Tag: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi Rises To The Challenge

Rahul Rises To The Challenge

By Amit Sengupta

Rahul Gandhi’s first speech in Parliament after the 2024 polls, clearly, stunned the ‘non-biological’ man, his best buddy from Gujarat, and his entire political party. Their shocked, crest-fallen faces told a story.

For the fake prophet, who has routinely flaunted his 56 inch chest, ‘red eyes’ and ‘ghar mein ghus kar marenge’ rhetoric, this is truly a fall from grace. Even his objections were so feeble and lame. So much so, his best buddy was seeking ‘protection’ from the Speaker – their own man – with an infamous record of brazen partisanship.

Ideally, Mr M should have gracefully accepted defeat and quit. He and his party have lost the mandate. That he did not point to other compelling factors – and not only the cliche that he is addicted to power. Powerless, one hundred old stories of solitude would have resurrected yet again, and those wouldn’t have been stories of magic realism!

In contrast, the entire Opposition in the INDIA alliance seems full of cheer, upbeat, buoyant. As if they have won the polls.

Indeed, they have, morally, emotionally, and psychologically, and this is no conspiracy theory!

Political observers believe that if the first two round of polling had been authentically accounted for in the Election Commission (EC) data, that is, if the final tally had not suddenly increased so drastically, soon after their initial disclosure – the results would have been quite different. Perhaps, the BJP would have failed to do even a ‘200 paar’!

Undoubtedly, it was the tremendous pressure exerted by civil society groups, the INDIA bloc, and eminent citizens that, perhaps, put the EC on the alert. The case unfolding in the apex court added to the gist. And ordinary folks were openly saying on the streets that Modi can only win if he fudges the EVMs!

Now, each day, there is new social-psychological pressure being exerted on the BJP leadership. Lalu Yadav has suddenly asked all in his party to be ready for assembly polls. He added to the suspense by claiming that this propped-up regime will fall in August. There have been whispers that the government can fall any day. Even Mukesh Ambani’s visit to meet Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, in a season of obscenely lavish pre-wedding indulgences, has made the gossip-mill go on an over-drive.

Now, Gujarat, has been added to the list. Rahul Gandhi told the BJP in Parliament, that they can take it in writing – they will now lose Gujarat! For a party, which has somehow managed to break the BJP citadel by winning one MP seat this time, this is like promising a utopia. The BJP will be defeated because the “balloon of Modi’s vision has burst,” said the Leader of Opposition (LoP).

By defeating the BJP in Ayodhya, INDIA bloc has defeated the Ram Mandir movement that was launched by LK Advani. “What I am saying is something very big…” he said. “Congress party and INDIA bloc defeated them in Ayodhya… In Parliament, I asked the prime minister as to whether he was a human being, as he himself said that he was non-biological, and has a direct connection with God. If you are directly connected to God, then how were you defeated in Ayodhya?”

“You could not have imagined that BJP will get defeated in Ayodhya or that Modi will win Varanasi by a small margin. They are going to be defeated here in Gujarat like they were in Ayodhya. All you have to do is to ask the people of Gujarat to not be scared,” he said.

ALSO READ: Rahul – A Glimmer of Hope For Secular India

He has added another twist to the tale. He has claimed that Modi wanted to contest from Ayodhya (considering the grandiose hyperbole created around the ‘pran pratistha’ ceremony, and the huge hype by the stooge media), but he was told by his advisers that he will face certain defeat. “That is why, he (Modi) did not contest from Ayodhya, but opted for Varanasi. In Varanasi, we made a few mistakes, or else, we should have defeated him there as well,” he said.

This is like the proverb of both heads and tails of the tossed coin falling in the lap of the LoP. And this LoP is no run-of-the-mill guy!

So, soon after the electrifying speech in Parliament, what did he do? He went to share the life experiences of the working class and skilled ‘mistris’ who build homes and buildings with their bare hands and back-breaking labour, on abysmally low wages. Every picture clicked with them reeks of a certain honesty not seen among the political class in India since decades.

Then Rahul Gandhi went to meet railway drivers and loco pilots from across the country in Delhi, who work in hard shifts, who are over-worked, stressed out and lack proper sleep, and who take rest in not-so-comfortable spaces with lack of washrooms. Despite thousands of vacancies, the railways are reportedly not hiring staffers. Besides, there is a massive privatization spree happening.

The drivers poured their heart out to him. Soon after, railway officials rushed to meet the drivers and their union leaders, promising to do what they have refused to do all these years.

This visit is to be measured in terms of the series of deadly train accidents which have occurred in the recent past. In the last case near Darjeeling, the overworked railway driver has been reportedly blamed. Under Ashwini Vaishnav as Railways Minister since 2021, 329 accidents have reportedly occurred, including the death of 296 passengers in Balasore, Orissa, last year.

In another interview , Rahul Gandhi said that he showed the ‘abhay mudra’ in  Parliament, that most people in India work with their hands, but they get nothing in return. “Instead, we want to give them respect, appreciation and protection. This is our thinking.”

While the PM must have forgotten about Hathras, Rahul Gandhi was there immediately after the ghastly stampede killed around 120 people in an overcrowded show held by yet another ‘godman’. He consoled a little girl, while holding the hand of another, listening to them, sharing their grief, seeking compensation.

In September 2020, a 19-year-old Dalit girl was gang-raped by upper caste men in a village in Hathras. Her body was burnt by the cops in the night in a hush-hush manner. Even her parents were not allowed to do the last rites. The Delhi and UP police blocked all the highways with barricades. Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi braved their lathis, broke the barricades and reached Hathras. The heart-rending pictures of Priyanka hugging a grieving mother became viral — a moment of deep sorrow.

On Monday, July 9, 2024, Rahul Gandhi was back in Manipur. This is the third time he has visited the ravaged state which has lost its peace of mind, with thousands in refugee camps, scores of dead in the conflict zone, and the nightmare of  two women being brutalised, stripped and paraded naked by a mob still haunting the conscience of the civil society. He has now visited the relief camps in Jibram and Churachandpur districts.

Significantly, the PM has not visited Manipur till this day. Why?

No one knows.

The truth is, now, it does not matter. He has lost the game. The game is over for him. And every day, in popular consciousness, his image is sinking deeper into a lower abyss. It seems, ‘acche din’ has finally arrived for Mr M. 

Besides, as he flies to Moscow, its people suffocated by another life-long megalomaniac-dictator, he should analyse the poll results in the UK and France. Left-of-Centre Labour Party and the Left solidarity alliance of the New Popular Front has won decisive victories out there — defeating the Right-wing, including the Neo-Nazis in France. Even in Iran, the hardliner Islamic fundamentalists have lost to a proven reformist.

The winds of change, cool and soothing, they often arrive, suddenly, quickly, and undetected. However, when they do arrive, they refuse to go away so soon. These days, it seems, they have come to stay.

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Gandhi Is Fevicol For Congress Party

‘Gandhi’ Is Still The Fevicol Of The Congress Party

By Sanjoy Narayan

A few days after the Lok Sabha election results came out and Rahul Gandhi, who had fought them from two constituencies–Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh and Wayanad in Kerala–and got elected from both, addressed the question of which constituency he would give up and which one he would represent in Parliament. At a public meeting in Wayanad, Gandhi, 54, told the people of the rural district that had elected him to Parliament in 2019 and again this year that he hoped what he would decide would make both, Wayanad and Rae Bareli, happy.

As it happened, Gandhi chose to keep Rae Bareli as his constituency and give up Wayanad. Then, shortly afterwards, his Congress party announced that Gandhi’s sister, Priyanka, a general secretary of the party, would contest the bye-elections from the Wayanad seat that he had vacated. That is what Gandhi had alluded to when he said his decision would make the people of both constituencies happy. 

Indeed, Wayanad will likely be happy to elect Priyanka, 52, to replace her brother and it is highly likely that she will win. In Kerala, where of the 20 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 18, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is unlikely to pose a challenge for her. 

More significant is the fact that if Priyanka is elected to the Lok Sabha, Parliament will have three Gandhis sitting as members: former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, 77, is a member of the upper House, Rajya Sabha, and her two children, Rahul and Priyanka would be Lok Sabha members.

The biggest criticism that the Congress party faces from its main rivals, notably the BJP, which formed the coalition government that Narendra Modi heads in his third term as Prime Minister, is that it is a political party with a dynastic leadership. That is not inaccurate. For decades, Congress’ leadership has been controlled by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi’s father, grandmother, and great grandfather, have all been Prime Ministers of India. Their mother, Sonia, was the longest serving president of the Congress party, taking over in 1998 and continuing till 2017 after which she returned as head of the party in 2019 for another three years. Rahul Gandhi himself has served as the party president for two years from 2017 to 2019.

Congress and the ‘Gandhi’ Factor

Yet, for the Congress, the Gandhi factor is what has kept the party going through the years. ‘Gandhi’ seems to be the glue that binds that party together, through thick and thin. In the past decade, the party has suffered huge setbacks. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when Modi led the BJP and its allies to a decisive victory by winning 336 of the 543 seats, the Congress managed to win only 44, a historic low for the party. In the following elections, in 2019, when BJP and its allies won 353 seats, the Congress won just 52. 

In this year’s elections, the Congress has clawed back. While the BJP and its allies have a smaller majority of 293 seats, the Congress-led Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a potpourri of mainly regional parties, won 234 seats. Significantly, 99 of those seats were won by the Congress.

At least in part, the better performance by the Congress and its allies in this year’s elections can be attributed to the Congress’ leadership. Rahul Gandhi, who has been criticised, often justifiably, for his lack of consistency in leading the party–for the record, he holds no official post in the Congress but is perceived to be its most empowered leader (an enviable position to have!)–demonstrated a sort of grassroots commitment to voters that was in sharp contrast with his main rival, Modi and the BJP.

To increase his party’s electoral engagement, Gandhi undertook two marches across the length and breadth of India, addressing citizens and interacting with them. His party also changed its way of dealing with allies and smaller regional parties. In the past, the Congress, partly because of the hubris of having been a dominant player in India’s political landscape, has treated its smaller allies with condescension. This time, it depended more on their support in states such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra where regional parties outdid the BJP and its allies.

Although Congress’ president is not Gandhi but a veteran party leader, Mallikarjun Kharge, 81, he is perceived as the de facto leader of the opposition alliance, INDIA, and it has been the Gandhi factor that has helped in keeping the alliance together and enable it to score electoral wins that kept the BJP and its allies in check.

ALSO READ: Rahul Told Me Bharat Jodo Yatra Is His Tapasya

The most important outcome of the election for the Congress has been that after 10 years, it has been able to win 99 seats, which is higher than 10% or 55 of the total Lok Sabha seats needed for it to be able to appoint a Leader of Opposition (LOP) in Lok Sabha, a post that will in all likelihood go to Rahul Gandhi. 

While Gandhi can leverage the legitimacy of that position to coordinate with more authority the Opposition’s strategy in Lok Sabha when it convenes on 24 June, the induction of Priyanka Gandhi in the party’s electoral politics is yet another factor that could bolster Congress’ Lok Sabha presence.

Priyanka’s role in Congress’ politics has thus far been as a backroom, behind-the-scenes worker. In this year’s elections, she campaigned across India but concentrated her efforts in Rae Bareli where her mother stepped aside to let her brother contest, and in Amethi, the other UP constituency from where her brother had lost to the BJP’s firebrand leader Smriti Irani in 2019. In Amethi, Priyanka campaigned aggressively this time for the Congress candidate, Kishori Lal Sharma, a longtime loyalist of the Gandhi family, who defeated Irani. 

Congress’ Priyanka Strategy

Priyanka’s entry into electoral politics can have a strategic impact on the future of Congress. If Priyanka wins from Wayanad, the two disparate regions of India, the north and the south, will both have a ‘Gandhi’ as a parliamentarian. This is significant, particularly because the BJP and its allies are weakest in the southern states. 

Moreover, if she becomes a member of the Lok Sabha, the Congress will have strengthened its presence in Parliament. In the Rajya Sabha, the Congress already has Sonia Gandhi, a respected veteran as the Congress Parliamentary Party chief, Kharge, who is the party’s president, and Jairam Ramesh, the party’s chief spokesperson. Consider them as part of Congress’ seniors. If Priyanka wins from Wayanad, she and her brother would be in the Lok Sabha, representing the party’s younger generation of leaders.

In the run-up to this year’s election, campaigning by both sides was marked by acrimony, accusations, and ugly confrontations. Modi, who was the star campaigner for the BJP and its allies, dominated the scene with dozens of TV interviews, rallies, and a social media blitz. 

Yet, for those who tracked Priyanka’s public meetings and media interactions, a few things stood out. Temperamentally, she came across as a mature politician with a balanced and objective approach to issues–whether they were focused on what the average Indian seeks from those who they want to elect to govern the country or against personal attacks made against her party and family by the ruling regime’s campaigners. 

Compared to the often mercurial and sometimes inconsistent public stance of her brother–attributes that many political analysts have frequently critiqued–Priyanka’s approach has usually been a more considered one. In public speeches, she seemed unflappable yet firm and powerful when she took on her opponents, and, in media interviews, she came across as sharp, sincere, and committed. 

Sonia Gandhi, who has been keeping indifferent health, has been gradually ceding much of her active role in Congress’ politics. She has withdrawn from electoral politics of the lower house. She has given up her role as the party’s formal boss, and she was far less visible during this year’s campaigning than she has been in the past. 

Gradually, her role is likely to diminish further while the two younger Gandhis take up the leadership of the party. Yes, Priyanka’s entry into electoral politics will further consolidate the dynastic domination of the Congress’ leadership but then the ‘Gandhi’ glue more than anything else is what keeps that party together. India’s best-known adhesive brand is Fevicol. And one of its most iconic taglines is “Fevicol Ka Mazboot Jod Hai Tootega Nahi!” For the Congress, like it or not, the Gandhis are the Fevicol that keeps the party together.

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Rahul As Leader of Opposition

Rahul Gandhi Is At The Last Chance Saloon And It’s Not Looking Good

By Sanjoy Narayan

The Economist, the British publication that is often described as a weekly newspaper published in a printed magazine format, appears to have a soft spot for Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Indian National Congress and the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that runs that political party. A few days before the first phase of India’s gargantuan parliamentary elections was held, the publication joined Gandhi on his campaign trail and ran a piece that tacitly implied that Gandhi, 53, who holds no official position in his party, had got his mojo back.

The piece did list the main challenges that the Congress faces: the lack of an ideological alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dominant and seemingly unstoppable Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) whose amalgam of Hindutva and economic development has proved to be a successful electoral recipe; the lack of organisational discipline in the Congress; and Gandhi’s own lack of experience–he has never run a state nor a central ministry.

Yet the Economist’s piece on Gandhi was hopeful–a contrarian view from what many others think of him–and concluded that if the Congress had to reverse its decline, Gandhi would have to step up or step aside. 

Gandhi actually has had more chances than any political leader is usually lucky to get. He has led the party’s defeat in two parliamentary elections, in 2014 and 2019; he has seen the number of seats that his party along with its allies have won plummet to just 52 out of 543; and has seen it lose several state elections–the Congress now rules in just three out of India’s 28 states. 

Yet, it is a silly season that is underway in Indian politics–six more phases of elections will be held and no exit polls will be allowed till the last vote is cast on June 1–and all manner of speculation, some of it nonsensical, abounds. A few days before the first phase of elections was held, the prominent Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh, 70, commenting on a quote of Prime Minister Modi, posted on X: “A pathological liar who plumbs new depths of lies every day. Just two more months, though, of this man as PM.” 

The Congress and its supporters have been circulating various prophecies, including a now-deleted opinion poll that suggests the Congress-led big-tent alliance of 41 opposition pirates would get more seats than the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. On their part, Modi and the NDA have made no bones of their expectation that they would win 400 seats or more in the ongoing elections, which, if it happens, would mean a massive 74% majority.

The BJP’s confidence shows. When the first phase of elections ended last Friday evening, Modi, who with 97.3 million followers is the 7th most popular on X (former US President Barack Obama is the only politician who has more, while another ex-Prez Donald Trump has less), posted: “Getting EXCELLENT feedback from today’s voting. It’s clear that people across India are voting for NDA in record numbers.”

Everyone, including the media in India, political commentators, and international media publications (who are more critical of Modi and his regime than their Indian counterparts), has by and large concluded  that a third term for Modi as Prime Minister and a huge mandate for his party and its allies is all but assured and that the only matter of interest is how many seats they get when the results are declared on June 4–more than the 346 that they now have or less. 

Gandhi And His Team’s Third Test

Let us assume that the prevalent view that Modi will be reelected as Prime Minister for the third time comes true. What about the Congress? After his party’s dismal showing in 2014 and 2019, this year’s election is a crucial test for Gandhi. The Congress could end up with either more seats than the paltry 52 that it currently has in Parliament, or less. What would those scenarios mean for the scion of a party that was once the dominant political organisation in India and one that has its roots in the first nationalist movement to emerge in the British Empire. The Congress was formed in 1885, which makes it 139 years old. For 48 years, or nearly half a century after Independence in 1947, the party has helmed India’s government and for many years it also ruled in most of India’s states.

But its decline has been swift and shocking. In 2014, the Modi-led NDA first dealt it a blow (the Congress that year won just 44 seats); in 2019, it was a repeat. If 2014 was a wake-up call, 2019, was a plaintive cry for survival. 

Yet, on the face of it, the party’s leadership did little. Yes, Gandhi himself sort of took the blame for the electoral debacle, resigning as party president in 2019,  and refusing to remain in any official position in the party. His mother, Sonia Gandhi, widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, continued as interim president of the party before a veteran leader, Mallikarjun Kharge, who is 81, was appointed as president in 2022. 

Publicly Congress leaders would like to describe Kharge’s appointment as a demonstration of non-dynastic meritocracy in the Congress but, in private, they scoff as loudly as Congress’s rivals. For everyone knows that it is still one family, the Nehru-Gandhis, which continues to call the shots in the party. In other words, it is Gandhi, his mother who is 77 and in indifferent health, and his sister, Priyanka, 52, who is a general secretary of the party, who control everything in the party. Every other leader in the party has to be subservient to the family. Or else they have to leave.

Many have. In significant droves. Since 2014, several promising Congress leaders, some of them young, enthusiastic and credited with the potential to turnaround the fortunes of the party have ditched it. Their reasons for leaving are simple: the way the party is controlled by the family. Many of them have joined the BJP, which has become a kind of equal-opportunity recruiter of political talent from across the spectrum of opposition parties. If an opposition politician has the heft to get votes, the BJP’s doors are open for him or her.

The situation is so grave for Congress that besides some old-timers, many of whom are at the terminal stages of their political careers, there are few who remain that can revive the party. When the results of the ongoing elections come out in June, for Gandhi and his family it could be the last chance to do something about an organisation that is sliding in a spectacular political avalanche. Or, would it be too late?

Stepping Aside Could Be the Only Option

A third electoral debacle would be severely humiliating for Gandhi but catastrophic for his party. He is the main challenger to Modi and seen as the real leader of his party–whether or not he has an official post in Congress is irrelevant. 

If, in the first scenario, the Congress ends up with, say, 50-100 seats this time, what should Gandhi do? A charitable suggestion is that he should step aside from all party work and, although it depends on his personal choice, probably from politics altogether. Indians looking at Gandhi’s track record would have had enough of him and even those who support his party would probably not want him around anymore. If he or his party would like him to continue even after another electoral drubbing, he would be a parodistic personality inviting rebuke rather than respect. Not an image that anyone would cherish for himself.

There is, of course, a second scenario. Let’s assume hypothetically that the opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) flies in the face of prevailing public perception and wins the elections (caveat: I said “hypothetically”!). 

INDIA is made up of 41 parties but is chaired by the Congress president Kharge. Besides the Congress, the constituent parties in the alliance include smaller national parties, communist parties, and several regional parties from different states, including those representing minorities such as Muslims, discriminated castes, and tribals. 

It is a sort of hodge-podge of parties from across the ideological spectrum that lies outside the bounds of the BJP’s Hindutva plus development plank. Formed less than a year before the ongoing elections began, already some of the original member parties have left, notably Bihar’s Janata Dal (United) led by the original convenor of the alliance, Nitish Kumar, who left to ally with the BJP. 

Nevertheless, let’s assume the INDIA gets to form a government on the strength of a hypothetically higher number of seats than the NDA that it wins. Each of its constituents will wield varying degrees of power on account of the number of seats it wins and brings to the kitty. Some of them are strong in their home states and regions and can dictate terms in the formation of the government. How many of them are likely to agree to a Prime Minister from the Congress party? And even if they do, how many would vote in favour of Gandhi? 

As I said, it is the silly season now, a time when speculation abounds. So let me leave you with those two questions to speculate about, purely hypothetically.

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United Opposition Unsettled BJP

United Opposition, Unsettled BJP

By Amit Sengupta

If the manifest use of language is a social-psychological indicator of hidden tectonic shifts, civilization and culture, as much as compulsive Freudian slips, then, surely, things don’t seem to be going hunky dory for the muscle-flexing, cash-rich ruling party in the Centre. For one, its two unilateral supremos from Gujarat have not been seen smiling or happy since a long time now – their tense faces a give-away, a repetitive syndrome, especially in the poll rallies.

Obviously, the unprecedented multi-million electoral bond scam of organized extortions linked to raids by central agencies, and lucrative contracts in millions soon after to all kinds of companies, including sleazy business groups, often unknown with a pathetic front of its office (as that of a gaming company plus biggest doner to the BJP), has hit the party hard. It has hit them real hard in the face of a united opposition which held a massive rally in Delhi recently against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren, two elected chief ministers. The crowd was spilling over outside the Ramlila Maidan, almost like the Mumbai finale rally of the Bharat Jodo Yatra Part II.

Besides, this crowd was extremely serious; they were not hired and brought on buses and trucks. They were real people, citizens of India, original dissenters, and they listened to the speeches with intent and concentration. Every top leader of all the parties in the alliance was there, with Derek ‘O Brein, ironically, seated between the two leaders of the two communist parties. And the speeches were first class, especially that of Tejeshwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi.

The INDIA Bloc statement, significantly read by Priyanka Gandhi, had every sentence etched out in its articulation, and the audience heard her with rapt attention. This kind of audience is more likely to be a ‘change catalyst’ with a rapid multiplier effect, in contrast to those hired or brought in hordes with food and cash by political parties.

In UP, the BJP’s Pandora box of caste and communal politics, the Ram Mandir hyperbole has fizzled out like an artificially bloated balloon suddenly shrunk. Political observers believe that the loss here could be as many as 10 seats, with the quick alliance with RLD boomeranging badly. Recently, a tea party hosted by a BJP leader for RLD leaders and supporters in Western UP was reduced to a street bout with the BJP cadre getting thrashed very badly. Besides, farmers here are really angry with the BJP for all its failed promises, including on MSP.

Civil society groups in the state, as in other states, have started a campaign on EVMs, threatening to enter polling booths demanding proof in paper, of votes cast. A new survey by an unknown research outfit says, surprisingly, that BJP might not cross 170 this time. As if taking a cue, Rahul Gandhi has been talking in conjectures: for instance, he says, if the BJP gets 170, 160, 140, then what? He has also threatened severe action in the post-election scenario in case the BJP loses, saying that you can’t win elections through the terror mechanism of the agencies, by freezing Congress accounts with threats of huge tax arrears, and putting opposition leaders, including chief ministers in jail.

Ground reports point out that in the best case scenario the BJP might not cross 270, and that itself would be a big downer for the ‘great helmsman’, now being caricatured as Mr Paisa Wasool Bond, Mr Crook Bond, Mr 056 Bond (punning on 56 inches), and spoofing on 007 James Bond! If the hired BJP troll army is eternally hyper active, the counter-narrative in terms of videos, memes, caricatures, posters, songs, and spoofs, is also relentless and high-voltage.

Besides, now, clearly, the fight is for the soul of India – a corrupt and arrogant quasi-dictatorship verses the collective urge for democracy, secularism and a society without the terror of jail and raids, with jobs and justice! This kind of mass instinct surfaces and solidifies in rare moments of history, it accumulates through multiple layers of frustrations, angst and anger, and it does take a while. However, indications are that the underpinnings are sharp, a simmering rebellion seems to be brewing, and the South, Bengal, Punjab, and perhaps Bihar and Delhi, will show the way!

ALSO READ: Narendra Modi’s Southern Discomfort

Hence, here comes the use of language as a Freudian slip, if not a sign of obsession with absolute power, while strangely feeling suddenly cornered and pushed to the wall. In a reminder of the post-Pulwama phase before the 2019 polls, the PM raked up Pakistan yet again, and for no rhyme or reason, in what is our nation-state elections. He said in a rally in Jamui, Bihar, flanked by another obsessive power-hungry turn-coat, Nitish Kumar (who disclosed, ironically, that he would not go anywhere now!): “Aaj ka Bharat ghar mein ghus ke maarta hain.”

Now, apart from the routine terrorist activity across the line of control in Kashmir, where the government has botched up very badly, alienating the entire population, including in Jammu and Ladakh, Pakistan has done nothing to be so brazenly threatened by the PM of India, and that too with such crudity. Why beat up anyone, or our neighbours, indeed, in their own home, in the first instance, in an era of subtle and nuanced diplomacy?

Surely, heads of state are expected to speak the language of statesmanship. That is what is expected of them, isn’t it? They are role models for their own country, and the whole world is listening to them!  Besides, if there is only one leader who uses such crass language, he is Benjamin Netanyahu — perhaps, the most hated, condemned and isolated leader in the world in the current circumstances, and in his own country, Israel. Witness the massive protest rallies in Tel Aviv against Bibi!

The slip-of-the-tongue is a prophetic sign that the BJP is slipping, and on slippery ground. Pakistan hits the radar of the party every time it finds itself on a sticky wicket. The ‘China card’ is never used, because the ‘red eyes’ for the enemy turns blink-blink-blank when it comes to Chinese soldiers violating the buffer zone across the LoC in Ladakh. Now, even the Gandhian satyagraha has spread like wildfire in what was a totally sublime and peaceful Buddhist landscape, with women and youngsters joining the Sonam Wangchuk non-violent movement in large numbers. So much so, Leh, as per latest reports, is under a police siege, as the administration is out to foil a long ‘border march’ by the citizens of Ladakh.

Said Wangchuk on Twitter: “Leh is being turned into a war zone with disproportionate force, barricades, smoke grenades. Attempts to arrest peaceful youth leaders, even singers, continue. Seems they want to turn a most peaceful movement violent and then brand Ladakhis as anti-nationals… The government seems worried only about Ladakh’s effects on their votes and on mining lobbies… not the people here nor even national security.”

That tells a dark story of bad faith. On one end of the border, in the north-east, Manipur is still simmering with rage and sorrow. Women stripped in public by a blood-thirsty mob is a nightmare which comes back, like nightmares, like the murderous attacks and burning of villages, the scores of dead across the communities, in the valley and the forests; the unknown bodies, the mothers in mourning, the virtual civil war in a sensitive border state ruled by a partisan and unrepentant BJP chief minister.

Of course, the whole country knows that the PM did not visit Manipur even once, and almost always chose a tacit silence, for reasons only he knows. Language failed him on a ravaged Manipur, and he could not even blame it on Pakistan! Now, Ladakh is becoming restless. They too want justice, and they too are on a sensitive border region, walking a tight-rope, in a delicate situation, with China, literally, breathing down their neck. So, like Manipur and Kashmir, will they botch up Ladakh too, now under a siege? Immerse a pristine heaven of simple and gentle people into the ugly hell-fires of a tragic epic? Quite probably, yes!

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Rahul Gandhi BJP

We Are Fighting Against Hatred-Filled Asura-Shakti: Rahul

By LokMarg

After Congress leaders’ press conference on freezing party accounts ahead of Lok Sabha elections, party leader Rahul Gandhi reiterated his ‘Shakti’ remark and said that they are fighting against hatred-filled “Asura-shakti.”

“We are fighting against hatred-filled ‘Asura-shakti’,” the Congress leader told reporters after holding a press conference in the national capital.

After Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Shakti’ remark stirred controversy, the BJP leaders criticised him for his statement, whereas the Congress rallied behind the Wayanad MP and came in support of him.

In Mumbai, where the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra recently concluded, Rahul Gandhi said at a rally, “There is a word ‘Shakti’ in Hinduism. We are fighting against Shakti. The question is, what is Shakti? The soul of the king is in the EVM. This is true. The soul of the king is in the EVM and every institution of the country, in the ED, CBI and Income Tax Department.”

Meanwhile, party’s general secretary KC Venugopal said that they are appealing to the people to save democracy.

“That is why we are going to the people directly. We are appealing to the people. We are appealing to the people to save democracy. Come what may, we will fight it out,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi on Thursday lashed out at the Centre and asserted that there is “no democracy” in India today, alleging that the idea that India is a democracy is a lie.

Rahul Gandhi asserted that by blocking the accounts of the largest opposition party the BJP had caused great damage to Indian democracy.

“This is a criminal action on the Congress party, a criminal action done by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. So, the idea that India is a democracy is a lie. There is no democracy in India today. The idea that India is the world’s largest democracy is a lie. A complete lie,” he said.

“20 per cent of India votes for us and we are not able to pay Rs 2 for anything. It has been orchestrated to cripple us in the elections. Even if our bank accounts are unfrozen today, huge amount of debt damage has been done to Indian democracy,” he added.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi claimed that all Congress’ bank accounts have been frozen, the party can do no campaign work, cannot support party workers, and cannot support party candidates.

“All our bank accounts have been frozen. We can do no campaign work, we cannot support our workers, we cannot support our candidates. This has been done two months before the election campaign. One notice comes from the 90s, another from 6-7 years back. Quantum amount is Rs 14 lakhs and punishment – our entire financial identity. All the institutions are quiet and the Election Commission has not even said anything,” he added.

He further said that the party has already lost a month fighting the IT case and its ability to fight elections has been damaged.

“This is not the freezing of Congress party’s bank accounts; this is the freezing of Indian democracy. As the biggest opposition party, we are unable to take any action – we can’t book advertisements or send our leaders anywhere. This is an assault on democracy,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi said that there is an Election Commission in the country but it has not even said anything.

“What’s interesting to me is that there are institutions in this country that are supposed to protect the democratic framework. There is an Election Commission in the country but it has not even said anything; that you have frozen the bank accounts of one of the biggest political parties and largest opposition in the country,” he added.

Earlier on March 8, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) dismissed the plea moved by the Congress Party which sought a stay against Income Tax Department proceedings of recovery and freezing of their Bank accounts and said the Stay Application is without merit. (ANI)

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Rahul Gandhi

Modi Takes Veiled Dig At Rahul At Startup Mahakumbh

By LokMarg

Though veiled but seemingly targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew a parallel between startups and politics.

Addressing the Startup Mahakumbh, one of thhe first large congregation of startups, the Prime Minister said many people try to launch political startups but the difference between them and the original startups is the latter’s thrust for new ideas.

“Many people try to ‘launch’ startups, especially in politics, sometimes multiple times… The difference between you and them is that you’re experimental. You try new ideas after the failure of one launch,” the prime minister said, in his initial remarks.

Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in 2023 and the latest Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Imphal to Mumbai which culminated this week are seen as a rebranding of the Congress leader and to portray him as the face of the principal Opposition party ahead of the General elections.

Rahul Gandhi is again contesting from his current Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.

The Prime Minister also spoke on the pace of innovation and development saying that India had made the right decisions at the right time.

“Today, the energy & vibe is amazing! Strolling along the stalls and watching your inventions, I could feel the vibe that India’s future holds many Unicorns and Decacorns. For promoting startups, India made the right decisions at the right time” he said.

“Over the past decades, we have seen how India has made huge strides in the software and IT sector. Now, we can see the pace of development of innovation and startup culture in India,” he added.

PM Modi also highlighted the government’s role in creating an effective startup ecosystem.

“India has attempted to bring together startup ecosystems from around the world under Startup-20. In the same Bharat Mandapam, startups were not only included for the first time in the Delhi Declaration of G-20, but were also considered as natural engines of growth” he said.

“India is the world’s 3rd largest startup ecosystem. There are over 1.25 lakh registered startups which generate employment for over 12 lakh people. India has over 110 unicorns… Our startups have registered over 12,000 patents” he added.

Lok Sabha elections 2024 will be held in seven phases beginning from April 19 till June 1, and results slated to be release on June 4. A total of 96.8 crore voters will be eligible to cast their vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. (ANI)

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INDIA 'Shakti' remark Rahul

Shakti Worshippers Will Give Befitting Reply To Cong, INDI Alliance: Modi

By LokMarg

Criticising Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his ‘Shakti’ remark, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the Congress and INDIA bloc has challenged the concept of ‘Shakti’ adding that every woman and Shakti worshippers in the country, will teach the opposition alliance a lesson on June 4 (counting day of Lok Sabha polls).

Rahul Gandhi earlier had said that “there is a word ‘Shakti’ in Hinduism. We are fighting against a Shakti”.

Addressing a public meeting in Shivamogga, Prime Minister Modi said, “Yesterday an announcement to destroy Shakti was made from Shivaji Park (in Mumbai). How much it must have hurt the soul of Balasaheb Thackeray. Nari Shakti ka yahi aashirvad mera sabse bada kawach hai (Blessings of Nari Shaki is my biggest security shield). No other government has given so much focus to Nari Shakti since Independence.”

He further stated that an attack on ‘Shakti’ means an attack on daughters and women in the country.

“The people of the INDI alliance want to destroy this Shakti. They hate the increasing shakti of Maa Bharti. An attack on Shakti means an attack on women, daughters, Maa Bharti. INDI alliance and Congress has challenged this Shakti, our daughters, and women of this country will give them a befitting reply on June 4,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi, in his comments made on Sunday in Maharashtra, raised concerns about the operation of EVMs to emphasize the opposition’s struggle against the might of the state.

“There is a word ‘Shakti’ (might) in Hinduism. We are fighting against a Shakti (might of the state). The question is, what is that, Shakti and what does it entail for us? The soul and integrity of EVMs have been traded to the King (Modi). This is a fact. Not just EVMs but every autonomous institution of the country, be it the ED, CBI or Income Tax Department, have traded their spines to the Centre,” Rahul said in an address in Mumbai.

After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Shakti’ remark sparked outrage, with BJP leaders criticising him for his statement, the Congress has come in support of Rahul Gandhi.

On Monday, Congress leader Pawan Khera launched an indirect attack on the ruling BJP, saying that now this country will not be run by “demonic power” but by “divine power”.

In a post on X, Khera, lashing out at the BJP, said “women were being made to run naked in Manipur, which power was keeping you silent?”

“Ten years ago, when your party was organizing morchas in favour of rapists in Kathua, Unnao, and Hathras, did you not remember the worship of Shakti? When the female wrestler was on the road and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was inside your house, which power were they worshipping? This election will be between divine power and demonic power and the victory will be of divine power,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi also appealed to the voters to wipe out Congress from Karnataka.

“In these Lok Sabha elections, wipe out Congress completely. You have to come out with this resolution on April 26 and May 7,” he said.

Taking a further dig at the Congress, PM Modi said that “the Congress is a party that will go to any extent to gain power”.

“The British have left, but the Congress has not left the British mentality of divide and rule. Congress first divided the country, divided based on caste, based on community, and divided people on the basis of religion, region and language. To gain power, Congress also divided the country, but still, Congress, with its divisive mentality, is not satisfied with this. Congress has again started playing the dangerous game of dividing the country,” he said.

Referring to Congress leader DK Suresh’s remarks on “separate country for South India”, Prime Minister Modi said, “Now they have also started speaking openly about their intention. Congress MP from Karnataka has given a statement about dividing the country once again. Instead of throwing such an MP out of the party, the Congress party is protecting him. Karnataka will never allow such politics and such conspiracies to succeed.”

However, DK Suresh later issued a clarification, stating that his remarks were just to “bring attention to the discrimination being done in the southern states by the BJP-led Centre”. (ANI)

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Rahul Gandhi Modi

Modi Hits Back At Rahul’s Shakti Remark

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his ‘Shakti’ remark and said that he is willing to sacrifice his life for ‘Shakti’.

Addressing a rally in Jagtial, the Prime Minister said that it was an honour for him that Nari Shakti has gathered to bless and support him.

“The INDI alliance in their manifesto said that their fight is against ‘Shakti’. For me, every mother, daughter and sister is a form of ‘Shakti’. I worship them in the form of ‘Shakti’. I am the worshiper of Bharat Mata…Their manifesto is to finish ‘Shakti’, and I accept the challenge…’Main jaan ki baazi laga dunga’,” PM Modi said. 

He further said that his government dedicated the success of the Chandrayaan mission by naming the point where Chandrayaan landed as ‘Shiv Shakti’. 

“Can someone talk about the destruction of ‘Shakti’?…We dedicated the success of the Chandrayaan mission by naming the point where Chandrayaan landed as ‘Shiv Shakti’…The fight is between those who want to destroy ‘Shakti’ and those who worship ‘Shakti’…’Muqabla 4 June ko ho jaaega’,” he added. 

The Prime Minister further said that on the one hand there are people who talk about the destruction of power while on the other hand there are people who worship Shakti. 

Rahul Gandhi, in his comments made on Sunday in Maharashtra, had raised concerns about the operation of Electronic Voting Machines, to emphasize the Opposition’s struggle against the might of the state

“There is a word ‘Shakti’ (might) in Hinduism. We are fighting against a Shakti (might of the state). The question is, what is that Shakti and what does it entail for us? The soul and integrity of EVMs have been traded to the King (Modi). This is a fact. Not just EVMs but every autonomous institution of the country, be it the ED, CBI or Income Tax department, have traded their spines to the Centre,” Rahul said in an address in Mumbai. 

The elections for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held from April 19 to June 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4. (ANI)

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Rahul Gandhi

Expelled Cong Leader Tears Into Party, Calls Rahul Mad

By LokMarg

In a blistering attack on Rahul Gandhi for casting aspersions on ‘
Modi Ki Guarantee
‘ (PM Modi’s guarantees), expelled Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam on Sunday said a person, who has lost his mental bearings, can say anything.

Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Acharya Krishnam also lamented the bulk exits and desertions from the grand old party, saying the Congress has been reduced to an ‘anti-Ram’ and ‘anti-Sanatan’ party, which is why it losing leaders and members to rivals.

On Rahul’s claim that there was ‘no guarantee’ that PM Modi would return to office for a third straight term, the expelled Congress leader said, “See, a person, who has lost his mind, can say anything. As we have seen with children, they often ramble on without making much sense. One need not take the words of a child or a senseless person seriously.”

“The only person responsible for the prevailing ruinous state of the Congress is Rahul Gandhi. As long as Rahul Gandhi is in the Congress, there is no saving the Congress,” he added.

Further hitting out at the Congress, Acharya Krishnam said, “No one wants to stay in party that speaks indecorously of Lord Ram. Many in the Congress have to come realise that they are doomed if they continue to remain in the Congress. This is as clear as daylight. The Congress, through its opposition of Lord Ram, has exposed its political bankruptcy and frustration. It is now an anti-Ram and an anti-Sanatan party. Who will stand with those who stand against Sanatan despite living in the country? Who will stay with them? That explains the current string of exits from the party.”

“Who would want to stay onboard a sinking ship? Congress is a sinking ship. Everyone would jump off a ship that is being steered by Rahul Gandhi. People will jump off and swim or sail to safety. Many more, including senior leaders, will desert the Congress even amidst elections. All his statements and decisions are only driving the Congress towards a bitter end. Those, who once were at his beck and call, are now taking potshots at him. From Karuna Karan’s daughter, Suresh Pachori to Ashok Chavan, many big leaders have left the Congress. Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was also a prominent Congress leader, took the exit door as well. The blood of the Congress still runs in his veins. Why did they all have to leave? It is because of some sycophants who are literally falling over each other to be in the good graces of Rahul-ji,” the expelled leader added, in a no-holds-barred attack on the Wayanad MP.

Coming out in wholesome praise of PM Modi, Acharya Krishnam said, “If Modi had not been the Prime Minister for the last 10 years, West Bengal would have become Bangladesh by now. We are fortunate that Narendra Modi is our Prime Minister. I believe that the people of Bengal are also saddened by the atrocities of the ruling TMC. I can say with full conviction that Narendra Modi will storm back to office by a huge majority. Modi-ji will win, the BJP will win.”

Also tearing into the INDIA bloc, Acharya Krishnam said, “All thieves came together and created a gang. However, they are only stabbing each other in the back.” (ANI)

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

More Unemployed Youths In India Than Bangladesh, Bhutan: Rahul

By LokMarg

During the Madhya Pradesh leg of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday that the nation is grappling with a higher number of unemployed youths compared to Bangladesh and Bhutan.

The Congress MP said that the country has more unemployed youths than Bangladesh and Bhutan because Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finished small businesses.

“Today, there has been maximum unemployment in the country in the last 40 years. India has double the unemployment as compared to Pakistan. We have more unemployed youth than Bangladesh and Bhutan because Narendra Modi has finished small businesses by demonetization and implementing GST,” Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a gathering in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior.

The World Bank report points out that in 2022, the youth unemployment rate in India was at 23.22 per cent, which was higher than its neighbours Pakistan (11.3 per cent) and Bangladesh (12.9 per cent).

Further, the Congress leader said that in terms of social injustice, the number of backward people in the country is 50 per cent, Tribal at eight per cent, and Dalit at 15 per cent. All these together amount to 73 per cent.

“Not a single person among these 73 per cent will be found in big companies. Then Modi Ji says that I am working for the poor,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi further said how one can object to caste census without knowing about the population and wealth of Dalits, Tribals and backward classes.

“Why would anyone object to this? Narendra Modi ji says that there is no caste in the country. There are only two, poor and rich. If so then how did you become OBC?” he asked.

“Narendra Modi ji is afraid because he does not want this 73 per cent to know the truth of the country,” Rahul Gandhi added.

Earlier, highlighting the reason behind such high levels of unemployment in the country, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday blamed the Narendra Modi government’s economic policies like demonetization and the Goods and Services Tax, which he claimed, was a huge blow to the MSME sector, which employs the most youths in the country.

As the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra handed over the national flag to his Madhya Pradesh counterpart, Jitendra Patwari. (ANI)

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