Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned the video inaugural speech for the new airport terminal at Andaman and Nicobar’s Veer Savarkar International Airport, into a fiery and vitriolic attack on the Opposition parties gathered together in Bangalore to strategize for ousting Modi in 2024.
It is rare that the Prime Minister shows so much anger and fierceness against the opposition party leaders, calling all of them a bunch of “corrupt” people involved in major scandals and only keen to save their own skins rather than aiming to benefit the nation.
The opposition meeting is being firmed up primarily to bolster the strength of the Opposition and somehow get to a position of power to become a real challenger to Modi and BJP who are about to successfully complete two terms at the Centre.
With a comfortable majority in Parliament, one felt Modi and BJP would just be relaxed assured in the belief that reeling out the works done by them during the last 5-10 years would lead them to romp home successfully back to power in 2024.
But when one sees the Prime Minister personally coming out all guns blazing at the Opposition, it seems to be as if it is a do-and-die situation for the BJP and Modi has to severely attack his political opponents to save himself and his party.
Modi metaphorically seems to be using a sledgehammer to swat a fly. Does he fear that unless there is a targeted attack on all Opposition leaders at this stage Opposition could turn into a formidable foe?
The BJP with a strong cadre has always been a battle ready party going from one election to another. But the time seems to be too early for the Prime Minister to go in on the kind of a political offensive against Opposition.
Shouldn’t he just as well have ignored the Opposition meeting this time round in his speech, that would have given the impression that the Opposition even in their “united” avatar does not stand a chance with a leader like Modi and a party like BJP.
But going all out against the Opposition in an attempt to nip in the bud any kind of get together against him made sure that the meeting hogs all the headlines, bringing to the focus the Opposition meeting.
It also gave credence to the Modi detractors allegations that BJP is rattled by the Opposition meet.
It is a flaw in the BJP that it cannot completely ignore its opponents even if the BJP is doing extremely well. Every little statement of Opposition whether against a person or policy particularly by the Gandhis, have to be replied to, sometimes by more than one person in the top hierarchy of the BJP.
Many times Rahul Gandhi makes a statement and Prime Minister Modi himself is giving justifications, clarifications as a kind of reply.
Now the Opposition will try to shake the confidence of Modi, but he should not get rattled by it taking it in his stride. He can ignore a lot of stuff the Opposition leaders keep mouthing. But despite overwhelming political success the ruling dispensation seems to have some kind of a gnawing fear and obsession for the Opposition.
The Opposition charge is that their leaders are targeted for corruption by the Modi government misusing CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Vigilance. While BJP says that no one who is corrupt will be spared. But the Opposition counters that how come only Opposition leaders are charged with corruption and those leaders who join BJP are white-washed as if going through a washing machine.
The Opposition for its part has not only been able to stitch an alliance of 26 parties who are usually at each other’s neck but come out with a very apt name of its alliance – INDIA against NDA, National Democratic Alliance of the BJP.
Targeting the autocratic style of functioning of Modi the Opposition wants to make 2024 into a democracy versus dictatorship fight.
However, showing confidence the PM claimed that the nation’s people have made up their mind to bring BJP back in 2024.
Modi said Opposition has set shop to sell “casteism and corruption”.
He said the Opposition parties only guarantee corruption worth Rs 20 lakh crores.
He wondered how Rahul Gandhi who was punished for defaming a community got respect from these political parties.
Interestingly as a counter to the Opposition meeting a 38 party meeting of the NDA alliance was also called.
Clearly, the counters of the 2024 contest are being slowly defined with the NDA alliance and INDIA alliance being formed.
The NDA was quick to counter that while the name India was a colonial vestige, the name being kept by the British, Bharat was closer to the national ethos.
The Opposition is not only getting together it has also flagged issues which their alliance INDIA is going to take up. If the combined Opposition drums up these issues throughout the length and breadth of the country and they resonate with the people. Then it will be time for Modi to really get worried.
Modi has not only to get all those in his side together but demonstrate how his policies have bettered the life of all the citizens of the country.
This will be particularly important because the Opposition is out to nail him on issues like Constitution of India being in threat by misuse of Constitutional bodies and provisions, threat to the federal structure of the country by the NDA government, threat to secular fabric and democratic principles in the country. Besides this burden of rampant unemployment and price rise being faced by the common masses, alleges the Opposition.
The NDA versus INDIA war is about to begin. It will be the people of India who will hold the key as to who wins the war.
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