Whatever may be the result of the parliamentary election of 2024 the fact remains that this time the top brass of the ruling BJP appear to be exposing their panic and nervousness. In desperation, they are speaking something which is further harming their party’s poll prospects. This development prompted several independent political observers to conclude that the saffron party is sensing trouble. It is also true that the ruling party camp is still hopeful of winning the electoral battle but the use of language defines the condition that the party is facing.
The low turnout in the last two phases of the Lok Sabha polls has scared the BJP including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Perhaps this forced him to resort to verbal attacks against the Congress using languages that are unexpected of the stature of a Prime Minister. In a whirlwind poll campaign in Gujarat on May 2, Modi launched a blistering attack on the Congress as well as INDIA bloc and accused them of ‘taking tacit support’ of Pakistan for ‘furthering’ their politics at the cost of the national interest.
Modi, addressing back-to-back poll rallies in Gujarat’s Anand, Surendranagar and Junagarh on Thursday, hurled a series of barbs at the grand old party. At Anand rally, Modi excoriated the grand old party over former Pakistan minister Fawad Chaudhry’s admiration for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said that the neighbouring nation wants to see ‘Shehzada’ as the next Prime Minister. Further taking potshots at the grand old party, Modi said that the ex-Pakistan minister’s praise for ‘Congress prince’ has exposed the ‘partnership’ between Pakistan and Congress.
On April 21 during his poll campaign in Rajasthan, Modi called Muslims “infiltrators” who would take India’s wealth if Congress and INDIA bloc gained power. It is unusually a direct and divisive language from a leader who normally lets others do the dirtiest work of polarising Hindus against Muslims. It also marked a contrast to the image he presents in international contexts. Similarly, the Prime Minister keeps saying that the INDIA bloc was planning to give reservations based on religion, in several of his election rallies. Modi’s comments are a diversion from subjects that trouble ordinary voters, like joblessness and inflation.
Besides Modi’s tone and tenor, the BJP is working hard like never before to reach the target of 400 seats. The party’s social media team has been rebooted to challenge the Opposition and counter critics. No wonder Modi is striving very hard to make inroads even in the southern states to further its tally. But the INDIA bloc has been underlining the deep north-south divides in its attempt to consolidate the anti-BJP votes in its fold and trying to portray BJP as only a north-Indian party that does not understand the southern ethos.
