By Dr. Gyan Pathak
Lok Sabha Election 2024 campaign ended on Thursday May 30, but after raising unprecedented level of political dust which will take much longer time beyond its result on June 4 to settle. Irrespective of who or which political party or alliance wins, people will continue to suffer from the “We and They” syndrome, a condition caused by the political dust, both horizontally and vertically. It may cause rise of political violence or violent incidents of political nature which should cause concern to the citizens.
Civilisation and development area continuous process, but the election campaign began with the claim of the Aesop’s Fly sitting upon the axle of the chariot wheel saying, “What a dust do I raise!” PM Narendra Modi, sitting on the seat of power, claimed all the development in the country have been done under his premiership, and the earlier governments did almost nothing at all. Discrediting all earlier contributors in India’s development process was PM Narendra Modi’s and his RSS-BJP clan leaders’ chief electoral plank. The clan even blamed all the former governments of the Independent India for every predicament the country is facing, even for those that are creation of the present ruling establishment.
PM Narendra Modi and his party BJP have been seeking for their third term, and the election campaign actually started much before the election was announced on March 16. It was begun with inauguration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22. Even Shankaracharyas opposed the event due to the inauspicious time. The Original deity Ram Lalla (an idol of 9 inch) who had won the legal battle disregarded in favour of about 51 inch tall Modi’s Ram Lalla which was ultimately installed in the sanctum sanctorum. The original idol was kept before the newly installed idol and will be used on only special occasion. It hurt the sentiment of many Hindus. Hindus are now placed under the assertive Hindutva brand of RSS-BJP clan, and whoever objected their Hindutva hegemony are branded as anti-Hindu and anti-Sanatan dharma. Large number of people and political leaders from Hindu community are also branded anti-Hindus and anti-Nationals.
“We and They” syndrome was therefore perceivable between RSS-BJP brand Hindus and non-RSS-BJP brand Hindus. This syndrome may cause serious consequences, and there is a fear among numerous other branches of Hinduism, that they might suffer persecution if they don’t conform to the RSS-BJP brand of Hindutva. RSS-BJP clan is hurt if a Hindu expresses different religious thoughts. Now there is little room left for religious reforms in Hinduism, which has a long history of reforms throughout the ages. RSS-BJP intolerance has damaged the religious progress among all sects and branches of Hindus. “We and They” syndrome extended from Hindus vs Hindus, to even Hindus vs non-Hindus.
During the entire election campaign, “We and They” syndrome among Hindus vs non-Hindus were more pronounced in respect of attitude to Muslims. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said several times during his election campaigns that the opposition INDIA alliance parties are anti-Hindus and anti-Sanatan Dharma, and they would take away properties of Hindus and will give those to Muslims. This has inflicted the “We and They” syndrome in large number of the Muslim and Hindu population in the country. Such incidents were indeed ominous for secular fabric of the country, which Modi has claimed that opposition has broken the fabric of constitution for appeasement of the minority.
PM Modi has also said during the campaigns that INDIA bloc parties are conspiring to take away the reservation for the SCs, STs, and OBCs and they to give it to Muslims. He said that he would not allow it to happen until he is alive. Reservation has already been an emotive issue in the country which have seen several incidents of violence in the past. That is why the syndrome of “We and They” among the SCs, STs, and OBCs, has become sharper than ever before.
During the election campaign, PM Modi vowed several times to take action against the opposition INDIA bloc leaders, which he said were a pack of corrupts. He unleashed central investigating agencies, especially Enforcement Directorate, against them, which put several opposition political leaders behind bars. Most of the political leaders were booked under the draconian money laundering law PMLA, in which arrested politicians are detained without urgency of fair trial. It has instilled a fear among the opposition political leaders many of whom were enforced to join hands with the BJP, and many of them joining BJP, got the relief in corruption cases. “We and They” syndrome among the politicians is a bad trend which affects the neutrality of the governance from both sides – since both the BJP and non-BJP political parties are ruling the states.
RSS-BJP combo’s electoral campaign focused on creating irrational fear among Indian populace – both among the majority Hindu’s and minorities particularly among Muslims. Among Hindus, such fear was created among Caste Hindus and SCs, STs, and OBCs, on the question of reservation and the promised caste census of the INDIA bloc.
Hindu supremacist far-right nationalist pitch during the election campaigns has led to even jingoism against our neighbours such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Creating fear in the neighbourhood or unnecessarily antagonizing them was not wise, when it was absolutely avoidable for better relations with out neighbours. “We the Nationalist Indians” and “They the anti-Indian” divide within our country and for other nations may actually damage the national interest.
Opposition political parties and leaders were not also far behind. In course of countering the RSS-BJP leaders including PM Modi, they also retorted sharply. It also raised political dust that contributed to aggravating the “We and They” syndrome. Entire opposition is united against PM Modi and his clan RSS-BJP. And in the midst of the electoral battle keeping track of who said what, who said first and who just retorted was very difficult.
For example, one opposition leader has asked Muslims to launch “vote jihad”, during an election campaign which just contributed to the “We and They” syndrome. PM Modi then said in an election rally that voters would have to choose between “vote jihad” and “Ram Rajya”.
The 2024 election campaign has thus driven the democracy of the country at a crossroads of the history of India, and the path ahead seems rocky beyond announcement of the election results on June 4, no matter who wins. (IPA Service)
The post Election Campaign Ends, Political Dust Raised Will Take Time To Settle first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.
