Narendra Modi and the Defeat in Delhi Election

Narendra Modi is Prime Minister if India and so far it appeared he was like King Midas, the man with the golden touch as he swept every election from Kashmir, to Maharashtra with aplomb.  But the recent Delhi election is a rude jolt to him and the BJP, the party he heads. One cannot minimize the effect of this loss and put it under the carpet for it is a dangerous pointer to the public perception of how the Modi government has worked.

The BJP has received a drubbing winning only 3 seats out a possible 70. The Aam Adami Party (AAP) has swept everything before it and won 67 out of the 70 seats; a tremendous achievement. Most polls had predicted an AAP win, but no one expected this complete sweep. However in case one looks at the way the BJP under Modi has functioned will be a pointer as to why the defeat took place.

The fact is Modi sidestepped many issues and promises made during the run up to the general election. Some of these he reiterated after election as well, but over all there was no implementation.  We can list a few of them.

a) His promises and rhetoric on 'Black Money" turned out to be a damp squib and his claim of bringing in all the black money turned out to be hollow. No black money has come and overall Modi made to look a man who failed.

b) He promised one rank One Pension (OROP) to retired servicemen, but 10 months down the line the BJP has done nothing and overall has just been sitting on an egg like the hen. Modi has been unable to explain why OROP is not sanctioned and the government of India letter issued. This has alienated millions of ex-servicemen who make a considerable voting bloc.

c) Modi had got elected on a promise of 'development'. But the last10/11 months have shown that Modi and his party instead of development have followed a sectarian agenda. Attacks on churches, so called Ghar Wapsi) reconversion) has taken center stage and all along Modi has kept an enigmatic silence.

These are major issues and the voter who voted Modi in has realized that he is a man with feet of clay a lumbering giant who only talks but does not perform. Is it any surprise that Modi is trashed? In case he does not pull up his socks, he may well go into the dust bin of history, notwithstanding his wearing a suit with Narendra Modi embroidered all over it.

Devious Attempt by Modi Government to Create a Officer-Men Divide in Indian Army

The BJP government led by Narendra Modi does not seem to have learn't any lessons from history and the conduct of Pandit Nehru. In one stroke Pandit Nehru reduced the finest fighting machine in Asia to a toothless tiger, resulting in a massive defeat at the hands of China. India never recovered from that blow and since then has played second fiddle to china in all matters. Nehru's greatest blunder was lowering the morale of the armed forces mainly as he down graded the perks and privileges of the army and never gave it the weaponry it needed. He seemed to be unaware of Mao's dictum that"power comes out of the barrel of a gun". He paid a heavy price and had his international reputation in tatters as he died a broken man. Only if he had made the army an instrument of power and not relied on civil servants to down grade the finest fighting machine in Asia. Nareendra Modi as Prime Minister seems to be suffering from the same mental block. It is a pity that he appears again to be led by notions that negate the army as an instrument of power. An example is the non-sanction of a promise made by him from the rooftops. I mm referring to his call that OROP( One Rank One Pension) would be sanctioned. Now he is sulking behind the skirts of the finance Minister Mr Jaitley and the Defence Minister Mr Parrikar. These worthies have diluted the concept of the OROP. Worse they have devised a nefarious plan to sanction some money for the other ranks leaving the officer fraternity out of the OROP. The attempt is to divide the armed forces by creating a vertical split between teh officers and the other ranks. One cannot think of a more sinister scheme than this. Perhaps one can even label it as evil. Major General Satbir Singh the Chairman of the Ex Servicemen Association has written a forthright letter to the 3 service chiefs. He has pointed out the dangers of implementing this scheme and asked the Service Chiefs to meet Modi and other political leaders of the BJP to get this nefarious scheme nipped in the bud. Modi and party do no realize the danger this divide will bring with it. At one stroke a vertical split will be created and the efficacy of the armed forces will suffer.You cannot have a divide in the army which is a cohesive fighting force. It is surprising the Narendra Modi is not aware about such trivial things. He is again playing with fire and there is every chance that he will lead a great nation down an abyss. Perhaps Modi does not understand the politics of power and military might in the comity of nations.