By
Nitya Chakraborty
A week has passed since the suicide
bomber attack on the CRPF convoy at Pulwama on February 14 resulting in the
tragic death of more than 40 jawans. For more than seven days, the grieved
Indians are expressing their heartfelt condolences to the families of the
killed jawans and there has been an outpouring of emotions from every section
of the population for those who have laid down their lives for protecting the
security of our country. This is the time when the political parties,
irrespective of their ideological differences have to close ranks and unite for
protecting the integrity and security of our great nation. The opposition
parties including the leading party the Congress have shown full solidarity
with the government at the centre in meeting the situation and take appropriate
action in national interests.
But unfortunately, the ruling party
the BJP and the senior ministers including the Prime Minister, instead of
taking a holistic approach to meet the crisis, have been politicizing the issue
and diverting the people’s attention to suit their interests for the coming Lok
Sabha elections. Prime Minister, as the head of the government is talking of
revenge not in the language of a statesman who has to navigate this country at
this crucial hour taking all sections of Indians with him. The PM has not given
a call to his supporters to remain calm when throughout the country, the
fanatics are attacking the Kashmiris and even a former West Bengal BJP
president and now Governor Tathagata Roy is getting away with his tweet that
all Kashmiris including their goods should be boycotted. As the constitutional
head of his state, he has been given no strictures by the centre. Despite all
reports about attacks on Kashmiri students, HRD Minister Prakash Javedker
denies that anything such happened and as a result, no college or university
will dare to take any protective measures to ensure security for Kashmiri
students.
In the last one week, taking advantage
of the sweep of nationalist sentiments, the central leadership of BJP has been able
to arrive at alliance agreements with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and AIADMK in
Tamil Nadu. The Party negotiated from the position of strength and got the deal
done. Both PM and the BJP President Amit Shah addressed election meetings and
appealed for BJP led majority government after l Lok Sabha elections. All
along, while the opposition parties including te Congress lay low, the BJP
resorted to overdrive in pushing through its election strategy.
It is clear now that the Sangh Parivar
will take full advantage of this Pulwama tragedy to polarize the electorate
along nationalist and anti-national lines, coerce the muslims not to come to
the polling booths and goading the common Hindu masses to vote for BJP
promising that only a strong leader like Modi can lead the country to teach
lessons to Pakistan. The rightwing trolls are already out, they are harassing
anyone who has the guts to question the Kashmir policy of the Modi government.
This terror atmosphere will continue if the opposition parties do not take
counter campaign to put the issues in proper perspective. The BJP earlier
looked for the Ayodhya issue to roll on and give them the ammo to arouse
majoritarian feelings, but now, the Pulwama tragedy has given them more potent
ammo and the Sangh Parivar ably aided by the Government at the centre, will
make use of both the ammos till the Lok Sabha polling is over.
The Opposition parties led by te
Congress should come out openly and question the Modi government on its
Pakistan strategy. It can not be any particular Party strategy, it has to be
the nation’s strategy and the opposition parties which have given the PM full
support at the last meeting of the political parties, must now know what follow
up the PM has done in the last seven days. The opposition parties are supposed
to meet again on February 26 at Mohali. This should be a detailed meeting where
all efforts have to be made to work out pre poll alliances in the states,
wherever possible. The Congress and DMK have agreed for seat sharing in Tamil
Nadu, but this has to be extended to the CPI and the CPI(M) also and that
should be worked out in right earnest. Congress has to take the lead in forming
alliances in Maharashtra, Jharkhand immediately and in Bihar, it should work
out understanding with RJD and the Left. In Bihar, the CPI is entitled for
three seats where it has substantial base and in Begusarai, if the student
leader Kanhaiya Kumar stands as a candidate from the CPI, his victory is
assured. In Assam also, the Congress has to look for allies.
In Uttar Pradesh, with Priyanka Gandhi
at the helm of affairs in the state Congress, fresh negotiations can start with
the SP-BSP alliance. The Congress has to take into account its state of
organization. The Congress cannot fight alone even in alliance with smaller
parties. All efforts will have to be made to arrive at a co0mposite
understanding with SP-BSP. Even if the Congress agrees with ten seats out of
80, that will be a big thing in UP and the BJP will be swept away. This total
alliance in UP among the anti-BJP parties is the surest guarantee to keep Modi
out of power. The Congress president Rahul Gandhi has to assess the UP strategy
from the overall national perspective and the ground reality of the present
situation when there is a groundswell of antagonism against the muslims among
the common Hindus and in UP, the BJP CM Adityanath will make all efforts to
capitalize this. Only a united anti-BJP front can meet this challenge.
The February 26 meeting is supposed to
discuss the common minimum programme of the proposed Peoples Progressive
Alliance (PPA) being drafted by Rahul Gandhi. The CMP should act as a game
changer and it really should contain programmes which will inspire the
underprivileged, unemployed, distressed farmers and the women. The CMP must
have something which can have an electrifying effect on the majority of the
Indian population. The CMP must contain innovative approach to deal with the
Kashmir issue. From February 26 onwards, the opposition has to be on a mission
350 mode. Right now, the advantage with Modi is of temporary nature, once the
opposition jumps in the campaign with firm alliance and pro people CMP, then
double talk of the ruling leadership will be exposed. The West Bengal CM Mamata
Banerjee was the first to question PM even after Pulwama tragedy. All the
opposition parties have to jointly question him now. He cannot make use of
Pulwama massacre for winning Lok Sabha election. (IPA Service)
The post Enough Is Enough: Opposition Has To Function Normally Now appeared first on Newspack by India Press Agency.
