Anyone There in Opposition Who Can Match Up Modi...

Anyone There in Opposition Who Can Match Up Modi......🤔

The year 2024 is not too far away. In any democracy, a healthy and alternate option is always welcome. Does India boast of any such option today? At the national level, all opposition political parties have failed the nation in this regard with Congress being the biggest culprit. 

Given the current political environment in the country, it may be prudent to rule out any one party and its leader dethroning the BJP and Modi in 2024. That is a harsh reality and the opposition knows it. Put your hand on your chest and answer with honesty -- is there any likelihood of a combined opposition achieving this seemingly impossible task? Is there a leader of substance in opposition ranks who can match up to Modi?

The Modi government has made lying an art form. But why do people accept it all so willingly? Why do the people who faced lie after another and everyday go and vote for the same BJP?

There are many obvious answers to this question: weak opposition, government's mouthpiece media, social media manipulation, and Modi’s personality cult that makes his voters repose great faith in him.

But the lies are so obvious, you wonder why anyone would lie so obviously. Surely, when someone is caught lying they can’t be considered credible anymore?

What’s happening here is the plain assertion of power. Our politics has become a contest of who gets to lie and get away with it and who will have to go on a back-foot when their lies are caught.

When the Modi government lies so blatantly, it is basically saying: ‘Yes we will lie to make a mockery of your questions. Do what you can.’

The Modi propaganda ecosystem machine, the hashtags, memes and emotionally charged videos, fake news etc confirm bias, overload information and emotional manipulation. Moreover, the mainstream media itself has been seen to have co-opted to manufacture fake news at scale, as the absolutely fictional charges of JNU students wanting India to be split into pieces (“टुकड़े टुकड़े gang”).

PM Modi himself is happy to lie for political posturing – the list is long and well highlighted in my earlier blogs regularly.

Ordinarily, such contradictions should hurt the credibility of Modi and his government. But, it is not. His lies manage to sell the changed narrative as new information, a change of opinion, or just new, advanced or supplementary facts repeated and presented by different actors. Repetitive bombardment of lies are seemingly made acceptable by the government's mouthpiece media and troll stations. The BJP and Modi has done a great job at spreading some specific messages with incredible lies. The hindutva card to favour majoritarianism is most effectively used to lay a strong road for BJP to tread for long.

1. The BJP-Modi used effective propaganda to promote hindutva to assert on minorities through majoritarianism and the majority are happy for this favouritism. The high prices of Petrol and Diesel  – Modi and all BJP ministers + supporters criticized Congress for it heavily and now all of them justify the high prices even though crude is cheaper than it was then! As the majority community has been opiated with the dose of mandir-masjid communal agenda they are least concerned about schools, education, inflation, health care, unemployment, messed up foreign policy and failure to acknowledge/course correct  – Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, Make In India, Skill Development, Fasal Bima to name a few only.

2. Modi brought electoral bonds to legalize corruption and allowed corporates and foreign powers to buy our political parties. His party gained financially many folds and thus created it financially strongest.

3. Modi disbanded the Planning Commission and thereby an important source of audited reports on the government's performance is no more available today. Niti Ayog was created instead, which is basically a think tank and PR agency of the government. There is no choice left with us but to believe whatever data the government gives you, as CAG audits come out after a long time.

4. Blatant misuse of CBI, ED, police, media, even judiciary and other government agencies are conspicuous. This is enough to kill dissent, an integral component of democracy.

Given the reasons above the BJP party is well ensconced for another 30 to 40 years.