Will opposition swear to face Modi in 2019?

KANPUR: “Modi is not a holy cow. He could be beaten in the elections. The opposition has jointly defeated the strong ruling party in the past years”, said KC Tyagi, a veteran politician. While, the Congress Party spokesman stated, “If the winter comes; the spring is not far behind!” Whereas the BJP leader Narendra Modi made it clear that he would neither sit idle nor like his party workers to remain slothful in carrying out their responsibilities. Therefore, it appears clear of the BJP’s plans and actions to be more vigorous in the aftermath of the massive victories in the elections.

The opposition parties show strong interest in rooting out the Modi government but they are not evidently clear at the leadership. This is the main drawback at this juncture. There is a requirement of a greater alliance that could cause real damage to the emergence of the BJP as the only political party for the country. However, there appears no possibility of Congress, BSP, SP, TMC, Communists, MIM, to come on one political platform. There is strong need to put a concerted concept in real practice. How had the Congress Party found itself all alone in tackling the odd situation arisen at two states viz., the north-eastern state Manipur and the coastal state of Goa? Despite winning enough seats in the Manipur assembly it failed to form the state government and Goa was also slipped from its clutch. The BJP proceeded on the pretext of ending vacuum.

The BJP leaders still perceive of chinks in the opposition’s probable alliances and that is why the BJP spokesman S Petra, in a very bitter tone, pointed out that these defeated parties were still busy in the mathematical calculations. The time now is of the chemistry which the BJP has already established with the common people. Reacting to this comment, the Congress leader PL Punia remarked that Rahul Gandhi was the only leader who approached the troubled poor farmers in several states. Agreeing with the viewpoint, another Congress leader Kamal Nath accepted in his interview that the elections were won from the rural areas. It might be due to this reason Rahul Gandhi was bringing changes in the party at the lowest level.

The moot question is still there. Will the opposition leaders unite under the Congress umbrella which considers itself as the national level party comparatively or think of fighting the 2019 elections under the common minimum programmes? There was intense need of unity with a vision not just of erasing Modi but creating confidence among the masses. This is so because, as the political gazers, state publicly that the united efforts must be people-oriented otherwise the consequences would be disastrous. While moving up with such a leaning, there must be some kind of political thought in accordance with the prevailing political mood and scenario.

In the meantime, they did not fail to mention that the opposition parties are definitely concerned over their exclusion from the power. Keeping in view this scarceness, Mani Shanker Aiyar laid stress upon inclusive alliance in the future. The opposition leaders are upset and annoyed at the BJP’s political culture. As the saffron party shows a tendency to tilt towards the religious sentiments as we come to know of the Bareilly and Bulandshar episodes. The NCP leader Nawab Malik even showed something on TV in affirmation of such trend. He maintained that this showed the kind of the political ethnicity being applied by the ruling party. With this bent of mind, the BJP used to talk of the nationalism.

There is no sense in doubting over the communal theory propounded by the Modi government which merely publicised its works in the sphere of the social welfare. Are a few schemes like Ujjawal Yojna and Jan Dhan Yojna only programmes to bring a solid impact on the Indian economy directly. What major changes would approach after the GST implementation lingers as the vital matter before us, think experts adding that the inflationary trends in essential commodities are not relatively stable the during the past months? Consumer inflation picks up with a hike in prices of food items like sugar, fruits and confectionery. Even the rural retail inflation was higher at 3.67 percent. The higher wholesale price inflation will be reflected in the consumer price index which is touching 3.65 percent. 

Critics also indicated of a new dimension to the welfare economics. A concept of positive freedom or an individual’s actual capability has not changed herewith. Better education and healthcare as pre-requisites for socio-economic reforms are yet to come. How can one compensate for the income loss of the poor farmers and other small and marginal traders? Subsidies are slowly becoming things of the government's mercy. More public spending on the social infrastructure appeared like a budgetary conclusion. These spheres are needed to be looked into seriously by the ruling government even after the startling political victory by in several states.