The Asian Independent 01 - 15 Nov. 2019

www.theasianindependent.co.uk ASIA 01-11-2019 to 15-11-2019 9
The poll results of the Haryana and
Maharashtra Assembly as well as bypolls
in about 52 constituencies across
the country are out and wronged the
pollsters as well as the arrogant
‘spokespersons’ on the Manustream
media who were out and out ‘determined’
to ‘decimate’ the opposition. In
any democracy, if we wish to strengthen
it, people must ensure that a healthy
opposition remains in the Parliament
and Assemblies to make the government
accountable. In the absence of
opposition, media would have done the
job as it is doing so powerfully in the
United States as well as other Western
world but unlike them, the casteist
Manustream media has become one of
the ‘specialised’ branches of the Sangh
Parivar whose job is to spread ‘fakenews’
and have debate based on it, distort
facts and deny people their right to
correct information.
I have always mentioned that no
party, whatever, its strength are, can
win elections on the basis of the propagandist
media because, it is running the
show on the guidelines of RSS ideologues
and therefore has no time to send
to reporters to the ground to get a feel.
In fact, reporters who go to the ground,
is not as a journalist whose job should
be to remain impartial and probing particularly
to the deeds of the ruling party,
our media probe the ‘misdeeds’ of the
opposition and if any one challenge
them or ask accountability from them,
they ‘lynch’ them during their ‘prime
time’ ‘puppet show’. Most of them
were doing more than what can be
afforded at ‘national channels’. They
had pre-election surveys and spent lots
of time in their studios to abuse the
opposition, to divide them, confuse
them. Every one of them had given verdict
to finish the opposition. ‘Gandhis
are done’. ‘Opposition wiped out’. Not
satisfied with the surveys, there was a
‘surgical strike’ too to ensure India-
Pakistan binary remained in the news
and big ‘experts’ continue to do their
‘nationalistic’ work on TV. They won’t
wait for the dead line of the Election
Commission and would do everything
to influence the voters. As the election
time was over, all of them started again
with their ‘exit’ polls with their puppets
speaking what they wish to deny people
even right to ‘peace’. All of ‘exit’
‘experts’ gave BJP and Shiv Sena virtually
two third majority in Maharashtra
and huge win in Haryana. Based on
their ‘exit’ findings they had already
‘broadcasted’ ‘End of Gandhi era’ and
beginning of Modi 3.0. We don’t know
who suggest these headlines but all
these Sangh Parivar influenced or
blessed party workers masquerading as
journalists are a disgrace in the name of
journalism. One channel goes berserk
as its Exit Poll has got the correct
results. Now, our opinion is that all
these polls should be banned. Either
organize them three month before the
polls or before the ‘ Model Code of
Conduct’ and for the Exit Polls, there is
no need as we can always wait for the
main results. We do you need an Exit
poll when the results are about to come
but then you have huge Satta market
based on speculations and these Exit
Polls are meant for that.
The current results have many takeaways.
The attempt to divert people’s
attention from the issues facing them
and putting them all the time in ‘
national’ perspective will not be useful.
If our political leaders are mature
enough they can easily deflate the
‘national narrative’. BJP wanted to sale
Article 370, Surgical Strike all the time
to both Haryana and Maharashtra but it
ARROGANCE SLAPPED
did not work. Both states have a huge
number of farmers too and their issues
were never addressed by the Prime
Minister, Home Minister and local leaders.
BJP leaders have become arrogant
to shout down the others. A completely
inefficient leader like Manohar Lal
Khattar continue to be chief minister of
Haryana where the Jat discontent with
BJP’s attempt to isolate them was growing.
There was nothing for the chief
minister to show as his ‘achievements’
except for abusing and accusing the
opposition and talking about ‘how great
India was”. Narendra Modi while campaigning
in Haryana ‘assured’ that he
would not allow the Satluj water to flow
in Pakistan despite the known fact that
legally India cannot do this as per the
guidelines of the International River
laws.
In Maharashtra, the BJP was over
confidence of Devendra Fadnavis who
too was harping on national issues.
Prime minister spoke about 370 and
‘challenged’ the opposition to oppose it.
During the elections, as usual, the BJP
sent Enforcement Directorate and IT
officials to
Sharad Pawar,
who at this
moment is the
tallest leader
from Maharashtra. The attempt was to
humiliate Pawar and compel his supporters
to desert him. A large number of
NCP and Congress leaders were made
to resign from their parties and joined
the BJP but the ‘Operation- ED’ fell flat
on the face of the BJP leaders and
Sharad Pawar, as a matured politicians
used it without speaking anything.
Maharashtra leaders of all the political
parties felt an attack on Pawar was an
attack on the ‘identity’ of Maharashtra,
particularly to that of Marathas who
constitute about 30% of the population.
BJP as a party is never known to
speak about the issues of the poor. It has
nothing to explain to people about policies
and governance. Its major focus is
to influence the NRIs and caste Hindus
and the sloganeering it engage in is
about ‘greatness’ of India and a ‘powerful’,
Ram Mandir, Article 370, India-
Pakistan, Hindu Muslamaan. During
the elections these issues were deliberately
raised as Haryana has a large
number of retired as well as serving
army personnel and hence it attracted. It
is not that the issue did not appeal but
cant be the sole issue. Both
Maharashtra and Haryana results have
one thing in common and that is the
anger of the dominant communities in
these two state. Marathas and Jaats
have been with BJP and perhaps
ignored the local issues but this time
perhaps they realized that the BJP while
trying to get their support was also
backstabbing them. Since its inception,
Jaats have been the main political force
in Haryana but BJP has ‘successfully’
put a Punjabi Khatri as chief minister of
the state who is unacceptable to them.
Most of Khattar’s ministers lost election
showing how the people have
given them a resounding slap very
much similar to what happened to the
arrogant ministers of the Devendra
Fadnavis government yet they
would not like to change Khattar
who is RSS pointman in
Haryana. It is not that Indira
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
social and human rights activist
Gandhi did not wanted strong
leaders, it looks Amit Shah and
Modi don’t want strong regional
leaders to emerge in their party.
Congress was not really in the fray in
both the state. It look party had already
lost. In the political arithmetic in
Haryana, Congress had already lost the
jaat support as it was not seen as standing
with Hooda, the tallest Jaat leader of
the state. Rahul Gandhi’s card of bringing
a Dalit as the leader of the party in
Haryana actually went against the party.
This also shows the caste realities of
our country and how social reforms
can’t happen in the realm of politics.
The Jaats who were already disturb losing
their power, would not side with a
party where they don’t have the leadership
role. Second, Ashok Tanwar was
no match to Hooda’s outreach and the
result is party failed. The late decision
to give Hooda, charge of Haryana along
with Sailja paved the return of the jaat
voters to the party but it may not be
permanent unless a Jaat is at the helm of
the affairs of the party. Jaats have no
love relations with Congress but they
never had a liking for the Sangh Parivar
except the specific efforts of the Sangh
Parivar to woe them in 2014 onwards
that they swayed in the nationalistic
narratives of the BJP as a huge number
of them are in the armed forces. The
fact is that BJP has cleverly reduced the
Jaat political representation in Western
Uttar Pradesh which were its dominant
areas. Also the BJP strategies are cleverly
planned as it had two-three big jaat
groups in Haryana, it did not want to
put its weight on them entirely.
Dushyant Chautala and their other family
members ensured that Jaat voters
don’t reach Congress alone and remain
fragmented much to the benefit of the
BJP.
In Maharashtra, NCP-Congress put a
great show and the
credit goes to Sharad
Pawar who tirelessly
campaigned. The two
parties which are
being blamed for
playing spoilsports
for Congress-NCP in
Maharashtra are
VBA of Prakash
Ambedkar and
AIMIM of Asadduin
Owaisi. VBA and AIMIM had jointly
fought the Lok Sabha election and
secured one Lok Sabha seat. This time,
both broke and while VBA could not
get a single seat, AIMIM got two seats
in Maharashtra and one in Bihar. The
fact is that Muslims are feeling deeply
betrayed from the secular party and
AIMIM and its leader are looking decisive
and well prepared to raise their
issue. Asaduddin Owaisi, has been raising
the economic issues, and that of the
Dalits and farmers. Both the parties are
being blamed for giving 30 odd seats to
BJP as the vote got by these parties was
more than the margin of defeat but the
question is why should these parties be
blamed. Is not it a fact that both got substantial
chunk of vote during Lok Sabha
polls and even then both Congress and
NCP did not seem to be bother too
much about them. We know in politics,
politicians have become hard bargainers
and in that the smaller parties are
proving to be craftier then the bigger
one as they can switch over easily. Both
VBA and AIMIM were ready to talk to
Congress but not really ready with NCP
which is predominantly an upper caste
party. Both NCP and Congress failed
miserably in Maharashtra because they
did not take VBA and AIMIM seriously.
It is well understood that many time
politicians in their attempt to blackmail
and bargain actually go beyond rhetoric.
Most of them judge their political
strength beyond normal and hence a
possible alliance is impossible with
Machiavellian politicians.
India is definitely in the coalition age
and all members will have to judge
themselves honestly to come for an
alliance. Democracy in this country is
not really for the sake of democracy but
representation of communities and
leaders. BJP has woven a better community
alliance everywhere which is
making it successful. Powerful communities
are looking for their share in
power, they are craving for bigger positions.
Marathas and Jats felt left out in
the political structure have switched
alligience because they found powerful
leaders at the helm of top positions in
party. Congress will have to develop
stronger regional leaders added with
strong sense of social justice and minority
representation as in the absence of
all of this, they will never gain trust of
various communities. The defeat of
NDA in Bihar reflect that all is not good
for Nitish Kumar and RJD and other
opposition parties will make it difficult
for him in the coming Assembly polls.
In Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav has
proved that he is the better bet to counter
Yogi Adityanath. He needs to build
the Samajwadi Party and get rid of the
middlemen who don’t have any ideological
strength of the party. As far as
BSP is concern, the lesser said about it
the better. Rather than introspecting on
her politics, Ms Mayawati continue to
blame others for her defeat. Kerala is
out of reach of NDA at the moment so
is Tamilnadu.
These results have several messages
for all.
That media will be used to divert
attention and steal the mandate. All the
opposition leaders should boycott
media and may be file a petition in the
Supreme Court for a comprehensive
guideline on media ethics. Pre poll surveys
should only be allowed prior to
election notifications and exit polls
should be completely banned.
Modi and Shah will continue to harp
on ‘nationalistic’ ‘narratives’ with the
help of media. It is not true that their
‘efforts’ have failed. It is true that they
have won despite no factual pro people
works visible prove that people are still
fancied by these narratives including
370 though it wont work fully if there is
a good counter narratives on the massive
economic failures of the government.
The opposition needs to counter
them with local narrative and expose
the lies being spread in the name of
abrogation of 370 and Kashmir.
The bigger parties need to develop
better strategic alliances and honor the
smaller parties. Attempt to discredit
them will only push them towards the
Hindutva. Just blaming political parties
not in alliance with them as B team of
BJP will not work.
The B team argument can easily
work on Congress Party too as it has
failed to prove ideologically that it is
different than BJP. See Page 23