The people of Ayodhya have sent a resounding message to those who played hate politics in its name. The people of Mujaffarnagar defeated the champion of divisive hate politics. The people of Hyderabad and Amaravati, too, defeated the divisive propagandists.
One needs to thank the people of Tamil Nadu for decisively throwing BJP out. It is also the result of political arithmetic, and MK Stalin needs kudos for his rainbow coalition. He is an example for all other political forces as how to run a coalition. The Congress needs to learn, particularly where it is the main power by giving space to smaller parties.
Maharashtra was supposed to give a big jolt to the BJP and the NDA, and people have done that. Unfortunately, Karnataka and Telangana could not sustain much for the Congress. The party needs to evaluate as why it is unable to hold on to its domain area even for a year. The Congress must understand how Bhupesh Baghel was over-hyped in Chhattishgarh. The party could win merely a seat of Korba.
Madhya Pradesh has remained in the grip of Hindutva for long and the Congress will have to work from ground level and look for committed cadres and leaders for that. Someone like Kamal Nath will not benefit the party and must be allowed only to the confines of Chhindwara.
One cannot also forget the brave battle of the Punjab farmers, youth resistance and the anger among Muslims, who were blamed for every evil that India has today. There were efforts to divide the unity of Dalits and OBCs by invoking the Muslim reservation issue, but they remained calm and politically mature.
Long ago Kanshiram said that we don't need a mazboot (strong) government but a majbur (vulnerable) government in Delhi, as it works better for thepeople. With a majbur sarkar in the horizon, one hopes it gets into work and breathes in fresh air.
The Congress party in Karnataka and Telangana must ponder over as what went wrong. Is the powerful Voklinga-Lingayat lobby still unable to digest Siddharamaiyya?
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh remain in the tight grip of Brahmin-Bania-Rajput Hindutva politics. The absence of a powerful Ambedkarite or backward class movement or caste consciousness has resulted in Hindutva lobby gaining.
UP and Bihar have common factors largely unacknowledged by powerful parties. Lalu Prasad Yadav and RJD need to come out of family politics. Nitish Kumar, despite his diminishing aura, remained acceptable to Mahadalits.
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh remain in the tight grip of Brahmin-Bania-Rajput Hindutva politics. The absence of a powerful Ambedkarite or backward class movement or caste consciousness has resulted in Hindutva lobby gaining.
UP and Bihar have common factors largely unacknowledged by powerful parties. Lalu Prasad Yadav and RJD need to come out of family politics. Nitish Kumar, despite his diminishing aura, remained acceptable to Mahadalits.
While Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh accommodated of non-Yadav OBCs and other Dalit communities, Lalu's resistance in accepting these cost RJD a lot. Kanhaiya Kumar would have made a big difference in Bihar than in East Delhi.
Be that as it may, the fact is, in Uttar Pradesh the Ambedkarite movement and awakening is much more powerful than in Bihar, and that makes a huge difference.
Long ago Kanshiram said that we don't need a mazboot (strong) government but a majbur (vulnerable) government in Delhi, as it works better for thepeople. With a majbur sarkar in the horizon, one hopes it gets into work and breathes in fresh air.
India remains indebted our Constitution, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, and of course Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru remains an icon of India, our best address to the world when we speak about our prime ministers. Being Nehru means much more than merely winning elections.
People have said categorically that they need humble mortal leaders to lead, and not those who call themselves emissaries of God. They ask for an account of five years and don't want for a 1000 year 'vision'. One hopes the majbur sarkar will work better for the people of India, also respect and protect our Constitution and institutions.
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*Human rights defender
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