India is currently immersed in the grandeur of its massive democratic process, the general elections. Central to these elections are the two dominant players: the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress. As the BJP aims for a remarkable third consecutive triumph, attention naturally gravitates towards examining the pledges and commitments outlined in both manifestos. These documents outline their plans for governance and provide a glimpse into their differing aspirations for the country’s future.

The BJP stance

The BJP manifesto was announced as “Sankalp Patra” which translates as a “Resolution Letter”. Though the manifesto sounds promising, it seems like a recycled version of the last two manifestos. It does not introduce anything new to address the dynamic challenges of one of the fastest growing economies in the world. It simply pledges to continue most of its past policies at the national level. 

One of these challenges is the growth in the number of those who are jobless, and the manifesto provides nothing on how the party aims to tackle this, its biggest failure. While the economy is expected to grow at a healthy rate of 6.5% this fiscal year, it has failed to generate enough jobs. The job market changed but the same policies continue. A study by Azim Premji University concluded that the unemployment rates among the young graduates is as high as 42%. The situation is better for the elderly and less educated. Either the graduates lack the right skills or there aren’t just enough jobs being created in the economy. This has implications for both the education system of the country and the economy. Other sectors are being overlooked with the current focus on three employment drivers: infrastructure, manufacturing, and government jobs, by the Modi government. The government just hasn’t created enough jobs to cater to the rising population.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been more active than ever by participating in state rallies. He has attended between one and three rallies everyday since the polling officially began with most of the rallies in the Hindi-speaking states. However, it has been a year since the protests in Manipur broke out leaving more than 200 dead and thousands displaced. Prime Minister Modi has not once visited the region to see the on the ground reality of the protests. The region is more connected than ever with the rest of the country in terms of infrastructure, tourism etc. However, there is a lack of empathy for the region in the ruling party, a region where women are facing heinous atrocities by being dragged and paraded naked. There needs to be some accountability for these protests when the Modi government approaches the same people to vote for the BJP in the polls. The violence relates to the encroachment of Hindu city dwellers on land owned by predominantly Christian hill tribes.

The Opposition’s Platform

Delving into the manifesto by the Indian National Congress- which is called “Nyay Patra”, which literally translates into “Letter of Justice”; in contrast to the BJP manifesto, it introduces new ideas to address the challenges of the country. One of them being the Right to Apprenticeship Act to provide a one year apprenticeship with a private or a public sector company to college graduates under the age of 25. As promising as it sounds, implementation and execution of such an act is the key. In a recent poll, unemployment and inflation were the biggest concerns among the voters. And congress did right by playing on this data and laying down plans to address them. 

Howeve, the Congress party failed to play on its strengths (or the weakness of the Modi Government). For example, when the Modi Government passed the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 which aims to provide an accelerated pathways to Indian Citizenship for religious groups that are minorities in their home countries, such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who arrived in India on or before 31 December 2014. The act excluded groups from the South Asia region such as Rohingya Muslims, Sri Lankan Tamils, Bhutanese, Hazaras, Shias and Ahmadiyyas. Due to the exclusionary nature of the act, the government received an immense backlash and there were massive protests. The Congress party criticised the act when it was introduced but failed to discuss it at all in its manifesto. 

Controversies during the political campaigns

The Election Commission for India (ECI) is the constitutional body that has been empowered to conduct free and fair elections and sets up a Model Code of Conduct for rallying in the country. One of the rules is to refrain from appealing to castes and use religious symbols for votes. These are believed to aggravate existing differences and create tensions. 

ECI is under clout for being partial by issuing more notices to the opposing parties and censoring them more severely as compared to the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in one of his rallies in the state of Rajasthan, accused the local Congress government of distributing the wealth of the country to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”. This is apparently directed at the Muslim community as there is a conspiracy that accuses Muslims of displacing the country’s Hindu population by deliberately having large families. The ECI ended up issuing a notice to the party, not to Narendra Modi, but to the party president J.P. Nadda four days later. Similar remarks were made in 2019 elections when the Prime Minister accused Rahul Gandhi of conspiracy against Hindus when he simply chose to contest Wayanad, a district with Hindus in minority. 

This comment by the BJP government comes after the manifesto of the Congress party aims to address the socio-economic issues of the minority classes. Interestingly, the manifesto does not use the word Muslim even once. 

ECI has been accused of acting extremely tough on the Congress party for less severe violations. It barred Congress leader Randeep Surjewala from campaigning for over 48 hours for his remarks on the opposition party candidate Hema Malini. Similarly, Atishi, a Minister in the Delhi government was sent a notice on a complaint received to ECI by the BJP party. She had held a press conference where she stated that she had been approached by someone very senior in the BJP to join the party.

A vision for healthy Democracy

As India continues the crucial 2024 general elections, the political playbook seems to be shaping up with two main strategies for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): focusing on development and tapping into religious sentiments. While development has long been a key talking point for the BJP, the use of religion in politics seems to be losing its appeal as people become more aware of such tactics.

In this context, it’s becoming increasingly important for the Modi government to shift its focus from divisive religious appeals to highlighting its actual achievements. Over the years, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stewardship, India has witnessed remarkable strides in various sectors, ranging from infrastructure development to economic reforms. These accomplishments, rooted in practical governance and strategic planning, should be the cornerstone of the government’s campaign and not the religious division.

Furthermore, a healthy democracy thrives on the strength of its opposition. However, in recent years, India has lacked an effective counterbalance to the ruling party. While Narendra Modi’s leadership has undeniably been characterised by influence, power, and unwavering resolve, the opposition’s response has often fallen short of matching this level of engagement and significance.

For the democratic fabric of India to flourish, there must exist a robust and vocal opposition that holds the government accountable and offers alternative visions. As such, the responsibility is not solely on the ruling party to foster a healthy political ecosystem but also on the opposition to rise to the occasion.

It’s crucial that the political discourse transcends narrow interests and focuses on inclusive governance and progress. By emphasising tangible achievements and nurturing a healthy opposition, India can fulfil its potential as a thriving democracy on the world stage.

First image featured above by Dipak Patel from Pixabay