A major election season is upon us. 2018 will see elections to 5 states and 2019 will be time for the general elections.
The urban voter has two powerful influence forces to contend with to sort out what s/he must do when it’s time to vote. None of the following really touch the rural voter (60% of India) in any significant way. Their issues are totally different and I hope I’ll soon blog on that.
The first is the tsunami of left-wing media that picks on the tiniest of aberration to throw muck at Modi & the BJP, and at times, even the RSS and the Parivar. Their 24/7 sustained attack on the Modi Government since the day he took the oath, has surely had some effect on the disenchantment with the performance of the BJP led NDA GOI. Much of these onslaughts are typical disinformation, misinformation and twisting facts to suit their objectives.
Actually, this onslaught has become so persistence that most people have seen through their purveying falshoods and one-sided reporting! They went past even the point of diminishing returns!
The other “force” is the strong worldwide endorsement of Modi’s policies and practices. From the UN and the World Bank to the leading political & business leaders accompanied by ever reluctant and skittish “rating agencies” of the west.
I won’t get into much detail trying to justify the above assessments since they’re all in the public domain and (b) that is not the point of this blog.
The urban voter has two powerful influence forces to contend with to sort out what s/he must do when it’s time to vote. None of the following really touch the rural voter (60% of India) in any significant way. Their issues are totally different and I hope I’ll soon blog on that.
The first is the tsunami of left-wing media that picks on the tiniest of aberration to throw muck at Modi & the BJP, and at times, even the RSS and the Parivar. Their 24/7 sustained attack on the Modi Government since the day he took the oath, has surely had some effect on the disenchantment with the performance of the BJP led NDA GOI. Much of these onslaughts are typical disinformation, misinformation and twisting facts to suit their objectives.
Actually, this onslaught has become so persistence that most people have seen through their purveying falshoods and one-sided reporting! They went past even the point of diminishing returns!
The other “force” is the strong worldwide endorsement of Modi’s policies and practices. From the UN and the World Bank to the leading political & business leaders accompanied by ever reluctant and skittish “rating agencies” of the west.
I won’t get into much detail trying to justify the above assessments since they’re all in the public domain and (b) that is not the point of this blog.
The Modi Shah duo has shown their singular strength is PLANNING and ACTION. Followed by Perseverance till the objective is achieved.
When we take decisions, and action, there are bound to be a few snafus and mistakes. But we also know that taking decisive action is far far superior to policy paralysis, inaction, non-communication and a “chalta hai” (Hindi for laissez-faire)attitude.
We also know that while corruption will never ever be eliminated, the degree of corruption can get out of hand. After 65 years, we’ve seen no scam explode during the Modi Government’s 4.5 years.
The massive Urban Rewal push of the Government of India has suffered at the hands of opposition-led state governments until they realised they’ll be cutting their own nose to spite their face. So they’re slowly turning around. But the corruption at the state level is there for all to see, especially in the urban areas where infrastructure is crumbling.
Take the garbage problems in cities, especially Bangalore. For 40-50 years now the only solution that has been shown to work (like the Singapore model) is turning garbage to energy and reusable materials. Yet, for decades of local government, absolutely nothing has been done.
Traffic and Law & Order – both State subjects – has been seen falling to despicable depths. Who you know is more important than the law. The public utility officers just don’t work for the public anymore. They’re busy collecting rent.
The point I’m making is that the second force is the pathetic performance by local governments (Municipalities & State Governments), most those who have been around since independence. The Congress. And it’s offshoots.
The Central Government’s plans are stymied by the lack of a majority in the Rajya Sabha. That is more than well known.
So for thinking urban voters, this round of elections – both at the state level and the general election is whether s/he wants to give Modi-Shah a real majority to carry out the sorely needed reforms or whether s/he will believe the fake news spewed by the corrupt media.
The new destructive force in these last few years is the role of the Church in politics. Unheard of in the past, this has obviously come about because of the onslaught by Modi on fake and disruptive “NGOs” that have run riot in India. It has destroyed any respect the Church had from the general public. Coming on top of the sex scandals that were covered up, this may mean their role in the future is rather limited and minuscule.
The elephant in the room is the Hindu vote.
There’s no doubt that the Modi Shah combine has successfully consolidated the Hindu vote as a block. Being the majority, it will no doubt pay rich dividends. For too long, the minority appeasement of Muslims and Christians has attracted resentment of the majority community. Payback has its own appeal!
Forget the manipulated and fake opinion polls purveyed by the media – especially the rotten ones – for this election season the choice is between reverting to the corrupt, appeasement-oriented governance and one that wants a strong India with appeasement of none.
You’ll notice that none of the sick media would even mention this! So you know what’s really happening on the ground, by the way they ignore the elephant in the room!
I’m on Twitter @jsvasan