Ever since the declaration of the results of Lok Sabha elections on 4th June, 2024, the opposition and particularly the Congress party has got further engaged in manufacturing a series of fake narratives to ‘guide’ the polity of the nation. It is being done with a deep commitment to impress upon the citizens of the country and the world at large that PM Narendra Modi and BJP have been ‘defeated’ in the just concluded elections. This time the EVM rant has been left aside and instead a false victory is being claimed by Congress to add an element of confusion in the minds of the people. It is obvious for the Congress to spread confusion among the people as it consistently failed to convince the masses about what it stood for all along.
The main opposition groups like Samajwadi Party, DMK, TMC and other small parties comprising INDI-Alliance add their bit, whatever they are able to do, to add to this confusion unleashed mainly by the Congress and their echo-system. Their main agenda was/is to tarnish the image of PM Narendra Modi in the eyes of the masses, discredit the achievements of the BJP-NDA government at the Centre for the last ten years and to increase their own strength in the Parliament to derail the proceedings in the two houses of the parliament. They invented fake narratives and false propaganda to take their agenda forward and are at it with all seriousness.
Congress despite its negative campaigning throughout against the government led by Modi, couldn’t touch three-figure mark seats in the Lok Sabha for the third time in a row. The BJP on the other hand lost 63 seats in the elections as compared to the last elections but managed to get 240 seats, one and half times more than the Congress. The voting percentage of Congress grew from near 20 percent to more than 21 percent at the national level. BJP vote share decreased from 37 percent to 36 percent at an all-India level. The NDA got a clear 293 seats, way ahead of the majority mark with a functional strength of almost 300 seats. Indi-alliance got 234 seats and might gain a functional strength of more than 240 seats eventually.
While this is for the tenth time in a row that the Congress hasn’t been able to muster 250 seats in the national elections, the verdict of 2024 is also its third worst achievement since 1951. As compared to this, the verdict of 2024 is the third best achievement for the BJP since its inception. It is a fact that the results for the BJP are far below its expectations and hope. The BJP had targeted more than 350 seats for itself and 400 seats for the NDA but fell short of almost 50-100 seats. The opposition’s drum-beating about its increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha as its “victory” and the “defeat” of BJP was/is again a fake narrative to mislead the public opinion.
Keeping in view the overall negative campaign against the government by the Congress and various elements in and outside the country, the series of fake narratives regarding the change of constitution, nullification of reservations for SC/ST/OBC categories, transfer of money to the accounts of women under the “khatakhat-scheme” and the caste-oriented campaign during the elections surely did the damage. A serious effort was also made to build a narrative against Sanatan Dharma and Hindu belief system by the opposition aimed at garnering the votes of the minority communities. However, it couldn’t realise the results, as perceived by their producers, busy in making it sure that the BJP and PM Modi are kept out of power.
The biggest thing in favour of these elements was PM Modi’s continuous two terms in office that could have, as per their perception, created factors of anti-incumbency, voter-fatigue against the BJP-NDA regime and also a desire to change the leadership among the masses. Every effort was invested by the opposition, their echo-system, left-liberal circles in and outside the country, anti-India big power lobbyists working in US and Europe and also some prominent anti-India politicians in Pakistan to make a pointed influence on the outcome of the elections. It was virtually Modi versus All.
When the political leaderships throughout the world are facing tremendous anti-incumbency and revolt as witnessed for the last several months, PM Modi has withstood the ground with determination and vision. On his assuming the power for the third time in a row at the Centre, a rare feat after 1962 in India, he received hundreds of congratulatory messages from the world leaders and prominent global personalities but the opposition leaders within the country didn’t congratulate him, not even as a formality. They consistently expressed their hatred, anger, jealousy and defeat against Modi by claiming that PM Modi was “morally-defeated”. They even exhibited their frustration in the very first session of the parliament and might continue to do so even in the Budget/Monsoon session to be held from 22nd July 2024.
These just concluded general elections are reminiscent of the Gujarat Assembly elections held in 2017. All efforts by all kinds of anti-India elements in and outside the country at that particular point of time were focussed to enforce the ouster of the BJP government in Gujarat. Since Narendra Modi had vacated the chief ministership of Gujarat and was in the Centre since 2014, these anti-Modi elements thought it as the best opportunity to defeat the two-decade old BJP-regime. A caste-based violent agitation was sponsored throughout the state coupled with anti-government demonstrations by farmers. A US based media agency was employed to manufacture fake narratives against the government before and during the elections in addition to the media bashing against BJP and its leadership terming them responsible for crushing the Patidar agitation and the so-called people’s aspirations.
However, the BJP, putting all its efforts in a meaningful manner managed to get 98 seats, only six seats more than the majority mark and formed the government in the state. It went for the needed course correction thereafter and worked tirelessly against the fake narratives, took a number of steps through its government to bring succor to the deserving and needy sections of the society and also brought a great change in its organisational sphere. Thus in 2022 state elections, BJP swept these and got the historic 3/4th majority and routed Congress miserably; and simultaneously left a strong message that the fake narratives have a limited age and can’t give the same results time and again. Instead, they can even boomerang in case they are dealt with the same intensity and purpose they are worthy of.
The media statements, public postures and speeches made by the opposition leaders over the last one month suggest that they are in the same mode that they were in during the elections. They haven’t reconciled to the ground realities and some of them even have an eye upon the dissensions in the NDA and don’t resist speaking in that manner. The speeches made by these opposition leaders and their behaviour in the parliament smacks of the conspiracy to create hurdles for the duly elected government both within and outside the parliament.
The speeches made by the leaders of the opposition in the parliament and especially the one made by the LOP, Rahul Gandhi, in the Lok Sabha were full of irresponsible and irrational content. The leader of opposition again engaged himself in fake narratives, factually wrong statements and diatribe against Hindu Dharma during his speech, coupled with disrespecting the Chair and the Prime Minister, have attracted serious objections and notices by the other parliamentarians. The Speaker was compelled to order expunging some portions of speech of the LOP, Rahul Gandhi from the records. Instead, Rahul Gandhi was observed ‘advising’ the Speaker about his (Speaker’s) conduct in the Lower House. Leaders of opposition in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha are banking upon their so-called entitlement than their merit and contribution to the proceedings, debate and legislative business of the two houses of the parliament. For them, it is an ad hoc government sure to fall anytime paving way for them to take over.
While PM Modi listened to the speech made by the LOP in the Lok Sabha with attention and seriousness, the LOP Rahul Gandhi was observed actively instigating members of his party and the other opposition members to come into the well of the house and create rackus during PM Modi’s concluding speech. He was also seen blowing whistles during the PM’s speech, unseen and unheard till date. Repeated “Balak-budhi” reference to Rahul Gandhi by PM Modi in his speech was apt and accurate to pass on an appropriate message to the nation at large. He tore apart his lies, false narration and also propaganda against the Sanatan belief system very convincingly. His speech in the Rajya Sabha though marred by the irresponsible walk-out by the opposition left an indelible mark to convey the point that his government was there with a defined agenda to achieve the set results and he meant business.
As a matter of fact, the opposition and especially the Congress has tasted the ‘blood’ of the fake narratives and is convinced to pursue the same line to gather mass. The BJP-NDA under the leadership of PM Modi are determined to counter the vicious campaign of negative propaganda and instead push forward their own agenda to achieve their set targets. It is obvious that the ensuing parliamentary session will also be a high-voltage theatre of political acrobatics keeping in view the past experience and the political situation on the ground. Some saner elements in the political spectrum, on all sides, need to play a positive role to counsel the opposition that fake narratives have a limited age and can’t guide the polity of the nation in the long run. They need to be brought out of the dreamland of their own making, sooner the better. The question remains as to who will bell the cat….!
