Readers’ comments: ‘India’s middle class has lost hope in Modi’

Mission 2019

I think the middle class, which played a major role in bringing the BJP to power in 2014, is the most disappointed with this government (“Lok Sabha polls: Is the BJP worried about not being able to win 272 seats again?”). This class open-heartedly accepted demonetisation and GST, with great hope that these initiatives would bring enough money into the government’s kitty, which would pass on in the form of benefits to this highly stressed section of society. But this year’s Budget was too disappointing for the middle class.

The GST was marketed as a weapon to reduce the prices. But nothing changed. So, this class is feeling cheated, specially after the Budget. This will certainly dent votes in the coming elections. The Budget was described as being pro-farmer, but farmers knows better than to believe all the promises. – Nitin Raut

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The BJP has self-destructed. The Congress is now no longer a national party and should be no competition, but sometimes one wins not because of their own strength but because of the missteps of others. India’s middle class has lost hope in Modi. – Sekharchandra Attaluri

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If the Indian voter realises and recognises the importance of their vote, they will definitely vote for good governance. The voters know the issues on which the Congress or the Left differ from the BJP. Hence, the BJP under the Modi will repeat the success of 2014 or perform even better. – Yadava Krishna

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It is but obvious that the ruling party will not return with the same thumping majority in 2019. It is clear that Modi and Amit Shah have scant respect for elders or even their allies, which will lead to their downfall, unless they change course and become more accommodating.

On the ground it is obvious that Modi has not delivered. He may have made a few changes but people have realised to a large extent that this is a U-turn party.

But the question that bothers everyone is: if not Modi, then who? But this was probably the case for every prime minister. People can see through all the lies and the hollowness in Modi’s speeches. High time that the bureaucracy took over and ran the country. Politicians divide us and leave us nowhere. What more is in store? God save us. – VS Mohan

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Forget 272, the BJP will not reach even 200. The Congress will cross the 120 mark. Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh will help boost the Congress’s numbers. The BJP will get less than half the seats that it won in these states in 2014. Many NDA allies will switch loyalties. – Prasanna

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There are enough straws in the wind to indicate that the Modi bubble is about to burst. After a virtually uninterrupted string of victories in assembly and by-elections in the country following its victory in the 2014 general elections, Modi and the BJP seem to be faltering. The unexpectedly tough fight given by the Congress and allies in the Gujarat Assembly elections was the first clear indication. The results of the bye-elections in Rajasthan earlier this month are a confirmation that the Modi magic is fading. The forthcoming Assemblt elections will determine if straws in the wind turn into an anti-Modi gust. If the BJP loses two or more of the states going for elections by year end, it will confirm this. Till then, we have to wait and watch. – Albert Colaco

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This is the author’s wishful thinking. Modi alone will get more than 300 seats for the BJP. The general public has full trust in Modi’s leadership. Rahul Gandhi and Co are nowhere near him. – Mukteshwar Prasad Sinha

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Yes, the BJP has lost its sheen. Only rhetoric won’t work in the long run. Some basic indicators are in a bad shape. The brick and mortar of the country is in a shambles. Take the case of Karnataka, which will face Assembly elections soon. You not only find signs of an implosion but also a game of spoils. Narendra Modi alone will not be able to fix that. We need solid performance backed by appropriate public relations. People cannot be taken for granted. – Ramesh Upadhya

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Let us pray this does not happen, for that would not only mean the chaos of a coalition government but also the return of the culture of nepotism and corruption for which the Congress party has long been known. Just imagine Vadra and the like wielding power! – Krishan Kant Bhardwaj

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You people are good at portraying your opinion as that of the general public. Prime minister Modi is going to win in all the 272 constituencies and more. The Opposition Congress and its allies will bite the dust in 2019. – Ramakrishnan B

Congress plus cow?

The author’s only purpose is to indirectly promote the Congress and its President, Rahul Gandhi (“Rafale: With U-turns and confidential deals, BJP really has become Congress plus cow”). This author’s blind faith in the Congress makes him fail to see the wide-ranging initiatives taken by the present government in different areas, particularly with regard to elimination of corruption from the public life. He only knows how to write good English without much substance. I hope Scroll.in stops giving a platform to biased journalism that is devoid of reality. – Nagendra Kumar

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It is only fair for the defence minister to call the important Opposition leaders for a meeting with top military representatives and explain the status of the Rafale in detail, so that confidentiality for the sake of the country is maintained. – Rama

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Four-and-a-half years have passed, but till date no one had been able to throw a single scam allegation at this government that stuck. The comparison of this government to the Congress is ridiculous. They are poles apart in their approach. Give the BJP credit for implementing schemes on time and their tackling of black money and corruption. Criticise them for their communal approach, anti-farmer policy and the like. – TL Kumar

Hinduism and Hindutva

Shashi Tharoor is too late to save Hinduism (“I want to resist the hijacking of Hinduism by Hindutva: The Shashi Tharoor interview”). He and his colleagues in the Congress and allied parties are already too deep into the so-called secular trap. They cannot escape from it. The very talk of bringing in Hinduism will cause them to lose their vote banks. Are they prepared for that? – Shanmuga Sundara Bharathi

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Shashi Tharoor said that “Hindutva is a project to advance political agenda to create a consciousness of separation amongst these self-defined Hindus.” In my opinion, it is not necessarily to create a consciousness of separation, but to bring in an elevated consciousness of accepting themselves as they are and to be tolerant and accepting of others. Bringing in that kind of awareness only helps become accepting of one another. And this consciousness doesn’t preclude a Hindu from embracing others. – Sarita Pingali

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Hinduism can never be hijacked. The moment the circumstances improve, the Hinduism that Shashi Tharoor talked about will automatically take the place of what is currently present. So, wait for those circumstances. – Vijay Kant Jindal

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History graphically demonstrates that organised religion enables wolves in sheep’s clothing. While religion provisions solace for the sheep, in light of that financial sheering for which the herd is destined, and tranquillising tranquility in the face of life’s suffering and inevitable death of loved ones and self, organised religion provides cover for psychopathic wolves among the herd. And so we see Christianity pat conquistadors on the back, telling them how they are very good Christians: concomitant with those conquistadors slaughtering the Aztecs and Incas.

It’s the same in the US: Devout Christian Americans slaughtered the natives of North America. Since then, millions more around the world have been slaughtered in the name of Pax Americana (which is just another name for “my way or the highway”). Today we see the graphic example of US evangelicals enabling the wolf Donald Trump.

Islam does the same when terrorists use its name to slaughter others.

And this is true regardless of the empire and organised religion you study; be it Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Spanish, British, French, Chinese, Japanese, Ottoman, and all less prominent ones. Religion keeps the herd of us calm in the face of death and the transgressions against us perpetrated – while the 1% wolves roam free to do as they will to us and to our fellow human beings. It’s the human situation for which we have yet to find a solution; living as we do as a herd – in a perpetual, ignorant state of self-denial.

And so it goes: I invite Dr Shashi Tharoor to write a book about it. Certainly the world, in its entirety, requires that enlightening tome! We must acknowledge the truth of the matter before anything can be done about it!

And Hindus can imagine the psychopathic delight of the rulers of the time when the Bhagavad Gita was penned: Arjuna being instructed that his duty included killing his fellow human beings. This is what the wolves want to hear! No matter that killing in self-defence can be justifiable: the wolves will use the cover of organised religion to twist such to their own evil ends!

And so Hindutva manifests this reality that you can understand now, elucidated as it is above: and it is that reality – using organised religion to further a political ideology – via which the wolves will enslave you, if you let them get away with it. Hindutva attempts to use organised religion to give cover to the wolves, until they can change the country’s Constitution!

Thank goodness citizens still have the power of their vote! Although, that said, they need to make clear to Congress that the rampant corruption for which it was responsible for decades is not an option to which the country can return. We are sick of those wolves too! We need and want someone like Shashi Tharoor to be handed the authority to change things fundamentally: to root out corruption from top to bottom to the best of his ability! – Daryl Wayne

Today’s India

Angshukanta Chakraborty has been wronged (“India Today fires journalist for tweet criticising ‘fake news peddling’ TV anchors”). She has explained that her tweet was not intended to malign any specific person or group. The issues she raised must prompt journalists, anchors in particular, to scan their biases. It seems some journalists felt rattled by the pinpointed focus on the journalistic fraternity, which led to a sense of guilt and prompted action. – P Balachandran

Border trouble

Nirmala Sitharaman should be told that she, as defence minister, should find out how terrorists are able to repeatedly breach the perimeter of military installations to cause havoc (“Jammu Army camp attack: ‘Pakistan will pay for this misadventure,’ says Nirmala Sitharaman”). Roughly, for every terrorist killed, we lose two soldiers. She should take urgent steps to ensure that such breaches do not occur and the terrorists are neutralised at the border itself. Also, action should be taken against those responsible for the lapses, including bureaucrats and/or politicians who have hindered or delayed efforts to procure equipment for perimeter defence in military installations. It is no use blaming Pakistan while not setting our house in order. Pakistan does not care about our allegations. – Harakamal Chakravorty

Poll promise

Such false promises on the eve of elections will not yield any results (“Rajasthan Budget: State will spend Rs 8,000 crore on loan waivers for farmers, says Vasundhara Raje”). Why were these benefits not extended earlier? This indicates that this is a wastage of public money to win elections. The abnormal high petroleum prices have a catastrophic effect on prices of all commodities used by common man, which will badly hurt the BJP’s chances in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. – Subha Singh

Language legacy

As the author points out, the role of Punjabi in our lives is waning (“First person: How learning Punjabi in Chandigarh helped me discover my true identity in Karnataka”). Take my example. I used to be speak in Punjabi, but whenever I spoke it around my friends, they found it weird. This would make me feel ashamed. But inspired by your story, I will try to change this and be around people who respect Punjabi. – Gurdev

Campus rising

Campus politics should be restricted to matters pertaining to the campus alone (“Campus activism: IIT students across India are demanding a bigger say in decision making”). Mischievous attempts to link the different campuses and national parties will vitiate the learning atmosphere. For god’s sake spare IITs from muck of politics and let children concentrate on gaining knowledge. – Narasimha Deshpande

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I appreciate the sincere stand that you took for the IIT fraternity. But, because I am associated with this reputable organisation and the author is a responsible journalist, I would like to ask some questions. Did the author crosscheck the facts cited in article? What was the authenticity of her sources? Most importantly, why is a single person’s opinion taken taken into consideration (in the IIT-BHU case)? I think the author should have taken a more holistic view and surveyed the situation first-hand before maligning the image of the student representatives, who are very sincerely pursuing their goal of achieving a better campus for the whole students’ body and are working tirelessly to make their institute a better place. – Rajat Bhargava

Military mode

Is Mohan Bhagwat’s recent statement not belittling the Indian military (“Army needs months to prepare for battle but RSS needs only a few days, claims Mohan Bhagwat”)? Any comments on this from pro-BJP trolls and supporters who otherwise never get tired of nationalistic jingoism? Shouldn’t Bhagwat be called anti-national and a traitor? – Ranjeni Singh

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Many do not understand the RSS since what we learnt in school history was bunkum. In 2013, I was chief guest at an Independence Day function at an RSS school. Three children were dressed in Hindu, Muslim and Christian attire respectively. Down the road, the Islamic school was more insular. In 1926, Dr Hegdewar, fed up with the Congress, created the RSS with a pan-Indian character to mould a sense of discipline and nationalism. Over the years, fringe elements clueless about the essence of Hinduism have arisen. Nationalism is the job of ex National Defence Academy people. Jingoistic nationalism should not be the order of the day. The RSS can be a fine organisation if they stick to Hegdewar’s vision. – KJ Bhat

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Attributing motives to the comments of RSS chief will only create friction in the minds of general public. The leader only talked about the readiness of RSS cadre to fight the enemy if needed and in no way intended to belittle our armed forces. – Ramachandran Nair TN

Same coin

I wonder what is communalism if this is not (“No fight to the death, just a tame surrender: Why jauhar was a bad military tactic”). The author trashes the ethnic history of crores of Rajputs of different clans, religions, regions in a couple of paragraphs invoking pro-Mughal accounts. Our identities heavily influence our reactions to history. This is equally true for self-proclaimed social justice warriors. The logic of these social justice warriors is as follows: misrepresenting and vilifying Khilji or Akbar (long-dead individuals) is communalism, but trashing the history of crores of Rajputs irrespective of strata, geography and religion, with the intent to perpetuate hate, is secularism.

So, Scroll.in or Shahane do not care about facts, secularism or the Left. They are just like their counterparts in the Right. I have lost trust in this so-called liberal-left whose sense of social-justice requires the mocking of entire groups to restore the glory of dead emperors. No doubt, the visceral-hatred of Shahane and his compatriots at Scroll.in show towards us is a product of both identity and ideology, just as it is for each Right-Wing hatemonger. Therefore to expect objectivity from them is foolish.

It is essential that the educated people from the concerned ethnic group take an independent stand against the RSS and the Left, lest the entire population, whether Purbias, Pahadis, Dogras or Rajasthanis, continue to remain in a limbo. The communal Left’s sectarian hate will always ensure that the bulk of our population remains backward slaves of the communal Right. – Adityakrishna Singh

Singapore loving

How can Singapore be called a boring city (“Watch: How Singapore responded after being ranked ‘boring’ by a ‘Time Out’ magazine”)? It is clean and trendy with plenty of tourist attractions. Singapore’s tourism potential should not be underestimated. Even the Changi airport speaks volumes about the tourism facilities of the city-state. – Valar Mathi

Aadhaar row

This is a hypocritical statement (“People cannot be denied essential services if they do not have Aadhaar, says UIDAI”). Banks and their allied brokerages are continuously threatening customers with freezing of their accounts if not linked with Aadhaar. Is banking not considered an essential service? Is it not immoral of a government to lock up people’s assets for not linking with Aadhar?

When UIDAI says essential services cannot be denied to people who do not have Aadhaar, they should clarify that banking is on the list. When Aadhar was initiated by the government, it was clearly stipulated that the project was not compulsory. If a different government now wants to compel people to enrol for Aadhar, they can do so with a gun to the heads of citizens. – Kumar Subramanian