Mandate to rule no permanent carte blanche

True to form, Arvind Kejriwal created a storm in the tea cup and once again the BJP’s leadership has allowed it to become more threatening like a twister.
Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee, HD Kumaraswamy, Pinarayi Vijayan and Chandrababu Naidu in Delhi
Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee, HD Kumaraswamy, Pinarayi Vijayan and Chandrababu Naidu in Delhi

True to form, Arvind Kejriwal created a storm in the tea cup and once again the BJP’s leadership has allowed it to become more threatening like a twister. It is quite clear that the opposition to the NDA government at the Centre is steadily gathering strength. The ham-handed handling of the Delhi Chief Minister’s ‘sit-in’ outside the Lieutenant-Governor’s house and stopping the march of AAP protestors in the Capital has forged the United Front of four CMs in support of AK. No one is bothered today to look back and reflect on how the crisis was created by the assault on a senior civil servant by followers of the Delhi CM. At the moment, he is busy assuring his officers of their safety (in future) but his credibility lies in tatters and not only with the civil servants.

The denouement of the libel and defamation suit filed by Arun Jaitley has made him look like an emasculated bully who has had to eat his words. Old allies such as Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan haven’t suffered such fall from grace in public eye. Even Kumar Vishwas retains his popular following and his image hasn’t been as badly dented. No one is inclined to listen to the forever whining crybaby that the Delhi CM has become. It is amazing that the BJP unfailingly injects a dose of life-saving medication whenever AAP appears comatose.

The issue has snowballed from unconstitutional conduct of the L-G or demand for full statehood for Delhi to the subversion of the federal system. The Prime Minister may wax eloquent about ‘competitive cooperation’ at the Niti Aayog meeting or exhort the participating CMs about the spirit of Team India, one can’t brush the bitter reality under the carpet. Mamata Banerjee, Chandrababu Naidu, HD Kumaraswamy and Pinarayi Vijayan, all have different grouses against Narendra Modi or his men. Naidu feels spurned and betrayed not unreasonably and it is understandable why Kumaraswamy feels threatened.

The CPI(M) ousted from its perch in Tripura is still smarting, and while the eloquence of Sitaram Yechury may not be able to do much damage to BJP’s electoral prospects in 2019, every little bit contributes to change the mood of the public. Uttar Pradesh is definitely not going to be the cakewalk it was in 2014 with a patch-up between ‘buaji’ Mayawati and ‘nephew’ Akhilesh Yadav. A few more unpleasant surprises may be in store for the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. But let us not digress.

The proverbial man on the street isn’t bothered about the way AAP protestors are mistreated on the roads of Delhi but no Indian can remain indifferent to rising prices and worsening law and order. How long can tensions on the border with Pakistan and disturbed conditions in the Valley of Kashmir distract the voters from bread and butter issues? Momentous disruptive events are taking place in the international arena. The gathering clouds of a trade war between the US and the rest of the world are bound to have an adverse impact on India. Under the circumstances, few will find reassurance in Niti Aayog’s confident predictions about double-digit economic growth.

There are other matters that should cause concern. US President Donald Trump’s summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has upstaged all other diplomatic exertions by other actors. Time to take stock of Indian national interest in the suddenly changed context.

Seychelles has reneged on the military cooperation agreement worked out during the Indian PM’s visit and no tangible progress has been registered in Indo-Nepal relations. Britain is dragging its feet on extradition of Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi. Foreign media once very gung-ho about Narendra Modi has started changing its tune. One ‘prestigious’ magazine recently opined that NaMo had turned out to be an underperformer compared to—believed it or not—Doc Manmohan Singh! Thank God no one is comparing the PM’s performance with the Congress President’s performance as yet.

Deliberations at the Niti Aayog meet have also triggered speculation about combined elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies in 2019. It’s time citizens were informed about what is being planned. In a democracy neither the executive nor the legislature can afford to forget those who are their masters—the people of India—whose sovereignty they represent. The UPA paid the price of forgetting this and the NDA too before that couldn’t ride back to power smugly parroting the slogan of ‘Shinning India’.

Much more than the electoral fortunes of major political parties are at stake. What is causing concern is the total lack of interest among those who are at the helm about the future of India. The mandate to rule is delivered in the elections but it can be frittered away much before another battle for ballots.

Pushpesh Pant

Former professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University

pushpeshpant@gmail.com

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com