India seems to be in perpetual election mode. With the proposal “One Nation One Election”, to simultaneously hold Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, stifled by the “obstructionist politics” of the opposition, perennial elections have become the unwritten norm of Indian democracy. In the recently concluded elections in four states- Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and the Union territory of Puducherry- nearly 150 million people exercised their franchise, making it a mini referendum. The enormity of the election outcomes is no less than a watershed moment for India’s political landscape.
Three sitting Chief Ministers have lost the elections
and been voted out of power- Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala, Stalin of Tamil Nadu
and Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal faced bitter defeats. In all three states,
incumbents were ousted. For the first time since India’s independence,
coinciding with the ‘naxal-free’ India objective, not a single state has a
Communist Party in power. The elimination of Left Wing Extremism or Naxalism
and the concomitant loss of political mileage of Leftist political parties
marks a transformative shift in India’s internal security. Developmental
chokeholds placed by this ideology caused stagnation. The declining
stranglehold of this utopian philosophy and its rejection can help integrate
these regions into India’s growth engine.
Over several decades, exclusivism, language and
regional chauvinism of the Dravidian ideology have bred the North-South divide,
threatening India’s unity. Fuelling secessionist tendencies and invoking a
sub-nationalist pride, ‘Indian First’ identity was effectively trampled with
illusory “Aryan-Dravidian” perspectives. The strong regional identity fostered
by the Dravidian movement weakened the national fabric. It effectively roiled
the Centre-State relationship as mandated by Article 1 of the Indian Constitution
(a quasi-federal structure) and put them on a collision course. Rejection of
the Dravidian Parties will mark a significant shift from the 60-year duopoly of
these parties over Tamil Nadu. The unexpected stellar victory of a two-year-old
political startup, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor turned
politician Joseph Vijay, dismantled the entrenched regional powers. Absent
prior political experience, the state of Tamil Nadu, led by Joseph Vijay, will
charter new waters.
TVK’s tsunami-like performance, now a case study for
psephologists given his contrarian style of politics, is being hailed as a Gen
Z revolution. Analysts note that the
fatigued and disillusioned young Tamil voters chose to transform the leadership
through the ballot box rather than violent protests to overhaul the political
architecture of the state. Their pragmatic choice underscores their faith in
the Indian election process and transparency. However, political observers are
cautious of the state’s trajectory under the stewardship of an inexperienced
politician. Tamil Nadu, long known for its decisive mandate, faces a hung
assembly kind of scenario -ushering in a bitter-sweet political journey for the
state. Beyond the promise of change, Vijay’s foremost and daunting challenge
lies in fulfilling the election pledges, which would entail a staggering
financial burden of ₹1.7
lakh crore on the state exchequer, reeling under debt. His first decision to seek
Congress party support, an ally of DMK whose misgovernance and corruption Vijay
constantly attacked, is already raising eyebrows.
Puducherry voted the incumbent back to power,
strengthening continuity and confidence in the leadership.
Securing people’s mandate with an increased majority
for the record third time, the BJP has entrenched itself as the most popular
party in the state. The landslide victory is a testimony to the overwhelming
acceptance of the BJP’s style of governance. With focus on infrastructure
development, connectivity and attracting investments, the BJP over the past
decade has laid a firm foundation for the long-term development of the state.
The thumping victory would strengthen its resolve to free the state from the
menace of illegal migrants and protect the indigenous land and cultural
identity from the demographic invasion. Assam is the vital connecting link to
India’s north-eastern states of Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland
and Arunachal Pradesh.
Illegal infiltration from Myanmar and Bangladesh into
the North-Eastern states through the porous border is now a major security and
socio-political threat to India. Massive influxes, besides altering demography,
are a strain on Indian resources, as administrative and governance machinery have
to be stretched to curtail the drug trafficking and regrouping of insurgency
groups. Though illegals have been regularly pushed back, they are reentering
through the porous borders, presenting a massive security challenge. With some
of them permanently gaining ground in West Bengal, run by a complacent and
obtrusive government, posing formidable threats to India’s security.
The constant riff-raff with the Central government and
brazen indifference towards security threats by the illegals is turning West
Bengal into a chink in the country’s security shield. An intransigent and
non-cooperative approach, even towards issues like border fencing, has turned
the State into a weak link both in terms of security and development. With the
entire state machinery and administration collectively tasked with appeasing
one community for an assured political term, development has taken a back seat.
At the time of independence, the frontier state of West Bengal had been the
crown jewel of the country, with a thriving industrial, business and entrepreneurial
ecosystem. Political violence, a harrowing law and order situation, has forced
industries and businesses to flee the state.
Further, a stubborn reluctance to implement government
schemes and prioritise the developmental agenda has pushed the state into
economic stagnation. Economic decline has not been sudden; decades of
leftist rule and fifteen years of TMC rule have turned the third-largest
economy of the country into one of the bottom four. The crushing defeat of TMC
and the landslide victory of BJP offer a fresh hope of revival for the state. For
BJP, toppling the bastions of development-agnostic TMC is not mere political
expediency but a strategic imperative dictated by pressing security threats.
West Bengal serves as the gateway to India’s North
East, making its industrial growth and logistical efficiency pivotal for the
region’s economic integration and connectivity. The absence of a coherent
development vision from the Bengal government is not just stalling the state’s
progress- it is impeding the progress of the entire North East. To reduce
regional growth disparities, the government is setting up growth corridors and
“anchor cities”. However, growth in Eastern India still lags due to the
long-term decline of Kolkata as an industrial hub. The roadblocks for growth
must be removed to reduce regional disparities and reach the goal of a $7
trillion economy. The Vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 is intrinsically linked to
the economic and social transformation of Bengal.
Intense geopolitical conflicts, especially in the
Middle East have caused acute energy security vulnerabilities. To remain
buoyant amid these uncertainties, nations must be economically resilient.
Building a stable economy
with consistent growth is no longer a choice, but an undeniable necessity.
The resurgence of Bharat as a developed nation is
incomplete without cultural revival. Thirty-four years of Leftist rule that
considers “religion is the opium of the masses” and fifteen years of heightened
minority appeasement and oppression of Sanatanis have sapped out the cultural
vibrancy of the land, which has been an epitome of Indian culture and
spirituality. To raise culturally empowered citizenry, it is important to
create conditions for cultural revival. This can’t be possible when the
indigenous population is treated as second-class citizens for cultivating vote
banks.
The unceremonious ouster of Sheikh Hasina and her
exodus to India have revealed the larger international agenda at play. The pursuit
of a “Christian State” along the Indo-Bangladesh border is not a wild
allegation. Conflicts in Manipur since 2023, foreign mercenaries' operations
along the Indo-Myanmar border and the surging presence of Islamic fundamentalists
abutting West Bengal border areas in Bangladesh are not sporadic events. It is
part of a grand plan of Indian adversaries to destabilise and economically
weaken India and gain entry to the Bay of Bengal.
Indeed, the cryptic link to this entire master plan
becomes more revealing with the Leader of the Opposition’s visit to Andaman and
Nicobar Islands in the thick of Bengal elections. While political parties are
at loggerheads in the electoral battle, Rahul Gandhi raises objections to the
“Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project”, terming it as the “gravest crime
against nature”. Geostrategically, India stands to expand its maritime
influence and fortify its economic and national security with this project. It
would be a game-changer.
India is at a multi-front war from both within and
outside. To secure the country from both domestic and foreign threats, stable,
sturdy and nationalistic governments must be at the helm. BJP’s aggressive
electoral fight is not a mere political contest but a means to realise the
lofty national ambition. Mission Bengal is not a political agenda but an
economic, social, cultural and national security inevitability. With the power of the vote, Indians are
building the nation by entrusting governance with prudence. Ushering in a silent
renaissance democratically, Indians have once again rewritten their own
developmental script.
Iconically, what
was once branded a slogan of defiance and suppressed under threat of legal
action, the unapologetic chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ now reverberate across Bengal,
symbolising freedom. Beneath the exuberant bursts of Joy of election ecstasy in
the City of Joy, lay buried the long-silenced stories of repression.
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