Politics Discussion (India)

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

One things is clear from the results, especially the UP results. Class politics reigns supreme, if done effectively. If Modi becomes Prime Minister, it will be thanks to the support of secular parties.

Caste, class, reservations, religion all should be abolished from politics. Both of our countries will remain a 3rd world country if we keep playing politics on these lines.

In 2014, I was a die hard Modi fan because being in Mumbai as a teenage just understanding few things I was horrified to learn about all the scams, the constant terror attacks on Mumbai, the horrible living conditions for millions. Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal actually bought some hopes with their fast movement and Modi decided to run. I had hoped for a better India under him and I had real high hopes. I am not shying away from being honest that I would have my display picture or cover pictures of Mr Modi, I was that die hard fan.

Soon that dwindled down. More so since I joined twitter. I would see the constant trolling of minorities or I should say Muslims. I have had great Muslim friends in college days, one being a very close friend. I had no clue Muslims themselves were divided into Shia and Sunni but thanks to him, I learned a little.

While I would rate a B- grade to Modi for the last 10 years and that is solely based on few good things he has done like Infrastructure, scrapping of article 370, yes I like that, its is India and there should be 1 rule, 1 constitution, good solid security for the country barring 2 big incidents in Pulwama and Uri, electrification of railways (thanks to his predecessor) and Nitin Gadkari a very solid man.

The thing I have hated about him is no press conference, I never expected that from him. He should have had more press conferences as that would have made him uncomfortable too often and would have liked to listen to his thought process, radicalization of a lot of people into thinking Hindus are in danger, NO THEY ARE NOT! Constant mockery of Muslims when election season is near, ZERO things on Manipur, the way demonetization was handled.

He deserves what is happening today to him, brand Modi has taken a crazy hit and he knows that. He is somewhere worried.

Also one thing to note, BJP or NDA wont be able to project BRAND MODI next election since he will be passed the max age according to constitution, seeing how close the opposition got, we are not far from seeing BJP/NDA out in the next election.

If I was Modi, I would take this graciously as peoples mandate, step out NOW, take a role as a minister in cabinet probably Home Minister and let Nitin Gadkari or someone else take the reign and be Prime Minister.

 

[CerealKiller]

class

Class, specifically economic class, cannot be taken out of politics, it is one of the pillars of political struggle. Wanting the working class poor people to do better, and earning their trust and vote, is what allowed the Samajwadi Party to beat the BJP in UP, that's what i was referring to. What better example than the BJP losing the seat in which Ram Mandir is located? Their politics of religion were defeated.

And let's remember an important thing about Modi and Amit Shah

It was in the flames of the 2002 Gujarat riots that the current era of Indian history was inaugurated. Over the course of three days in Ahmedabad, hundreds of Muslims were killed by Hindu mobs. Police did little to stop the violence, even as Muslim women were ***** and then burned alive. Women’s pregnant bellies were knifed, and Muslim children’s heads were smashed open with rocks. A recently disclosed 2004 inquiry by the UK government held Modi “directly responsible” for the “climate of impunity” that made this carnage possible. He was banned from entering the US or the UK for almost a decade. Modi has always denied any responsibility for the violence. Yet in a recent speech in Gujarat, Shah, his closest political ally, proudly told the crowd: “Modisaheb taught them [India’s Muslims] a lesson, and no one has rioted since."
In 2002, immediately after the mob violence, Modi went on a “pride march” around the state, blowing dog whistles with a smile and a wink. Shah was Modi’s point-man for that campaign, which rallied the Hindu electorate and paved the way to Modi’s first ever electoral victory in 2002. (Modi was originally appointed, not elected, to the chief minister role.) Shah, by then a member of the Gujarat assembly, was soon named Gujarat’s state minister for home affairs.
Even after that victory, questions about Modi’s role in the riots did not go away. Numerous credible sources accused him of having deliberately allowed, or even encouraged, the violence. Among the most significant sources was another BJP leader, Haren Pandya, a former cabinet colleague of Modi and his political rival in the party, who repeated these allegations to the press and in sworn testimony. In March 2003, Pandya was found in his car with five bullets in his body. The case remains unsolved, but Pandya’s story has come to be seen in allegorical terms. Last year, a senior leader of the BJP wrote on X that he was worried that Modi and Shah might “do a Haren Pandya on me”.

These trends reached their apogee in the violence of 2002. Rajiv Shah, the Gujarati journalist, has lived for decades in the Ahmedabad neighbourhood of Sarkhej, Amit Shah’s old constituency in the state parliament. When I met him at his apartment last year, he remembered running into Shah as a young reporter. “When the tensions were still running high, I caught Amit Shah coming out of Modi’s office,” he told me. “I said to him that there is a lot of uneasiness and tension in the community. I asked him if he is thinking about bringing the leaders of the Hindu and the Muslim community together and appeal for peace.” Amit Shah, in Rajiv’s telling, smiled and asked where he lived. In Sarkhej, Hindu and Muslims were segregated. Upon hearing Rajiv’s street address, Shah told him not to worry. Nothing would happen on his side of the neighbourhood, Shah said. It would be on the other side.

‘He likes scaring people’: how Modi’s right-hand man, Amit Shah, runs India

The long read: For 40 years, Amit Shah has been at Narendra Modi’s side – his confidant, consigliere and enforcer. Today he is India’s second-most powerful man, and he is reshaping the country in radical ways

www.theguardian.com

 

[icyman]

Also one thing to note, BJP or NDA wont be able to project BRAND MODI next election since he will be passed the max age according to constitution, seeing how close the opposition got, we are not far from seeing BJP/NDA out in the next election.

The Constitution of India mandates no such age limit. It is BJP's internal spoken word here. This was mainly done to keep Advani, Sinha & MM Joshi away in 2014.

Post automatically merged: Jun 5, 2024

If I was Modi, I would take this graciously as peoples mandate, step out NOW, take a role as a minister in cabinet probably Home Minister and let Nitin Gadkari or someone else take the reign and be Prime Minister.

Gadkari is definitely a guy who has the backing of all parties here. Safe face! Another one is S Jaishankar.

 

[CerealKiller]

scrapping of article 370, yes I like that, its is India and there should be 1 rule, 1 constitution

Well, the people of Kashmir let their voice be heard too, the first time they got the chance since 2019, after years of lockdowns and internet shutdowns. Defeated Iqbal Abdullah by voting for a main jailed on bogus charges since 2019, Engineer Rashid. People who used to boycott elections came out and voted for him in Baramulla. BJP's vote share in Jammu and Kashmir collapsed from 46% to 24%.
And let's see what happens in the Assembly elections soon, if they bother to hold them at all.

 

[asprin]

Also one thing to note, BJP or NDA wont be able to project BRAND MODI next election since he will be passed the max age according to constitution

Highly doubt that he will not contest the next one. Health permitting, I expect him to be available for another term as BJP garners vote on his name. Not having him in the picture may dent their vote share.

 

[Bevab]

Highly doubt that he will not contest the next one. Health permitting, I expect him to be available for another term as BJP garners vote on his name. Not having him in the picture may dent their vote share.

A bit off-topic but I’m finding it increasingly depressing that major politics is dominated by extremely old individuals who are unlikely to be alive by the time climate change’s consequences hurt the country and the world severely (if they haven’t already) and as a consequence barely take action towards it let alone the rest of the planning for a better future.

Class, specifically economic class, cannot be taken out of politics, it is one of the pillars of political struggle. Wanting the working class poor people to do better, and earning their trust and vote, is what allowed the Samajwadi Party to beat the BJP in UP, that's what i was referring to. What better example than the BJP losing the seat in which Ram Mandir is located? Their politics of religion were defeated.

I’ll add that caste and by extension religion and reservations are also something that you cannot take out of Indian politics or society in general, at least not in the next 50-100 years. It is incredibly naïve to pretend that these factors don’t exist when they were responsible for the results in UP.

 

[icyman]

Highly doubt that he will not contest the next one. Health permitting, I expect him to be available for another term as BJP garners vote on his name. Not having him in the picture may dent their vote share.

I am not even sure of him completing the current term. If the BJP had come to full power all by itself, you would have seen the transition of power after 3 years to either Shah, DF or Scindia. In the current environment, if Modi's health doesnt permit him, it could be a bleak scenario indeed.

I’ll add that caste and by extension religion and reservations are also something that you cannot take out of Indian politics or society in general, at least not in the next 50-100 years. It is incredibly naïve to pretend that these factors don’t exist when they were responsible for the results in UP.

More than caste, seems that they ignored the plight of the locals. In fact, this is the very mistake the BJP under Vajpayee also made, in 1999-2004. Going after infrastructure meant they lost focus of the common man's problem, which has led to inflations levels rising. Furthermore, there are now accounts of how the UP residents were fooled into giving up their lands and that they havent gotten their just rewards for the same.

A bit off-topic but I’m finding it increasingly depressing that major politics is dominated by extremely old individuals who are unlikely to be alive by the time climate change’s consequences hurt the country and the world severely (if they haven’t already) and as a consequence barely take action towards it let alone the rest of the planning for a better future.

That's why I have long felt India need caps on tenures. There's an outcry in Odisha cause Naveen Patnaik was ousted after 24 years. In an ideal sense, leaders should be allowed 2 terms max. Just like they do in the USA. This will ensure the rise of new leaders and also the fact that no one can hold onto power for a long time period.

 

[Viper.]

Man this is nice. There will be a coalition government to lead the country. Feels like democracy for once

 

[icyman]

Actually, I am not a big fan of coalition. It does seem like its good cause the BJP was unilaterally taking decisions. However, I feel there's one party entirely responsible in that case and the onus lies with them.

With a coalition, my only concern is the long hours they will take to arrive at a decision. It is going to be a challenge for Mr. Modi and Shah as they have never really managed a coalition during their time in Gujarat/ New Delhi. Given that the coalition partners are a bit demanding- remains to be seen who gets which portfolio and how things pan out.

The main worry from the BJP end would be Maharashtra Assembly elections. That could have serious repercussions if not handled properly. Ceding of power in the state will likely impact the BJP's fortunes at the Rajya Sabha+ centre. There could be a horse trading during those elections as well. No wonder the Deputy CM has offered to resign, as the writing seems to be on the wall here.

 

[icyman]

72 ministers sworn in as of yesterday. A notable ommission is that of Anurag Thakur. Something tells me this has to do in relation with the BCCI President's position.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

Thought some of you, who can access it at least, might find this interesting

Rishi Sunak, his family, and India's far right

The British prime minister's connections with Hindu nationalists are unsurprising given his own family's experiences with Hindutva groups

www.middleeasteye.net

 

[icyman]

Just wanted to highlight Om Birla, the speaker here. His utter school headmaster behaviour needs to stop. One cannot be putting down opposition members as though they were primary school kids. We have had Ram Kovid do this with the Bihari Deputy CM in the past (oath taking ceremony). Birla needs to understand that the Parliament isn't his fiefdom and needs to start acting as a responsible person.

Thought some of you, who can access it at least, might find this interesting

Rishi Sunak, his family, and India's far right

The British prime minister's connections with Hindu nationalists are unsurprising given his own family's experiences with Hindutva groups

www.middleeasteye.net

Load of tosh there!

Clearly written by someone who doesn't like Sunak for being a practioner of his Hindu faith. The articles reeks of bias and tends to put the onus on Sunak's faith, his family, his in-laws, which I feel is totally uncalled for. As a British PM, I don't think he ignited the fires by welcoming hardcore Hindutva ideologists into his daily way of functioning.

Furthermore, the article does go on to de-characterize the elements by constantly connecting them with their faith. there is also the ubiquitous line where the author mentioned that Muslims are a minority in India- this is very weird seeing as they are the 2nd most populous group in the country. Wonder why such authors do not quote predominantly Muslim countries and then call the Hindus as minority groups therein?

 

[wasteyouryouth]

As a British PM

As a former British PM

 

[icyman]

As a former British PM

My my! That was total annihilation today. Labour getting in after more than a decade.

 

[Satan666]

Richest 1% own 40.5% of India's wealth, says new Oxfam report

India's poor paid more in taxes while the rich benefited from exemptions, the report says.

www.bbc.com