogga district did not turn up. Besides, several BJP leaders are tipped to be keen to join the ruling Congress, even while the party seems totally rudderless in the state and in the assembly.

More so, the Modani shadow has yet again loomed large on the sinking fortunes of the PM and his best businessman buddy. Two of the most prestigious newspapers in the UK have reported on more shady deals and Rahul Gandhi wasted no time in hitting where it really hurts.

The Guardian headline said: ‘Modi-linked Adani family secretly invested in own shares, documents suggest’. The report was categorical: “Since the Hindenburg report was published, Modi has faced difficult questions about the nature of his partnership with Gautam Adani and allegations of preferential treatment of the Adani Group by his government.”

The Financial Times headline said, ‘Adani shares slide and politicians demand action after reports on hidden investors’. The report said, “The reports have shone a spotlight on Indian institutions and the relationship between the conglomerate’s founder, Gautam Adani, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a febrile atmosphere ahead of elections early next year.”

Now, accusing George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, would be meaningless. The democrat-philanthropist-industrialist is not the only donor to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a collective of investigative journalists that worked with the Financial Times and The Guardian. Itsdonors include, yes, the US State Department, the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the ministry of Europe & foreign affairs of France, and the ministry of foreign affairs of Denmark.

Hence, while Big Brother might be watching all over in India, the world, especially the West, too, is watching the rise and fall of a home-grown tyrant. While thousands of ordinary folks and daily-wagers might be losing their bread and butter during the lockdown unleashed due to the hyperbole around the G-20 summit in Delhi, there are transparent signals that the world powers are aware of a certain paradigm shift in India. While the poor people’s quarters were compelled to vanish, hidden with huge green sheets, even the streets were sanitised. Street dogs of Delhi were treated with such bestiality that it was heart-breaking. Wonder what they did with the holy cows of Hindutva wandering on the streets and eating all kind of junk from garbage bins?

Barring the stooge media, this is clearly reflected in the mood of the nation, as much as in the manner in which the Opposition alliance seems confident before the countdown of 2024.

Indeed, you don’t need a full moon night to see that the tide is rising in the horizon. It’s once again time for ‘khela hobe’. Surely, it’s time to get onto the other side.

It’s INDIA Versus NDA. Can a United Opposition Defeat Modi?

By Sanjoy Narayan

Last Wednesday, 26 Indian opposition parties announced a pre-election coalition, which will contest the next parliamentary elections due in May 2024. The 26 parties, which together won 134 of the 545 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 elections, forged the alliance following the initiative of Nitish Kumar, 72, the veteran Bihar politician and chief minister of the state. 

The coalition is called INDIA, a clever acronym that expands to “Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance”. The 26-party coalition includes the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the DMK, the AAP, the JD(U) (of which Kumar is the leader), the RJD, the JMM, the NCP and the Shiv Sena.

When Kumar proposed the idea as the convenor of the opposition alliance, the plan was (and perhaps still is) to together field one strong candidate regardless of which constituent of the alliance they belonged to contest the candidate nominated by BJP or its alliance, the NDA.

Already the rhetoric has been flying thick and fast. Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal’s chief minister and head of the Trinamool Congress, was quoted as saying: “Let us challenge the NDA. The NDA cannot challenge INDIA. Is there anyone who can challenge INDIA?”

The bigger question, however, is whether the mish-mash of politicians of different stripes will be able to work together. Many of the constituents of “INDIA” have been arch rivals of each other, with a long history of bitter sparring between them. Whether they will be able to bury their differences and fight as one against the NDA remains to be seen. 

Some people think that the coalition has a chance to challenge the BJP’s dominance and popularity, especially if they can present a united front and a common agenda to the voters. Others doubt the coalition’s viability and stability, given the ideological differences and regional rivalries among some of the parties. Ultimately, it will depend on how the coalition performs in the upcoming state elections and how it manages to mobilize public support for its cause.

Meanwhile, critics of the new alliance have been quick with their rhetoric as well. The chief minister of the northeastern state of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, jibed at the coalition’s acronym name and said  the British had named the country “India” and the fight should be to free the nation from “colonial legacies”.

How India’s Ban on Rice Exports Can Fuel Global Food Inflation

Last Thursday, India ordered a ban on exports of white rice, its largest category of rice exports. India is the world’s largest exporter of rice and this move, it is feared could set off fears of a further rise in food inflation around the world, particularly in markets that are already reeling from high rise in price of food. 

According to India, the ban on exports (the ban is on non-basmati white rice) follows a rise in price of rice in the domestic market because of the late and heavy monsoon, which has caused widespread damage to crops. 

India accounts for more than 40% of global rice exports. The ban, coupled with low inventories of the grain with other exporters could further fuel food price inflation. Already, after the Russian offensive against Ukraine, which is a major food grains exporter, food prices have shot up globally. Days before India banned the exports of rice, Russia disallowed the Black Sea Grain Deal that allowed exports of foodgrains (mainly wheat) from Ukraine. 

India’s food ministry noted a 11.5% increase in retail food prices over the past year and reasoned that the ban on exports was aimed at ensuring enough rice was available in the domestic market. 

Last year, India exported 22 million tonnes of rice of which non-basmati white accounted for 10 million tonnes. Last week’s ban, however, does not cover parboiled rice (rice that is partly boiled in the husk) nor does it cover broken rice. These accounted for nearly 8 million tonnes last year.

High food inflation is a politically-sensitive matter in India too. Next year, India heads to its next parliamentary elections and the ruling regime headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Narendra Modi would be keen to keep inflation under check in its bid to win a third term at the Centre. India has also limited sugar exports after sugarcane yields declined. Rising sugar prices can also be a trigger for food inflation, which the Modi regime wants to keep in check. 

Nearly 3.5 billion people in the world consume rice as a staple food grain and most of it is produced in Asian countries. Rice price inflation has been growing steadily over the past decade and, according to estimates, they are hovering around their highest levels in the last decade. 

Can Cricket Hit a Sixer in America? 

The names of the teams are as curious as they are in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament: Atlanta Fire; Chicago Lions; Dallas Stars; Los Angeles Galaxy; and New York Bravehearts, to name a few. Last week, the Major League Cricket (MLC) tournament kicked off in the US, in a high-powered attempt to make the sport a popular money spinner in that country.

For decades there have been attempts to popularise the sport, which is played only in a few countries–mainly in the UK and its erstwhile colonies, including India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Those efforts had mixed outcomes.

Now, however, the MLC is powered with resources. Last week, the tournament began in a converted baseball stadium in Texas. With big multinational corporations as sponsors and Indian-origin tech heavyweights such as Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella (himself a big cricket buff) as patrons, already close to $50 million has been splurged on the tournament, which could see a further outlay of $130 million. 

MLC is a professional Twenty20 cricket league and is operated by American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) and sanctioned by USA Cricket. It began play on July 13, 2023, with six teams representing major U.S. cities under a single-entity model. The first season is taking place over three weeks at Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina, concluding on July 30, 2023. 

Besides Microsoft, sponsors include Uber, Coca Cola, Nike, Slazenger, and Amazon. The organisers are hoping that the money backing the tournament and  the growing influence of the South Asian diaspora, much of it comprising cricket fanatics, will make cricket work in the US, finally.

Shock and Shame in Manipur

More than two months ago, a gruesome and shocking incident took place in Manipur where ethnic clashes and violence have been continuing since the beginning of the year. In that incident, a video recording of which has been spreading virally, two women were paraded naked through the streets by a violent mob of men. It led to global outrage over the incident.

Police have arrested four men alleged to be involved in the act and charged them with gang rape. The question, however, is why did it take the police so long to act? A police complaint was believed to have been lodged soon after the incident and in the video the perpetrators are clearly identifiable. 

What is more, according to the BBC,  “a damning detail that has emerged from the written complaint – the BBC has seen a copy of it – filed by a relative of one of the women, is that the mob allegedly took the survivors from police custody. And two of the survivors have even accused the police of being present, but not doing anything to help them”.

Many in India are anguished and angry about this and other incidents in Manipur and many believe the government is not doing enough to stem the violence or to bring to book perpetrators such as those involved in heinous acts such as these. The current ruling party in Manipur is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which formed the government after the 2017 state assembly elections.

The Internet Phenomenon of ‘Barbenheimer’

Barbenheimer is an Internet meme that became viral before the release of two blockbuster films on the same day last Friday in many major global markets. The name is a portmanteau of the titles of the two films, Barbie and Oppenheimer, which couldn’t be more dissimilar in style and content. 

Barbie is a lighthearted fantasy comedy by Greta Gerwig about the fashion doll Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, who finds herself in the real world and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Oppenheimer is a dark, gritty epic biographical thriller by Christopher Nolan about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, who was the scientific director of the Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons during World War II.

The contrast between the two films provoked a comedic response from Internet users, who created memes, posters, trailers and fan art that humorously combined the contrasting aesthetics and themes of both films³. Some examples include: Barbie smiling in the foreground of a mushroom cloud; Oppenheimer holding a pink suitcase with the Barbie logo; Barbie saying “C’mon Oppie, let’s go testify before the US government; and so on.

Many were exhorted to watch both the movies on the opening day as a double bill. According to trade estimates, both films did well on the opening weekend: Barbie grossing  $120 million and Oppenheimer grossing $150 million.