Vijay Kumar Gaba

The political forces of all hues and colors have set out to join the battle for supremacy in 2024. Most non-political forces have also declared allegiance to the two primary alliances. There are few yet to join any of the main groupings; maybe they are waiting for some assurances about their roles during and after the battle. However, one thing appears certain – this battle is like the battle of Mahabharata, in which staying neutral is not an option.

The narrative and rhetoric

Both alliances are trying to set a narrative to influence the voters in preparation for the battle. As usual, the narratives are based on rhetoric and the promise of a better future. On the basis of several official statements, promotion campaigns, and media reports I decipher the following narratives and rhetoric to support these.

The NDA narrative could be briefly explained as – “Under the brilliant leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is progressing fast to become a major global economic and strategic force; obliterating the decades of poor performance. Prime Minister has worked hard to end nepotism, corruption, & minority appeasement; and is putting India on the path to becoming an economically developed and socially just society. The opposition alliance on the other hand is a motley group of irrelevant political forces lacking any credible leadership that can match the charisma of prime minister Modi.”

The rhetoric to promote this narrative includes:

·         Prime Minister Modi is the most popular and charismatic leader in modern India.

·         The size of the Indian economy has grown exponentially in the past nine years of the NDA regime. Improvement in India’s global GDP rank to number five; the sharp acceleration in GST and Income Tax collection, and strong GDP growth despite a global slowdown are cited as key achievements of the incumbent government.

·         The stature of India has grown to unprecedented levels under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. The successful Covid Vaccine diplomacy

·         Social schemes like Support money to farmers; Free food to 800 million citizens; Health Insurance for all BPL families etc. have transformed the lives of the majority of the population.

·         Infrastructure capacities have been built at an unprecedented pace in the past nine years. In particular, the construction of new highways and airports, expansion and electrification of the railway network, the introduction of faster and better trains, etc. are cited to highlight the achievements.

·         Abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, the Construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the beginning of the process of introduction of a Uniform Civil Code; and accelerated enforcement action on corrupt, etc. are cited to highlight the strong delivery performance of the incumbent government.

The I.N.D.I.A narrative could be briefly explained as - “Prime Minister Modi is leading a totally corrupt, divisive, opaque, oppressive, and undemocratic government. A few ‘friends’ of the prime minister have been favored to the detriment of the national interest. The society has been deeply divided on the basis of religion and caste. There is no transparency in the operations of the government. The leadership is misusing the state enforcement agencies to oppress the opponents. The spirit of federalism has been compromised as resource flow to the states being government by non-NDA parties is constricted and the existence of many of these governments is consistently threatened. Hence, the NDA alliance is not conducive to the very idea of INDIA.”

The rhetoric to promote this narrative includes:

·         The meteoric rise of certain industrial groups, considered close to the NDA leadership in the past nine years.

·         The country has witnessed a significant rise in communal tension in the past nine years. The secessionist forces have gathered strength in the past nine years.

·         Many duly elected state governments have been displaced using unfair means.

·         The government has miserably failed to deliver on its promise of inclusive growth as inequalities have risen sharply in recent years.

·         The government mismanaged the Covid-19 pandemic.

·         The government has mismanaged the price (inflation) situation in the country thus adversely affecting the poor people most. Besides, the government has failed to deliver on the promise of providing employment.

·         The NDA has inducted a large number of opposition leaders it has been accusing of corruption. It has threatened opposition leaders and parties of enforcement action to gain their support.

·         The government has compromised national security, allowing China to intrude in the Indian territories.

·         The government has been opaque in many important matters like electoral bonds, PM Cares Fund, Rafael Deal, etc.

·         The government lacks federal spirit.

·         The government has not only failed to protect women but has also harbored many accused of abusing women. The rise in crime against women and communal violence has undermined the global reputation of India.

It is obvious that the narrative is built around the problems being faced by the country. The most unfortunate part is that no one is bothering to offer any solution. We have not heard much about the solutions. For example, almost every citizen of the country is aware of the inflation problem. No one needs to be told about this problem. What they want to know is how this problem would be resolved.

In the subsequent posts, I shall list the problems that need to be resolved and also suggest some solutions.