Jammu: A deliberate misnomer generated by smart Bharatiya Janata Party propaganda machine in Jammu about the vote in ongoing elections being support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fraught with danger of non-entities and political novices getting elected to Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
Narendra Modi is a living legend and a shining star of Indian political spectrum.
Let Narendra Modi remain the PM. Downgrading himself as an MLA or a minister in any state will only be dwarfing his political stature.
No doubt about it. He has surely infused a sense of pride among the compatriots. Rightly so! However, any attempt of misusing his personal charisma and standing has potential to boomerang in terms of eroding his credibility, grandeur and upmanship, which has endeared even his worst critics, not only in India but around the world.
Jammuites appreciate the charisma of their Prime Minister and it is this understanding which pains them when every Tom, Dick and Harry contesting elections on big BJP ticket seeks votes as if Narendra Modi is going to be the MLA, or the Chief Minister, or Minister or Minister of State in Jammu and Kashmir. By exploiting Modi magic, those having total disconnect with people and their problems want to make it to the Assembly for satiating their personal ambitions and interests rather than looking after the public welfare. This is precisely what happed during the past six years. The eleven BJP legislators, owing their rise to sabotaged 2008 Amarnath land row agitation, got unbridled with more than half of them deviating the party whip for ‘obvious reasons’ during elections to three vacant slots in Legislative Council. For, what is infamous now as ‘cash for vote’ scam, the self proclaimed party with difference had to take unprecedented step of throwing the defiant legislators out of party. This is first acknowledgement by the party about wrongs having been committed. The second endorsement came when they, despite taking back the erring legislators, dumped them while giving mandate for crucial ongoing elections. So much so, the indicted legislators are not seen anywhere either campaigning or asserting their influence in favour of the incumbents fielded in the electoral fray. In a bid to get elected, they are seeking votes for Modi, a fact which is getting undermined in the made race of Mission +44. In case some of the non-entities will get elected due to Modi magic, will their electors knock the PMO doors in the hour of need with regard to day to day issues pertaining to the constituencies? By all accounts those seeking votes in the name of Modi are incompetent enough to deliver after getting elected.
Jammu has been a traditional saffron stronghold since decades, which is why the BJP bosses feel themselves at ease and at home when in the City of Temples. Therefore, the expectations among the residents soared high ahead of allotting tickets for the prospective contestants weeks before these were formally made public. As long the list remained within four-walls of the saffron headquarter in New Delhi, the people were hopeful, not because of senior leadership in the State or at the Centre but because of brand Narendra Modi having taken over the party’s state of affairs.
However, the announcement came as a big disappointment. It did not enthuse at all the traditional BJP supporters. The people got disillusioned with most of the faces figuring in the list announced from the national capital. The insult to injury came when they took to brass-tacks by invoking Narendra Modi. The spree of star campaigners from silver screen to celebrity politicians donning across the constituencies failed to generate the aura BJP is known for. Why?
The answers are many. Most of those mandated for the crucial elections are either novices or small timers who have sought shelter in the BJP because of power it got in New Delhi. Record of some remains even now questionable as they failed to meet expectations of the people when getting responsibility. They proved to be as hoax, as the tainted politicians of mainstream parties, which have been taking turns to power, one after another intermittently. The ironic part of the BJP’s big presence in the ongoing elections is that almost none of the nominees believe in development which forms core of the Modi-magic. Development is none of their takes or priorities. They are birds of different feathers trying to fly as one flock.
They are self seekers, interested in personal rehabilitation rather than rejuvenation of the system to take up ‘inclusive and holistic development’ of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.