It’s back to where it started. The BJP is at the helm in New Delhi, its political supremacy, challenged these past few weeks, firmly re-established at the end of a tiring poll schedule. The opposition that had roared, as rarely all these weeks, stands horribly worsted with no one to blame for its massive disarray, caused by internal divisions and mutual suspicions. Surprising that such political stupidity & inability to read the writing on the wall, should have not only gone unread but even allowed to delude themselves with. No better example of naiveté of the opposition leadership than Mayawati seeking Prime Ministership of the country a day before the results were announced. The message of the polls had obviously not sunk into the Dalit leader’s mind. A glaring example of day-dreaming.
The BJP with its meticulous plans of victory, well planned and well executed- never mind the helping hand given by the Chief Election Commission, was single –minded in its pursuit of power. And to its credit they did it even as you and I may still be wondering about the unanswered questions regarding the BJP’s well known agenda, namely, its ultra nationalistic posturing, its unrelenting message of hate and divisions, of gharwapsi and obviously the holy cow. Not to take away anything from the meticulous planning that had obviously gone into the working of the BJP’s poll plans but the fact remains that the Modi magic has been the last weapon. And Modi and his Man Friday Amit Shah weren’t loath to use the communal angle to the hilt. If Shah was concerned about imaginary influx of Bangladeshi Muslims into the North-East & West Bengal, Modi was not hesitant in going back to history to raise the ghost of resurgent Islam spreading its wings in the country for centuries. Modi invoked times out of number the attacks on Balakote, the Pulwama tragedy as if these were the big blockages in his redeeming his promise of Acche Din.
One of the most regrettable aspects of the just ended campaign has been the manner in which the Chief Election Commission has allowed itself to be exploited by the ruling Modi – Shah dispensation. The idea is not to run down the commission’s conduct but questions arise about its failure to act against the BJP leaders even when they crossed the so called Lakshman Rehka in their speeches at poll rallies. True the CEC himself had served under the two BJP leaders in Gujrat but that shouldn’t have been allowed to cloud his judgement when seemingly fool proof complaints were brought to its notice. Nor should the CEC virtually turn a deaf ear to the complaints about transportation of EVMs. A former CEC, Mr. S.Y. Qureshi has gone on record saying that the EVMs had to be constantly kept in strong rooms and in no case were these to be exposed in any manner, except under proper supervision, for 15 years from the day these were commissioned to the day they are retired.
Of things nearer home Kashmir should be ready for more of the same – same being what the state has endured during the last 5 years. The home minister Rajnath Singh didn’t miss the opportunity at an end of the poll gatherings to mention that articles 375 & 35-A are on the exit list to be consigned to the dustbin of history at an opportune time. There may not be much change in the Anti-militancy operations as well, a reiteration of the position that whoever supports militancy will be deemed to a militant himself. Which is a tragic approach to adopt when one would justifiably have expected the new BJP dispensation to come up with a newer, more peaceable approach to return peace to the valley.
Back in Kashmir after a year’s gap I don’t see any advance made in any manner in developing or even offering better creature comforts to Srinagar city. Yes, the Governor who is the absolute ruler of the state, or, so it would seem, has opened a few hundred yards of road surface at 2 congested points but that does not make for a model city. Or a promise to that effect made by prime minister Modi some 4 years ago on a visit to the valley. Mr. Modi has had a great poll victory. In the Churchillian mould one would have expected him to be magnanimous and to take a second look at his government’s stagnating Kashmir policy. The Kashmiris’ have suffered untold indignities and undeserved hatred which even to someone like me living in far away union territory belt of Delhi has seemed to be most uncalled for. And the Kashmiri people for all their unknown faults do indeed deserve a much better and helpful deal than they are given. In this movement of BJP’s triumph it would not be unjustified to ask Modi and his cabinet to go all out to address their grievances. I am surprised to find large allocations made in the name of development in the valley remaining unspent. Let me hope Mr. Modi with take a fresh look at his Kashmir policy and opt for one that single-mindedly addresses the long standing problems of the valley. The Banihal cart road or the Mughal road have never been considered anything other than a life link between the valley and the planes. A shame that these should be used as rods to punish those living on the valley side of the Banihal, by allowing them to virtually disintegrate.