By Haider Abbas
The political environment in Uttarakhand (UK) and Uttar Pradesh (UP) is now into the election-groove , as BJP government in both the states in ‘facing-the-heat’ for its (wrong)doings of the last five years. The latest continuing trend, as far as BJP PM Narendra Modi is concerned, is the huge presence of ‘vacant-seats’, in practically all of his recent public-addresses, whether it was in Sultanpur, Mahoba, on Jewar Airport inauguration and in fact from his own constituency i.e. Benarus! The most recent to add to this is what happened on December 4, at Dehradun, where what he dreaded did finally happen! He was shown black-banners and protests of voices-from-women ‘Narendra Modi Wapas Jao’ (Go Back ), but this news is certainly not on any mainstream media, as media, with one or two exception, has long evolved as a BJP organ. Perhaps, the only unanimity, was the presence of ‘vacant -red-seats’, despite the whole state-apparatus ‘put-into-force’ to bludgeon the public presence.
It is perhaps time for general public to call for the BJP bluff, as the last-five years are surely to have given the most harrowing time to the people of UK and UP. The treacherous handling of COVID-19 second wave, during which millions perished, for want-of-Oxygen, one of the most basic need which UP government could not fathom. There is all news around, these days, as to how the whole state-resources are put-together to groom ‘public’ to hear to ‘Modi-Shah-Rajnath trio’ but the diminishing trend from the masses is all what is coming out as a marked-proof, over the dwindling popularity of Modi and Co. People who gather at such venues, often do so for the glamour-of-a helicopter and lately even that was refused to land in Punjab! As farmers occupied the helipad and forced Rajnath Singh to cancel his programme in Mohali.
A video of women with cries of ‘Modi Go Back’, is what may be considered as an outburst of people at Modi government despite the tall-claims of success, as people have just been muzzled under the price-hike of petrol/diesel, despite token relief, and with the sky-rocket prices of edible oil/ pulses/vegetables i.e. tomato is now over Rs 100/Kg! is what is making people vent their anger on the streets. Memories are fresh when once during the Congress regime (2004-14) there was a price hike of petrol, and the entire BJP members left parliament led by (late) Sushma Swaraj. Why is that fiber missing now?
The occasion was when PM Modi was to announce the projects worth Rs 18,000 Cr. in Dehradun. This gift of course was a compulsion of the coming elections in UK in early 2022 as well as in UP. UK was a part of UP and the politics of both the states involve each other. But, people this time are now fully in a ‘discard-mode’ towards BJP and have expressed to no more be befooled by the propaganda machinery run by BJP. The stark proof, is the presence of vast-vacant-seats at the venue while PM Modi spoke, something which can never be shown on any media- whether be electronic or print, with one or two exception. Perhaps, it is time enough to give a call for the state-of-media as ‘state-run-media-houses’! A La Chinese expression.
What happened in Dehradun, when the prime leadership of BJP, including JP Nadda, its National President, was present, was when PM Modi spoke to just vacant-seats. This has come as a reaction to BJP politics and policies, which has forced the reality on the streets and households, as people ‘by and large’ and ‘all and sundry’ are just too-perturbed under the BJP regimes. BJP has just lost the general-trust of the people. But, on the contrary media is showing jam-packed scenes, much to the fooling of BJP now. It is now probably, Victor’s Victoria! To put into the English proverb.
Another video of a hapless woman, consuming 1 minute 24 seconds, is going rounds on social-media, which has exposed the style of BJP, in which the woman is in tears, as she was promised money ( Rs 400) , food for the whole-family, and a dhoti (saree) in lieu of attending to Modi’s rally. And she got none! The poor woman does not even know BJP and just names Modi’s party. This is what has been the doing of the party with a difference (sic)
The video does not show its dateline but the outpouring of this unknown woman clearly shows that she stands outside the Modi’s rally venue, and assumes significance, and Modi and his entire foot soldiers have been beating the trumpets of ‘Modi’s popularity’ since 2014, but the shamelessness with which ordinary people are ‘duped’ of their emotions, is now all for the nemesis of BJP, as after all, this rally was not that of any BJP Corporator, MLA or a CM Minister or a Union Cabinet Minister but that of PM itself!
The tears of this unknown woman, are actually what the whole India is feeling, particularly when Rs 15 lakhs were promised to have been got deposited, then came the worst maverick political decision, and the whole nation was lined-up in winters of 2016 in the name of demonetization, followed closely by four-sitting SC judges crying to ‘save-democracy’ in 2018, and later about the criminal handling of COVID-19 second wave, in which millions perished, as the dead bodies floated in rivers, and fed over by dogs and pigs!
No wonder, UP BJP CM Ajay Singh Bisht rally in Gorakhpur on December 6, had the same scenes as videos are abound showing people in hordes ‘leaving-the-venue’ while AS Bisht spoke. Hundreds of people, particularly, women who were Anganwadi workers, were leaving the site, and complained that their children be ‘treated as equals’, as people could not find anything except for hollow-speeches.
Video grab of seeking her children be treated as equals. Courtesy: Internet
This all has set the alarm bells ringing inside BJP and now PM Modi is into for a rally in Gorakhpur on December 7, the bastion of AS Bisht, and UP CM has announced to deploy 3000 buses to make the rally a success, which has left with just one answer to be sought, as to where were these state resources when millions of UPites were ‘walking-on-foot’ from far-off Punjab and Maharashtra etc during the COVID-19 second wave, during which thousands died-on streets as ‘unclaimed’ and no-where is the record for such bodies now.
UK and UP is most likely to answer BJP by its ouster in the coming elections.
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The writer is a former UP State Information Commissioner and a political analyst.