Yes, India Wins

Yes, India Wins

In the wake of an unprecedented march to triumph in the corridors of power at the Centre, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister again, on Thursday promised to deliver “every moment” of his time and “every fibre” of his being for the people of the country, saying, quite significantly, that the country will now have two castes – the poor and those who want to alleviate poverty. In a rousing victory speech at the party headquarters in Delhi to celebrate his party’s spectacular victory, he told a huge cheering crowd that the general elections had thrown up a mandate to build a new India as he dedicated the win to the nation. “People are chanting Modi, Modi. But this is not the victory of Modi. It is the victory of people who are desperate for honesty in the system. It’s not Modi’s victory, but a win of people’s hopes and aspirations. This is the new India of the 21st century,” he said. He was referring to a new India based not on caste and religion. This must be clear to one and all, especially the self-styled ‘secular’ brigade that has all along harangued Modi and his brand of politics for it being ‘ultra-nationalist’ based on so-called Hindutva. The people of the country have given a very clear and precise mandate, reposing faith in the Modi fashion of governance and administration with a precise focus on elimination of the vast architecture of corruption. There is no gainsaying that it is the Congress that is responsible for that architecture.

Yes, as Modi has rightly said, it is a win not for him but for the people of the country. And what a kind of win it has been! Modi has created history by being the first non-Congressman and the third leader after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi to form a majority government for a second consecutive term with an absolute majority. But one must not gloss over the fact that it is the people cutting across castes and religions who have made that possible. It will not do for the Congress to now say that the elections were based on ‘emotions’ and ‘ultra-nationalism’. What will do is self-introspection as to why the country’s oldest formation has been reduced to such a feeble force. Should not the Dynasty be blamed? Should not Rahul Gandhi now – at least now – introspect as to why the people of the country are reluctant to trust him and his brand of politics, and why they have mandated the Modi brand of politics so overwhelmingly? The so-called ‘secular’ discourse too will not do. Let the ‘secular’ brigade ponder over why the appeasement of certain castes, communities and religions cannot contribute to secularism in the real sense of the term. It just cannot. It is the commitment towards building a strong nation beyond castes, communities and religions that will contribute towards concretizing the values and ethos of this ancient civilization of ours. And there cannot be anything Hindutva-oriented about this. It is just about being proud of our civilization and contribution towards peace and progress worldwide – beyond man-made divides. This is secularism. But the Congress ilk – which calls itself the sole champion of secularism in the country – would not appreciate that fact of life.

Where does this leave the Congress? Virtually nowhere. But, then, it is a sad day for Indian democracy – that there is no strong and credible Opposition front to contribute to the vibrancy of our hard-earned and evolving democracy. Who is responsible for this? Of course, it is the Congress, especially its leadership. It is here that Rahul Gandhi ought to learn some basic lessons and appreciate the reasons behind the spectacular show of the BJP, otherwise branded ‘pro-Hindu’, ‘anti-minorities’, and thus ‘communal’. There are no takers of this perverse discourse now. The whole narrative has changed with the youth in large numbers coming out to vote for a dispensation that can deliver on the promise of development politics. They have seen in Modi a leader who can make that delivery – so very imperative for the making of a new India in the 21st century with a vast and vibrant human resource given to technology and empowerment in the real sense. Should not, therefore, Rahul Gandhi – now having to concede such a humiliating defeat in his own bastion, Amethi – just accept not just responsibility for presiding over the unmaking of his party but also the fact that he has failed his party in the first place? This humility is in order.

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