Modi’s New Discovery | J P Gadkari

November 24, 2024

Our Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi has a habit of inventing some things that never happened or existed in the chequered history of our country and falsely charging the Indian National Congress (INC) and holding it responsible for using it to its political advange.

Look at this. While addressing the boisterous BJP supporters at the victory rally at party H Q in Delhi after his party’s massive win in Maharashtra, Modi accused the Congress of "forming the Wakf Board in India to gain votes of Muslim minority through appeasement." While accusing the Congress of giving many properties to Waqk Board in Delhi after they lost the Parliamentary election in 2014, Modi said Congress has made many such Acts for the sake of appeasement and gaining votes for the party.

Modi might have deliberately chosen to refer to his new discovery keeping in mind that the controvertial Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 to the Waqf Act 1995 is coming for discussion in the Winter session of Parliament starting from November 25. The Bill was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and according to its Chairperson Jagdambika Pal, of BJP the JPC after full deliberatios is ready with its report for discussion and adoption of the Bill by the Parliament. However, the opposition members in JPC want more time for further discussion on the Bill in JPC.

But look how Modi distorts history by accusing the Congress that it is in the habit of "forming such Acts like the Waqf Act to gain more votes of minorities through appeasement. It should be noted here that the first Waqf Board was formed in India in 1913 during the British rule. In the year 1923, the then British Government enacted the "Mussalman Waqf Act" in order to advise and regulate the Waqf Boards in the States on matters pertaining to its working. In order to make the provisions of the Act more orderly and specific, the original Act was replaced in 1954. A Central Waqf Council was then formed in 1964 to advise the Boards under the Ministry of Minority Affairs. The existing Waqf Act was passed in 1995 with further providing provisions for its better implementatin by replacing the 1954 Act. The Amendment Bill 2024 to this Act has now been brought under the pretext of "stopping the misuse of its provisions, bringing it under the control of District Collector and allowing the inclusion of non-Muslims on the reconstituted Boards". The Opposition in Parliament having opposed the proposed amendments resulted in forming a JPC.

Apart from this, throughout his speech the focus of Modi was attacking the Congress though Opposition in Maharashtra apart from Congress consisted of Shiv Sena faction led by Udhav Thackarey and the vertically split Rashtrawadi Congress led by Sharad Pawar. Modi knows very well that his main enemy is Congress and his main target of attack is the Gandhi family. He therefore did not spare a single occasion to attack them. During his more than one hour address, he must have referred to Congress and its "misdeeds" atleast hundred times. He pointed out that the party is working only for the "benefit of the family" and attacked the "dynasty" in most disparaging terms.

Modi and BJP higher ups have been claiming that they will "repeat" Haryana in Maharashtra since the time they had won the unexpected victory in Haryana. Earlier they were able to separate the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections to be held separately. Many observers are wondering what was that "special formula" which made them bring it into reality. It is understood that in order to look "fair and impartial", they did not use the "formula" in Jharkhand . Whatever it was, nobody in the political spectrum, including the BJP and its allies had even expected such a spectacular victory in their favour in Maharashtra.

The separation of Maharashtra election gave enough time for the Eknath Shinde Government the much needed time to announce government schemes like "Ladki Behna", concessions to farmers, students and other sections of the population. But apart from the authorised schemes, they could make use of this time for distribution of unauthorised money on unprece-dented scale till the polling day. Plenty of evidence of this has come to the fore of this corrupt practice perpetrated by BJP in Maharashtra. Besides, the RSS had actively worked in this election in support of BJP with its door to door campaign.

However, it cannot be denied that huge amount of complacency and lethargy had affected the Congress and its allies in Maharashtra since its stellar performance in the Lok Sabha elections just little over four months before. While the BJP and its allies became alert and active immediately after their debacle, in the parliamentary elections, the Congress and its partners took it for granted that the assembly elections will also go a similar way in their favour. Particularly, the Congress even did not care with the party giving more attention to Maharashtra elections.

Meanwhile, the results of several by-elections in many States, particularly in the States of Karnataka and Kerala results were most favorable to Congress and INDIA Bloc. It was 100% in their favour. In Karnataka all three by-poll results went in favour of the ruling Congress party boosting the morale of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress party. It has blunted the attack and the campaign being carried out by the BJP-JDS demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister, who has been under the pressure of alleged corruption charges.

It now remains to be seen what lesson is learnt by Congress and its friends in the political arena of the State of Maharashtra in particular and the country in general.