Poll-driven agenda

Parliament after 2014 has turned into a platform where the narrative and debates reflect the divisive political ideologies that are tearing the country’s pluralistic composition apart. Indeed, India has witnessed a change from a multi-cultural and religious diversity to majoritarian uniformity. Parliament is to discuss matters of national interests such as Manipur where ethnic civil war continues to claim lives of many people and where the more than 60,000 central forces are deployed to tackle the problem. The state police have become helpless because the BJP government under the chief minister Biren Singh is openly against the Kuki-Zo community. The situation has already gone beyond control as can be seen from the fact that recently, all 40 MLAs of the valley districts were summoned by Arambai Tenggol a radical group representing the majority Meitei community. At the famed Kangla Fort, those 39 MLAs present and two MPs of Meitei-dominated valley were administered oath by the radical group “to protect Manipur”. The question that the home ministry needs to answer is -from whom is Manipur to be protected; whether the state government and the Centre have no objection for constitutionally elected members be given oath by an radical outfit and whether the inability of central security forces to “protect Manipur” has left the state and centre with not option? Parliament should have also discussed on Chinese encroachment on India territory and also price rise, unemployment and economic inequality as alleged by the opposition. When prime minister Narendra Modi gave the government’s reply, it was a fierce and vitriolic attack against the opposition styled as INDIA bloc. Modi said the constituents of so called ‘Bhanumati ka Kunba’ lacked trust among themselves as Congress managed to throw the Opposition alliance out of alignment. In his over 90-minutes speech, Modi went all guns blazing against his political foes perhaps seizing opportunity to politicise the moment ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Never in the history of Indian politics has communally divisive ideology dominated the political narrative. Not a day goes by without ruling party politicians hitting out at Congress party calling it servile to the Nehru-Gandhi surname. The BJP is on a full-scale war against those in the opposition and the prime minister continued with painting the opposition of shielding the corrupt and declared that action against corrupt leaders will continue and “those looting the nation will have to pay”. The fact is that central probe agencies across the country, are specifically targeting prominent opposition leaders on alleged corruption charges but when such leaders join BJP, their sins are washed and they become clean and no longer harassed. Several prominent opposition leaders such as AAP deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia is currently in jail as also another minister Satyender Jain and MP Sanjay Singh on liquor gate. Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren had to resign as he was to be arrested by ED. The so-called war on corruption does not hold water since many big names who were also on the run, are in power and in peace after they joined the BJP. The Modi government’s drive against corruption, which many politicians claim is targeted at the opposition, is expected to continue at full steam now with the nation going to the Lok Sabha polls by May this year.