BJP Loses the Semi Final

Region:
Theme:

In a crucial election to five assemblies in what is billed as a semi final before the 2019 general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ultra Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party drew a blank. It lost massively in Chattisgarh, a state where it held power for four consecutive terms. The Chief Minister Raman Singh was defeated in his constituency too. In Rajasthan Congress party managed to secure a simple majority. In the Hindi heartland, Madhya Pradesh, BJP is all set to be unseated, where Congress party is sure to form a government with the support of smaller parties. In Telegana, the regional party Telegana Rashtra Samiti led by K Chandra Shekhar Rao has won the election with a massive majority. In the North Eastern state of Mizoram, The Mizo National Front has won the election with a handsome majority.

The election results are a people’s no confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government which is becoming unpopular by day. It is clear that BJP which came to power on the charisma of Modi is losing his charm with the voters.

The Modi government is facing opposition from all quarters. Yesterday, Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel resigned over attempt by the government to encroach over its autonomy.

In another development yesterday, Upendra Kushwaha, a Modi cabinet minister and the chief of the RLSP (Rashtriya Lok Samata Party) quit the cabinet and the NDA alliance. In a revealing resignation letter he wrote, “You have systematically dismantled the functioning of the cabinet that is mandated in the constitution. The union cabinet has been reduced to a mere rubberstamp, simply endorsing your decision without any deliberation. Ministers and officers posted in ministries have become figureheads as virtually all decisions are taken by you, your office and the BJP president”. He also alleged that the government’s priority was “not to work for the poor and oppressed, but to fix political opponents by hook or crook.”

The infamous note ban of 2016 and the implementation of Good and Service Tax (GST) has broken the back of the small traders and farmers. On 30th November around 100,000 farmers from across the country converged and marched to the parliament of India in New Delhi demanding a special session to discuss their problems. The farmers also demanded a nationwide waiver of farm loans amid rising fertilizer costs and other agricultural inputs.

Indian banks are also on the brink of collapse as bad loans by corporates mount.

If the Congress party had patched together an alliance with Bahuja Samaj Party (BSP) led by Ms. Mayawati, it could have won the elections with a thumping majority. The alliance didn’t happen due to the hard bargaining of Mayawati. Early lessons learnt from the election results – BSP has to stop playing one-upmanship and work towards building the grad alliance. When the country is falling apart Behen Mayawati can’t do navel-gazing.

*

Note to readers: please click the share buttons above. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.

Featured image is from Countercurrents


Articles by:

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). Asia-Pacific Research will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. Asia-Pacific Research grants permission to cross-post Asia-Pacific Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Asia-Pacific Research article. For publication of Asia-Pacific Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]

www.asia-pacificresearch.com contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.

For media inquiries: [email protected]