Paradoxes of Modi’s politics: the coming 2024 election | Radhakanta Barik

Political communication plays an important role in bridging a bond between a leader and the masses. In the 2024 election, one finds the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi who uses simple idioms to communicate with people. She brings the question of each life and its sufferings and then transforms their sufferings into political idioms where the crowd is keen on listening to her. She is able to put the ideology of the Congress party in simpler idioms. Rahul Gandhi is able to communicate party politics into a programmatic understanding of the Government. If the INDIA Alliance government gets formed in the centre then what programs for people to be translated into idioms of public policy and public administration? Modi is unable to speak political language to communicate their programme and ideology. He is speaking the idioms of hatred which does not fit into democratic politics. This can be banned under the moral code of Conduct and illegal activities under the Electoral laws of the state. Politics requires political communication where political idioms need to be placed before the public for consideration.

Modi remaining in power for a decade is unable to grow into a tree in giving shade to others. He remains an Eucalyptus tree without its branches and no nest for the birds. It gets germinated by the two powerful corporates and planted on Indian soil without turning into an indigenous. Rahul Gandhi is turning into a peepal tree with its branches and leaves and giving shade to many where working class, peasant, Youth all can work. It provides oxygen to masses. The conflict between Eucalyptus vs Peepal is going on and let us hope the peepal tree can stand against the foreign tree.

In 2014 Modi spoke in confidence. His election speeches were delivered in confidence. Today he is in delirium and speaking with nervousness like a student facing the viva voice in his or her critical examination. His nervousness is reflected in his face and people with white beard could hide their nervousness but he is unable to do so.His eyes do not show brightness. All these reflect something wrong with his style of electioneering. His anti Muslim jargon is not taken seriously. Modi Bhaktas are in dilemma who are thinking of an alternative path. His presence in Ram Mandir and demanding from the electorate four hundred seats but began with ’sure sort’ as retorted by his bhaktas but they start hiding somewhere. They used to sit in the centre of park and speaking loudly which drew attention of Modi who had got some petty concessions are absent today in the park. Nothing is going well in their favour. 2024 is looking like the end of his romances with Delhi.

Modi does not reflect but does politics and his concern to stay in power. It is not power as defined by political scientists but power in Chaplin’s sense. Power helps him in harming others. Look at the Jail many political activists are in jail. Look at the Universities which are under the attack. For him knowledge production is a dangerous game. He is committed to RSS ideology where knowledge does not have any place. Gujarat Universities are in disarray. Only university working is Baroda as many departments had world famous scholars. This is the only state university in India which has produced Nobel laureate. He studied Biochemistry and went abroad and turned into a leading scientist. Today the university in disarray. Leading department of Arts and Painting is virtually closed as no painting show goes. Most leading Professors from the Arts faculty are suspended or retired. Newly recruited are serving Hindutva project. He does not have sense of aesthetics and he cannot differentiate beauty/ ugly in any creation. For him ugly works as he remains in power.

After coming to Delhi he targeted JNU and physical violence organised against the students. He is antagonistic to universities and centre for excellence. The joke now that he is really student of theatre in Galgotia university, Noida. Modern state without modern education cannot survive as knowledge needs to answer to the problems of society and economy.

Modi is turning into Trisunk between capital one side and his caste combination. His main caste group Rajput are being pushed out of his combination which threatens his politics of hatred plus force to collect votes. This is happening to gender issue after karnataka’s sex scandle which he campaigned for this man who involved in Hassan. Politics is changing which forcing the capital to look for an escape route as they have to do business in India although most of them have bought palaces in London to shift any moment but business cannot be shifted. He is unable to control his politics in 2024 general election. The result is getting clearer that his slogan of four hundred seats may be like Vajpayee’s shining India of 2004.

In 2024 election Modi is unable to stand with its political image. The image he constructed by negotiating between capital ,market and religion in his long beard and white hair and doing consecration of Ram Temple are unable to give him a public image. Public demanding what have you done in terms of livelihood or employment or income. He is speaking in the name of Hindu Muslims but without understanding there is a political imaginary where these clichés do not make any meaning. Giving slogan of 400 seats exposed him that he is against constitution and democracy which have given a voice to poor and marginal. Modi is in dilemma in facing the crowd and while speaking his voice is cracking somewhere. Politics is taking over Modi and his political imagination does not work now.

Gramsci captures public imagination in India as India is experiencing the fascism today which makes us conscious of Gramsci that the popular front is required to fight against the fascism. Fascism tries to hold Indians under the influence of religious fascism but it is not an easy as Hinduism is a multi-layered religion and it does not hold the same way as in the North. For instance in Punjab there is no such fascist tendency where as in Haryana yes the fascism has grown by combining different castes against the Dalits and Jats. The real battle is in UP where the upper castes such as Rajputs and Brahmins have been communalised and criminalised for a long time and today they are dominating the political space of the most dominant state in attacking the Muslims and Dalits. Bihar there is no hold of upper castes like UP but fascism is a growing trend as the capitalists of rural Bihar have sided with the fascism. They are attacking the others Muslims, Yadavas Dalits etc.

In West fascism has taken over the cultural space of Gujarat and they have a control over the media and cultural world like literature and art and painting. In Maharashtra fascism was a growing trend under the leadership of Gujarati Banias like Ambanis and Brahmins.In South the reform movement has made them cooled down but slowly fascism are appealing the primitive instincts. To some extent they have succeeded in Karnataka not in other states.In the East they are in periphery as the caste domination does not work there. But in North East they have manipulated the election result in their favour. Real battle is against fascism on the cultural and religious level where the fascists need to be defeated to counter hegemony and to have counter commonsense against the fascism and here Gramsci is being placed in the context of struggles against fascism in India.

Indian state is grabbed by Modi which makes him to speak against the Muslims. He is in his business of spreading hatred. Days have passed he spoke against Muslims but no action by the police or Election Commission or Supreme Court. He has grabbed the state apparatus. Marx’s point that state is a class instrument and here the state is a personal property of Modi telling us that he is above law. He is turning into bluff master but the state is unable to take action.

Meeting an autowala on my journey to Teenmurti library speaking sense that so many Prime Ministers have come and gone But nobody stick to power hungry like Modi. He wants power as Chaplin famous artist tells us that those want power to harm people which makes him to cling to power at any cost. He involves in hate speech but without any legal action by the Election Commission or Supreme Court. Common people are disrespected by these public institutions.

On World Book Day one can say that our middle class ignore the book. Look at the metro when hardly anyone reads a book. Once I was reading a book which drew the attention of an elderly person from Kashmir who was in Delhi to meet his son and came to me and expressed his anxieties regarding non reading of book. The best example of the reading habit of middle class living in Sub city of Delhi that is Dwarka where more than five lakhs of people reside but no public library and no book stall no news paper centre for buying the paper. This explains the growth of fascistic idea among them as their minds do not work in intellectual sense.

Modi’s anti-Muslim statement is rhetoric or true as one sees the first round of voting shows that the BJP is losing in the first round election where 102 seats went to polling. INDIA alliance is in a better position which irritates Modi. Whatever the ground reality of Rajasthan tells us that they are losing the state to opposition. His political speech in Rajasthan is to be placed in the context. His backroom boys argue with Modi to speak venomous anti Muslim language which his supporters perhaps understand it. It depends on the Election Commission to take some actions against Modi. This sort of hate speech by Modi can come under the Supreme Court purview.

Summer heat added with election heat gives Modi sleepless night. He went in the night to Nagpur the RSS headquarter to sleep without such comfort in Delhi. It is like the Mahabharata war when Duryodhan went in the night to his mother’s place in the midst of war. Then returned back empty handed. The same thing happened to Modi. It is politics in India which make these leaders to enjoy all sorts of privileges like the Royal families of ancient times. People in India are fearless to show their strength and are not scared of paper tiger. They are going to vote against the BJP and that is a great day for democracy and Constitution.
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A slogan has been constructed regarding the 2024 general election that South zero and North half. It needs to be revised now that South zero and North one fourth. The BJP position is precarious. History is going to record the massive polling today to explain the exit of Modi who wanted to build Hindurastra in2025 on the 100th year of foundation of the RSS. He wanted 400 and people put in the basket four hundred carrots for him. Defeat of the BJP is glaring. It’s a conflict between civil society vs polity. Civil society is asserting against the communal forces.

There are three rounds of polling which brings out the public anger of people against the ruling BJP. It may seem that the BJP may lose many seats. If this is the trend then the leaders of the BJP may take help of group of Babas in saffron cloth to create a campaign of hatred among the public. It may lead to riots in different places. Furthermore there may be law and order situation in many parts of the nation which may lead to postpone the coming phases of general election. But this is unlikely as it is exposing the BJP led government.

There is a report regarding the candidates of the BJP and its work around Delhi. (IE)They have visited four hundred functions organised by the Ram Navami festival group and they feel scared of meeting the youth, workers and lower middle class people and they do not know their problems: unemployment Price rise and inflation all these eroding a society into poverty trap.

In the history of parliamentary democracy, the election has come and gone and the defeated party always accepts the winning party with grace. Except the BJP is worried of losing today and feels threatened of its existence with its defeat.

Third round of voting tells that Modi cannot win 400 seats and he thought Indian voters are the sheep which is incorrect that all three rounds they have not voted the BJP in many constituencies. He is not going to cross 200 as he is scared of all other rounded number like 200 or 300 but is fond of 400 the mythical number which helps him in declaring him the king. With the slogan now raised by him that vote for NDA not the BJP and he realised the mythical number 400 perhaps the invention of ancient mathematics not present-day studies which he approved but he has hatred modern rational education,

Recently Tagore’s birthday got celebrated. The greatest literary person India has and only Nobel laureate in literature. Instead of respecting such a powerful person Modi after coming to power removed his book and his famous English poem " Keep head high" He wants a servile person and Tagore wants his people should have right to liberty to express but Modi wants nobody should express his or her views. It is the RSS to decide what to speak what to think what to do That world he created in 2014 which looks as if all the institutions working in the domain of critical thinking are either closing down or manned by the RSS people. He has planted the poisonous trees which produce xenophobic idea. Let us save us from Modi raj and bring back Tagore’s world> Vote against Modi.

There is a report that 161 teaching staff including some VCs have given a statement in support of Modi. They have every right to say so as they must have been appointed by RSS. They are free to keep their Hindutva ideology. But as a part of the academia they have to stick to facts and they have not mentioned facts in support of Modi. It is strange that either they are not a part of academia or they are not aware of the achievements of the ten years of Modi. In the same page there is a news that India’s position in press freedom has come down and reached 168 out of 180. They are aware in the present regime the journalists are in jail or got killed or not allowed to write. They come with fixed questionnaire to speak to Modi but without any counter questioning. Both academia’s number and the position in Press Freedom standing at the same level.

Prime Minister Modi has limited words in his political speech, Anti Muslim to Expiry Date: These two words have specific meaning and his anti Muslim speech is constitutionally banned, Furthermore expiry date has a meaning in utilisation of machines. But in Politics he uses three times: One at the Bhubaneswar meeting where BJD has an expiry date, In Andhra he uses the Expiry date for YSR Congress and In Ahmadabad he uses the expiry date for INDIA alliance. If he looks from Gujarat he looks like a king and he looks from Delhi he looks like a pygmy. As there is a proverb about the expiry date of a politician and the story is this that they do not have the expiry date like male person as grass under cow dung which comes up the moment the cow dung cake is removed. He is in seventies which means he is indicating that he is having an expiry date after the 2024 election.

In front of the gated housing societies the babas in saffron colour singing in favour of the BJP but forgetting the inmates might not wear the saffron dress but they are addicted to religion and they offer a chapati into a pot by which the cows eat these chapati. They are worshipers of power and they want to combine wealth with it. They have turned into Andhabhaktas of Modi that they feel that they could return back to have their social power if not political power that high castes are getting the bigger share and they have built the Ram temple in public land of the gated houses. They live like cows as they are completely saffronised in the last ten years. With consecration of the Ram temple they removed the imaginary Ram temple from their walls and they put the flag in front of their homes. They had fear of only the poor babas who might enter into their colony and demand a share of their wealth as both are partners.

India is in the middle of a general election. The battle lines are clearly delineated between democracy, Constitution vs fascism and communalism. Modi speaking against democracy by keeping the opposition leaders in jail. The way he behaved with the opposition in present Parliament where hundred members got suspended. He has prepared a mischievous design in the name of ED which can harass anyone and top leaders of opposition like Kejriwal and Soren are in jail. Politics in India is taking new shape and turning into a stormy battle. Let us know that all storms do not create disasters but some storms clean the environment.