(Anita Saluja, New Delhi)
Modi hai toh mumkin hai! Those who thought that this phrase was just a slogan, are now astounded to realize that this is indeed a fact. Whether it is the creation of grand temples, not only in Ayodhya, the birthplace of Rama, but even in Abu Dhabi, a place, where no one could ever dream of such a magnificent Temple, the visit of Union Minister Smriti Irani, in a saree with sindoor and mangalsutra, along with the Indian delegation to Mecca & Madina, makes everyone awe-stricken.
Hosting of the historic G20 Summit, the release of the Navy veterans who have been in custody in Qatar, the fulfilling of the promises made in the BJP Election Manifesto on the Abrogation of Article 370, Construction of a Grand Temple in Ayodhya, the declaration made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the Bill on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) that has been implemented in Uttarakhand and the next State to follow suit will be Madhya Pradesh, are some of the landmarks that have been achieved by the Modi Government.
Prime Minister Modi has proved beyond doubt that he is an achiever, a person, who declares from the ramparts of Red Fort about his dream and within days and months, he manages to realize it. He walks the extra mile to deliver on his promises. A karmayogi, who doesn’t trust anyone, not even his Cabinet Ministers as he has centralized all the decision-making powers in himself and in the PMO, to ensure that there is no wheeling-dealing by the Ministries and the party. By talking directly to the bureaucrats, sometimes even bypassing the Ministers, have made the latter stand on their heels.
Having played the Hindutva Card to the hilt and having performed on all fronts with dexterity, he has produced results to his advantage in almost all spheres.
Carrying a satisfactory Report Card of his performance, laced with religious emotions, Prime Minister Modi is confident of not only a hat-trick, but breaking all the records in the Lok Sabha elections of 2024. So confident is he that he is not only thinking of beating the record of Nehru, but also of crossing the victory margin of Rajiv Gandhi in 1984, by getting more than 400 seats. Ab ki baar 400 paar.
Having set a target for himself and his party, Modi has unleashed all the Central Agencies at his command, to achieve the numbers. Whether it is the CBI, ED or through horse-trading, his government is working overtime to ensure that the Opponents come to terms with reality even before the elections are announced.
INDIA bloc is fragmented on the issue of disbursement of seats as each party of the Alliance is busy saving its own fiefdom. Mamata Banerjee has parted ways, as she was reluctant to give more than 2 seats to the Congress and Nitish Kumar, as usual, switched sides, knowing fully well that the Opposition is destined to lose, given the determination of Prime Minister Modi to achieve the target. Like the Congress, which is fighting a losing battle, the Aam Aadmi Party is contesting, sans its big leaders. Who knows, by the time elections are held, even Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be behind the bars.
One, after another, summons are issued and leaders from the Opposition arrested, to weaken the INDIA bloc. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was put behind the bars on the land scam issue. Thankfully for him, JMM Government, backed by Congress, was saved, as Hemant Soren was ready with his successor, Champai Soren. Here, according to the Opposition, he did not succumb to pressure, unlike Nitish Kumar.
The Congress eventually will have an alliance with its earlier UPA Allies only, as those who flocked to the INDIA bloc have almost all ditched the party. While Nitish Kumar and the RLD of Jayant Chaudhary have gone back to the NDA fold, Mamata is contesting on her own. No one knows what turn the tide will take, when Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra traverses in the other States.
For Prime Minister Modi and his party, everything is fair in love and war. While the BJP is strong in the North and in the West India, with a fairly good position in the North-East, it is the South that is proving problematic for the Saffron Party. Modi is making special efforts to achieve a breakthrough in the South. He is reaching out to the South in a big way to strike a chord among the people, by either installing the Ram Idol carved out by a Kannadiga, or by bringing the Sengol from Tamil Nadu for the new Parliament Building, or by launching infrastructure projects worth crores of rupees in Kerala.
By hook or by crook, the Modi Government is determined to come back to power at the Centre. No doubt, they are working round-the-clock to achieve their target, but, at the same time, they don’t seem to shy away from destabilising the Opposition-ruled States. Bringing over the tainted leaders from other parties, especially the Congress, has become their new trend. The defectors, willingly switch sides, after being allured with Rajya Sabha seats and being assured of their tainted record not being pursued, after joining the ruling party.
To transform the nation, one has to sometimes adopt unfair means, admitted a senior BJP leader. In fact, this explains the way the Modi Government is operating. The BJP will indeed achieve their target of 370 seats, but how, is not too difficult to guess. Modi hai toh mumkin hai!!
(The writer is Delhi-based senior journalist and political commentator. Views are personal)
