Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 11: The BJP is at the receiving end across the nation. The opposition parties are making concerted efforts to forge Mahagathvandhan to dislodge the BJP-led NDA Government at the centre. TheMonday Bharat bandh (a flop show) was a step of the opposition in that direction. The BJP think-tanks, as per reports, are not really confident of the BJP victory of the type it scored in 2014. What has upset the BJP's applecart is the fact that "it compromised its ideology in Jammu & Kashmir for the sake of power and that its foreign, political, social and economic policies have failed to inspire its constituency". It believes that "many members of its core constituency could press NOTA as they will not vote for the Congress and other 'secular' parties and that their NOTA will only help the Congress and mar the BJP's poll prospects".
The BJP think-tanks and the BJP-watchers have suggested that if the BJP is to repeat its 2014 performance it has to adopt a ten-point agenda. Their 10-point agenda is:
One, the "Hindus who fled the Kashmir Valley must be resettled within reasonable time, with or without the consent of Kashmiri Muslims. Jammu and Ladakh need to be separated from Kashmir and given autonomy, either within the current Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, or as Union territories. Indians anywhere should be freely allowed to settle and buy properties in J&K".
Two, "abolition of Article 370 along with greater devolution of powers to all states, both economically and politically, making India a real 'union' of states".
Three, "equal rights to autonomously administer educational and religious institutions, including temples, for all communities, and not just those deemed minorities".
Four, "abolition of minority commissions along with the strengthening of human rights commissions".
Five, "moves towards a uniform civil code, by giving every community the right to its own cultural practices, but with individuals having access to uniform Indian civil and criminal laws".
Six, "a ban on foreign contributions to religious bodies, which makes the funding of churches and mosques easier than temples".
Seven, "an explicit commitment to prevent illegal immigration and demographic changes from destabilizing India's current religious mix. Indic religious refugees (Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists) from Pakistan and Bangladesh should be given preference for asylum and citizenship over communities from other religions. Reason: there is only one place in the world with an Indic majority, and this majority is vital for the safety and security of Indic peoples everywhere".
Eight, "illegal immigrants from Bangladesh must be disenfranchised, but they can be given work permits so that their livelihoods are not disrupted".
Nine, "the Right To Education (RTE) Act, which targets only majority institutions, must be made optional, with subsidies being offered to all institutions to take on students from the economically weaker sections. RTE should be incentive-based, not a compulsion'.
Ten, "the BJP should offer power sharing deals with those who represent Dalits and Muslims. This is the road to permanent power for the BJP. Pretending it is all things to all people will not work". |
