Sink or swim?

If it loses, it’s the ‘end of his beginning’
Sandeep Dikshit
Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat go to the polls in the next two months. This is the beginning of the fourth year of the Narendra Modi government, a time when any incumbent government would have in substantial terms done what it wanted to, and would await results of their work. So it’s a very good time to see any connection between any elections now and what may be the trend in 2019.

These two states have their own significance. Himachal, while a small state, sort of has a tradition of changing governments in every state election. If it bucks this trend this time, then its not just another election, but a clear signal that people want to give a chance to the BJP going beyond their nature and habit.

Then of course there is Gujarat, “where it all began”. For decades, it has been a laboratory for the RSS and its fundamentalist organisations, a BJP that had worked its religious-caste equation well, and a chief minister who had used Godhra to the hilt, and built a huge cloud of development achievements, written into the image of a juggernaut that sanitises society and polity by wiping away the scum (read minorities), and who gives development as none else. It is this caricature, trumpeted nationwide that carried Narendra Modi to 300-plus seats and the post of the Prime Minister.

While Mr Modi is no longer the CM of Gujarat, the government there is his puppet, and is only continuing with what is claimed as what he left behind. Mr Modi’s bogus claims of non-cooperation by the UPA government, the dexterous way he turned any attack on himself and his alleged involvement in the post-Godhra riots as an attack on Gujarati asmita, his promise of transforming India at spectacular speeds and in spectacular ways, including the imagined decimation of Pakistan — all these are now beyond slogans, and for people to do a reality check.

Mr Modi has been visiting Gujarat, taking big leaders and big projects there, has brought all his favourite Gujarat bureaucrats and police officers to run the Centre, and his Gujarati business baron cronies so to speak to run our economy.

Mr Modi has been relentless in his misuse of government machinery to malign and trouble the Opposition, and the bureaucracy has never been so intellectually corrupted and malleable.

If all is as well as what Mr Modi says it is, the BJP should gain in Gujarat — gain votes, gain seats and sweep. Anything less in Gujarat will be a clearer signal than even BJP loosing Himachal.

If Mr Modi loses in anyway, votes or seats or his nightmare — the Gujarat government, then in Churchill’s words it’s the “end of his beginning”.

Two years later, we may well say again — Gujarat was “where it all began”.
The writer is a Congress leader

Gujarati pride will not let Modi down
Neelkant Bakshi
The coming Gujarat elections are not any challenge to the BJP. The ride to victory will be smooth, no doubt about the end results. Gujarati pride will not let Prime Minister Narendra Modi down.

Gujarat is Mr Modi’s trophy state. Under his leadership, Gujarat has taken a lead in development. The development there is not only industry-driven, but has been a balanced growth of both agriculture and industry. The road infrastructure has been overhauled drastically.

The Sabarmati Riverfront which was full of stench earlier and you could not stand there even for two minutes has been transformed into a lush beautiful sight, hope we can do the same with Yamuna river front in Delhi too.

The electricity production and distribution system has been completely redone. The quality of drinking water has been improved. The people working knew the BJP under Mr Modi meant business. Thus, the whole government machinery became efficient and the results are for everyone to see.

The real challenge for the BJP lies in bettering its own record. The Opposition, specially the Congress, is trying to create an illusion of Rahul Gandhi’s popularity on Twitter and his ability to lead the Opposition in a new direction. He has been the heir apparent since 13 years and yet shows no signs of statesmanship. His recent burst of hired social media activity is pumped up by the realisation that though they cannot defeat Mr Modi in Gujarat or anywhere else, but any dent they make in the voteshare will sustain the dynasty for some more time. The voteshare will actually go down, the results on December 18 will prove it.

Over the years, Mr Modi has risen up to many challenges. He started as a grassroots worker. That’s the reason he knows the problems of aam aadmi. He has taken over the pet slogan of “garibi hatao” from the Congress. He looks like a person who is a “doer”.

The real challenge lies in the conversion of the hopes masses have invested in him. Gujarat definitely prospered and progressed when Mr Modi was the CM. Not only on the fundamental bijli pani front, but on other important parameters like women’s safety and women’s empowerment. Gujarat has been miles ahead of other states.

Gujarat has been the most vocal advocate of the BJP. By and large the common man has stayed neutral with the reforms and strong decisions of the BJP at the national level, as the results in Uttar Pradesh showed, in a very short time we will see the same reaffirmation of faith by Gujarat as well.
The writer is the BJP’s Delhi media relations head