THE MONSOON FEVER AND THE IMPENDING ELECTIONS FEVER GRIP THE COUNTRY

While, on the one hand Monsoon has let loose a torrent of destruction causing loss of lives and property across the nation from its very outset mostly in North India especially Uttarkhand, on the other hand, a political churning is in full swing on the national political scenario as a prelude to the upcoming 16^th General Elections which is less than a year away.

Emerging political equations will reveal the shape of things to come and like spectators sitting in the ringside-seats watching a circus ,we the citizens undergo a variety of emotions.

The political churning of sorts is not a sudden or unexpected development, as we are fairly aware of the fact that with the approaching General Elections, the political scenario is poised for a change. And that time has come, that is even while the whole nation is shivering with fever on the one hand, election- fever has gripped the nation with the political barometer showing signs of upswing of the mercury level.

The churning gathered momentum with the holding of National Executive meeting of the main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at Panaji, Goa mainly to elect its Election Committee Manger or Chairman. The meeting was just a formality as Mr.Narendra Modi of Gujarat fame was already deemed to be the appropriate person to lead from the forefront in the coming General Elections mkuch to the chagrin of Lal Kishan Advani who was sidelined in the entire exercise, which was unbecoming of the top-rung as well as second-rung leaders, Narendra Modi was catapulted to the post of election committee chairman. It was not surprising that Mr.Advani would not remain a mute spectator before the entire exercise and let loose his protest by resigning from the posts of BJP’s Parlimentary party leader and two other equally important posts.

With him tendering his resignation from three important posts, the entire party couldn’t laugh away the issue because of Advani’s potential as the architect of the party. The entire top brass went into a huddle and decided to mollify a fuming Advani. Though unrelenting for a while with the stern direction of Mohan Bhagawat, Sar Sangha Chalak of the Sangh Parivar to withdraw forthwith his resignation from the three key posts Advani evolved into a obedient boy and withdrew his resignation albeit reluctantly. Sangh Parivar’s hold on BJP is a well-known fact and whenever the leaders of BJP deviated from its directions, the whole wrath fell over them. Advani too was once an RSS man and even in his mid-eighties he has not dared to throw away that Khaki knicker and white shirt, like his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was a clever but cunning politician like late P.V.Narasimha Rao, though he was Congress man. Mr.Rao’s allegedly covert support to the demolition of Babri Masjid in December 6, 1992 was not a top secret. No amount of explanations would suffice to label him a clean Congress man with secular credentials.

With Advani’s fate sealed, Janata Dal (U), a key partner in the NDA rose in revolt which had turned a sulking partner from the very day rumours about Narendra Modi taking up the mantle of BJP election committee Chairman. Close on the heels of Narendra Modi getting appointed as the mascot of BJP, Janata Dal(U) held a hurriedly summoned meeting in which it formally declared its disassociation from NDA.

With Janata Dal(U) leaving NDA, the leftists and regional parties plunged seriously into forming a third front to take on both United Progressive Alliance and the now limping ‘NDA’. 

The emergence of Mamata Banerji, Chief Minister of West Bengal calling for a Federal Front of regional parties are not to the liking of certain parties even otherwise it is unlikely to be materialized.

With Left Front talking to the leaders of JD(U), Biju Janata Dal(BJD) led by Naveen Patnaik, Telugu Desom Party of Chandra Babu Naidu, Janata Dal(S) of Dev Gowda and like-minded parties could form a cohesive force to take on both UPA (United Progressive Alliance) which is neck-deep in corruption, scams and scandals and National  Defence Alliance (NDA) which too is the other side of the coin – I mean, the UPA and the so-called NDA - a hung parliament is a possibility if not a probability. If things go well on the expected lines this is a God-send opportunity for the Third Front to play a prominent role in the forming of a new-look govt with entirely different policy approaches at the Centre. And if the Indian citizen has not been able to learn any lesson even now he/she is not at all going to learn anything in future too.

Apart from rampant corruption, scams and scandals, life of an average Indian citizen has fallen into a quagmire of extreme poverty, rampant unemployment, snowballing of prices of essential commodities helpless women and children (majority of Indian women are a disempowered lot), a new breed of rich –crorepatis, millionaires and billionaires is emerging on the other side with free flow of funds exclusively flowing to their coffers it is time we need to introspect and act accordingly.