The warning signs were clear. The Opposition parties were able to sense what was coming, but pettifogging advisers seem to have held back their leaders. The battle-ready troops were not sent promptly to the battlefield, except in Tamil Nadu. In West Bengal, the I.N.D.I.A. formation was still-born; in Bihar, Mr Nitish Kumar’s patented somersault attempted to derail the preparations but failed; in Maharashtra, the allies are debating the sharing of seats while the BJP is busy poaching leaders in the Opposition camps; in Uttar Pradesh, the SP and Congress are united but do not seem to have joined the battle yet; and in Delhi and Jharkhand, while the armies are ready, the generals are behind bars. It is only in Tamil Nadu, the battle between I.N.D.I.A. and the opposing parties has really begun reminding one of the adage ‘well begun is half done’.
That accounts for 7 out of 29 states. In the other major battlefields such as Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, it is a straight fight between the Congress and BJP. By contrast, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh seem like stages for a pre-scripted play, not a genuine warfront.
The Arsenal
The BJP has unleashed its full arsenal. On top is the huge pile of money collected through the unconstitutional electoral bonds (EB). The truth about the EB — which I had described as legalized bribery — is now in the open. There are several cases where there was a search/arrest, bonds were bought and donated, bonds were encashed and the cases were buried or favours done (licences, contracts). The dates tell the story. A simple straight line will connect the dots. The huge war chest has been deployed through advertisements in newspapers, TV and billboards. BJP is playing on an unlevel playing field.
Next is Operation Lotus, another patented exercise of the BJP: encourage defections and give tickets to the defectors. I am told that the BJP will eventually nominate a little over 400 candidates. Up to 50 candidates will be defectors.
Destabilizing state governments
A lethal weapon in the armoury is ‘arrest and detention’. Among the targets, there are two chief ministers, one deputy chief minister, several state ministers, family members of chief ministers and other leaders, and leaders belonging to Opposition political parties. Currently, the BJP has 383 MPs in both Houses of Parliament, 1481 MLAs and 163 MLCs. These include former non-BJP leaders who were ‘whitewashed’ in the giant laundry machine and became pure and spotless. I do not know if there is a live and current investigation against any of the 2027 individuals; if there is any, it must be the rare exception and a well-guarded secret.
Governors are being used to disrupt the functioning of state governments. The governor of Tamil Nadu refused to read the speech to the legislative assembly prepared by the state government; on one occasion he walked out of the Assembly proceedings. He refused to swear in a person as Minister despite the ‘aid and advice’ of the chief minister. The governors of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal get into verbal spats with the chief ministers repeatedly.
The governor of Telangana (cum LG of Puducherry) had practically remained in Tamil Nadu for several months and, on the day the LS election schedule was announced, she lost no time in resigning her posts and declaring her intention to contest as a BJP candidate! Governors have refused or withheld indefinitely assent to Bills. Such unconstitutional acts do not occur in BJP-ruled states.
Betraying the Constitution
Another weapon is the destabilization of state governments. The government of NCT Delhi is crippled by the diktat to the All India Service officers to defy the orders of the ministers and the chief minister. Funds have been withheld to state governments such as Kerala and West Bengal on one pretext or other. Borrowing limits of non-BJP state governments have been slashed citing breach of one condition or the other.
Disaster relief assistance has been denied to Tamil Nadu on unspecified grounds. The central government insists that UPSC play an important role in the appointment of the director general of police of the state. Between the governor of the state and the University Grants Commission, the authority of the state government to appoint Vice-Chancellors of state-funded universities has been curbed. As a result, power centres owing allegiance to the central government have emerged in states and challenge the authority of state governments. There is a steady erosion of state autonomy.
The RSS-BJP are driven by an agenda. The leaders of RSS think they have waited long enough and a win in the LS elections should be the launch pad to complete the agenda. The agenda includes: one nation one election, Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the amendments to the Land Acquisition Act, the Farm laws, and the repeal of the Places of Worship Act. Some more may be revealed in the BJP’s election Manifesto. This will be the final assault.
Next is Operation Lotus, another patented exercise of the BJP: encourage defections and give tickets to the defectors
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31.03.2024
The warning signs were clear. The Opposition parties were able to sense what was coming, but pettifogging advisers seem to have held back their leaders. The battle-ready troops were not sent promptly to the battlefield, except in Tamil Nadu. In West Bengal, the I.N.D.I.A. formation was still-born; in Bihar, Mr Nitish Kumar’s patented somersault attempted to derail the preparations but failed; in Maharashtra, the allies are debating the sharing of seats while the BJP is busy poaching leaders in the Opposition camps; in Uttar Pradesh, the SP and Congress are united but do not seem to have joined the battle yet; and in Delhi and Jharkhand, while the armies are ready, the generals are behind bars. It is only in Tamil Nadu, the battle between I.N.D.I.A. and the opposing parties has really begun reminding one of the adage ‘well begun is half done’.
That accounts for 7 out of 29 states. In the other major battlefields such as Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, it is a straight fight between the Congress and BJP. By contrast, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh seem like stages for a pre-scripted play, not a genuine warfront.
The Arsenal
The BJP has unleashed its full arsenal. On top is the huge........
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