Halting of Modi’s juggernaut

Shiban Khaibri
Winning or losing elections notwithstanding, the reaction of almost all the Political Parties’ leaders or spokespersons, in respect of the recently held Delhi elections, has been thought provoking and an inciter factor to have a debate as it being described as “rejection of communal forces”, “halting of Modi’s juggernaut”, “triumph of secular forces over the communal and fascist forces”, “AAP tsunami sweeps the Modi wave”, “slap on arrogance” and the like. There were, however, no notable reactions against the grand old Indian Political Party with such a “chequered past” which has now been regularly sending home its best spoils on account of being vanquished in the recent electoral battles, one after the other, to the extent of a virtual obliteration. Consider hypothetically the reverse, if 67 would have been in the kitty of the BJP and 3 of the AA Party, then the EVMs were “tampered with” to “show the lotus when even you pressed any other button”. Since it is the other way, even to the utter surprise of the AA Party, all the EVMs were “now” perfectly in order and non partisan and immune to digest any manipulations. The question is about the issue of the tampering of the voting machines having vanished and evaporated in minutes on 10th instant in such a way that neither any one could see it nor hear about it. Incredible, indeed does it look. The mischievous pre- poll allegations of “having tampered with the EVMs” which proved a blatant and a brazen lie is in tandem with similar allegations of communalism and Lalooian Fashist Forshez (read Laloo’s coining of the term Fascist Forces) heaped on the Party that lost miserably to AA Party which as the saying goes – nothing succeeds like success, is entitled to big “cheers”.
The point to be underlined is whether Delhi voters got mesmerized by 70 promises, most of which depend on the cent – percent assistance, both from the Vit Mantralaya and the PMO’s office as also from the Parliament, made by the AA Party in comparison with the ones made by the BJP especially supported by the Guarantee Bond by the PM himself or some extraneous factors operated to make it happen. The poll results , whether opinion or the exit ones, should not go as haywire and absolutely wrong as they have gone in the instant case because they have never gone so hopelessly wrong that against a projection based on solid samples across all the assembly segments by different agencies professionalized in the craft, suggesting an average of 36 to 39 or let us say 40 for the AA Party and 25 to 30 for the BJP and a consolation figure of 3 to 5 for the yester years’ invincible Congress Party. A brief appraisal won’t be less imperative.
Firstly, did the Kiran Bedi factor which is the noblest and impeccable version with a genuinely brave face of our Police force laced with highest order of probity, not go well with the electorate and the fears of “totalitarian and strict Police Raj” cultivated in their psyche made them jittery? Did this trick click so accurately?
Secondly, did the BJP unwittingly walk into the trap of AA Party of not projecting its CM candidate which was played to the hilt duly supported by numerous debates and quizzing on the electronic media unlike the stand taken by it in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections irking the local seniors in the Party who might have felt less motivated to work hard?
Thirdly, since the price rise was not an issue this time in a climate of comparatively cheap fuel, cheap potatoes, onions, cauliflower, radish, etc; was the card of retirement age of Government employees rumoured getting sliced by two years to accommodate some percentage of the young unemployed against the retiring employees as also not declaring their candidates at an early date, hit the desired target of alienating them from the BJP?
Fourthly, the delay by the BJP led NDA Government in declaring elections and starting an effective organizational structure at each and every booth level coupled with AA Party using the gap in period for door to door campaign, propaganda, promises, assurances, and the sort work pointedly as against the same by the BJP quite late not in a position to erase the imprints made, secured and enlivened by the AA Party?
Fifthly, it is intriguing to see that if not for the BJP, the Dalit votes went all for the AA Party and not for the BSP and all the 12 reserved seats were lost by the BJP by an average margin of as much as 56000 votes and almost the entire Muslim vote went with the AA Party speaks more about getting swayed by development or stability plank by that Party. The vandalizing acts of a few churches just a few days before polling as also the diktat of Imam Bukhari asking Muslims to vote for AA party to defeat the “communal and divisive” BJP cannot be seen in isolation. To quote the founding member of AAP, Shanti Bhushan who spoke to Times of India on 12th instant,”Kejriwal has compromised on Party ideology and abandoned all principles of inner party democracy and also accepted tainted money.” He said, “Victory cannot justify the means adopted.”Bhushan further alleged, ” Kejriwal gave tickets to people who had amassed a lot of wealth by questionable means and were prepared to buy votes by distributing money and liquor.” Last month, Bhushan had called for removal of Kejriwal as Party chief.
The fear that Kejriwal knowing fully that he and his team snatched the mandate and had now to deliver on the promises, depended on the centre immediately for sanctioning Rs. 2000 crores for meeting Delhi Government’s elementary spending at the outset, shall be playing the victimhood card as an exit route, blaming the Modi government for not helping him deliver and fulfill his tall promises. Full statehood as demanded by him in the very first courtesy call on the PM cannot fructify unless the PM agrees. The much hyped Swaraj Bill even if passed in the Delhi assembly cannot become an Act unless got passed in Parliament by the Modi Government. Who will pay Rs. 1400 to Rs.1600 crores annually as 50% subsidy on electricity as promised by Kejriwal? Who shall pay Rs. 360 crores on the promise of cheap water? Besides, Delhi cannot rely on Haryana water as that state is feeling the pinch of deficient water to meet its own needs. 1.5 million CCTVs and their monitoring on day to day basis require around Rs. 1500 crores. The promise of 8 lac jobs and 5 lac pucca houses in 5 years, without raising opportunities and revenues cannot travel beyond the poll promises on the paper.
The belief in classical economic theory of low tax rates (herein Kejriwalian economics of subsidized electricity, water, education, medical facilities and the like) can raise revenue by causing faster economic growth or development is more of a theory than practical in nature. He has to bite the bullet to raise revenues by rationalizing taxes and costs of services and take the risk of angering the people rather than look for everything at the centre and being not always “accommodated” on economic reasons and equitable dispersal to all states, his playing martyr hood cannot hold water.
The new CM of Delhi has nearly cent percent majority in the assembly and must clarify his stand on Bangladeshi nationals staying in and around Delhi, his stand on population control as also on Kashmir as one of the founding fathers of AA party has opined for some “Referendum” there against the spirit of the Indian nation.

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