Triumph of Nationalism - Early Times Newspaper Jammu Kashmir

news details

Triumph of Nationalism

Omkar Dattatray

5/25/2019 11:24:47 PM

The verdict of general election 2019 is historical and significant in more than one way. The NDA has stormed back to power with thumping majority in consonance with the exit poll predictions. The BJP on its own has secured 303 seats and together with its NDA allies the Saffron party has got a significant number of 353 parliamentary seats thus dashing all hopes of the rival congress and the mahagathbandhan as these parties were disseminated and humbled. The verdict 2019 is historical in the sense that after Nehru and Indira Gandhi, Modi is the only PM to get full majority on its own. The people's verdict is an extraordinary one and the people have rejected the negative and caste politics of the opposition parties. There was no anti-incumbency but a pro incumbency wave almost everywhere and Modi wave surpassed and influenced all and sundry and it was rightly defined as Modi tsunami and it had swept all opposition parties and brought NDA led by BJP to power again. This verdict has surprised psephologists and poll pundits who did not foresee such a huge mandate for NDA. While rejecting the negative politics and pseudo secular and appeasement policies as well as the caste and social engineering by the SP-BSP-RLD trio, the people's decision was a seal of approval on the development plank of BJP and its cultural nationalism and Hindu assertion and Hindutva. In fact the mandate to BJP and NDA was a mandate for development and 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas' and was an assertion by the electorate on the nationalism and patriotism and this combination of developmental narrative and nationalism worked wonders and brought NDA back to power with significant majority. The election result was a referendum on nationalism and inclusiveness of India cutting across different sections of society. The decision is also a negation of caste politics of SP-BSP-RLD and it gave a serious blow to the hopes of the leaders of mahagathbandhan who could not muster support in spite of all their hard work and dreams of their leaders of occupying the coveted seat of Prime Ministership. Thus the election result was a judgment on the plank of nationalism which unfortunately congress and other parties called aggressive nationalism but these parties were dashed to the ground as the people rejected their policies and programs and did not approve of their baseless accusations of corruption against the ruling NDA and the voters taught them a lesson. The opposition parties including congress used mudslinging of the worst order and the people showed them the way. The election results are a seal of approval on the much relevant theme of nationalism and patriotism coupled with developmental narrative of Modi. In fact, Modi wave and Modi magic worked wonders and brought NDA back to power with absolute majority even bypassing the election results of 2014. This general election was not fought on local and regional issues but on the national issues of much importance. Thus local issues were left untouched and the national issues stole the show and the election results were incredible but as per the hopes and aspirations of the voters. The 2019 verdict is an intoxicating one. A general election is essentially meant to enable the citizens to decide whether or not to renew if at all, the incumbent rulers lien and on what terms. The present election was a referendum on Modi, his policies and programmes and the much advertised and marketed nationalism. It was a judgment on the achievements of Modi government and its failures, Modi's strengths and weaknesses. To its credit in 2019-the BJP put in place a shrewd and sophisticated strategy that ensured that the voters only saw it as a vote for or against Modi. The voters have spoken clearly and firmly. We have an unambiguous verdict which will lead to a stable and strong government and not a majboor government as is the case in a hung parliament and the voters need to be appreciated for their decisive vote. It becomes an ominous verdict because the choice before the voters was never as stark as in 2019. Mr. Modi offered himself as the head of a majboot sarkar. Never since 1980 when the congress sought votes in Indira Gandhi's name had a political party given primacy to an individual leader and his presumed transformational leadership over and above any calculus it was a verdict on Modi's achievement and his qualities of hardworking, honesty and dedication to the national cause and his taking the country to new heights in the international scale. Therefore the election results of BJP which crossed the magic number of 272 and went up to 303 individually and collectively as NDA crossed 350 mark is in fact a referendum on nationalism and Modi's name. Modi wins 2019 Lok Sabha elections with historical mandate. Election commission data showed Modi's NDA has secured 350 seats with BJP alone cornering 303 seats in the 2019 general elections. The absolute majority would reduce the need for competitive populism. Some near-term pro former announcements are likely to be made by the new dispensation when it takes oath and starts functioning. BJP's coming to power implies greater stability in political and economic spheres. For the first time in 48 years a PM has been re-elected to power with a majority. With this feat Narendra Modi has paralleled the feat of Indira Gandhi. From the crisis in the top brass of Congress party whose narrative failed to stick and the trend in UP which rose above caste politics to support BJP-the Lok Sabha election 2019 seems to have redrawn India's current political landscape. Now that the NDA has captured power, the alliance and its leaders should concentrate on the delivery and meet the hopes and aspirations of the electorate who have reposed their trust and confidence in BJP led NDA again.

Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network

Comment on this Story

Like our Facebook Page