The vital stage of the 18thLok Sabha Elections i.e. casting of vote by the voters is over on 1st June 2024. The counting will start on 4th June. After the declaration of the election results through the due process, by inviting the party / the parties that secured the mandate of the people, the Union government to rule the country for the next 5 years will be formed.
For the first time, since independence, maximum number of phases for casting the vote in different parts of the country has been scheduled. By increasing the number of voting phases, there prevailed two opinions, that one it is advantageous to the ruling BJP led NDA. Phase by phase they were able to do propaganda to seek the votes by the electorate with simultaneous governance of the country that must be subject to the model code of conduct declared by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The opposition INDIA bloc commented that the staggered polling is a lengthy exercise where the overall failures of the present rulers, could not be dealt in detailed manner. Otherwise they have to concentrate on the local issues that come under the respective State government.
Only in a few states the elections to the respective Legislative Assembly are coupled with the Lok Sabha elections. Besides due to the long endurance of the model code of conduct normal governance affecting the people and the follow-up measures of development schemes could not be effectively carried out. The first phase of voters have to wait for 47 days to know the results. These are of course said to be inevitable for the parties which are on the ruling side.
So far, the country had witnessed a total of 18 Lok Sabha elections. The propaganda by the contesting political parties must maintain to aparticular level beyond which it would defeat the very purpose of democratic process. The propaganda matter must not be an irritant or continuing issue after the elections are over. The entire exercise is meant for the democratic values of people’s representatives rule the country.
The elected representatives, both in the ruling and opposition will represent all the voters in their respective constituencies whether the voters cast their vote in favour of the winning candidate or not. The election period enmity between the various political parties must vanish. Apart from that any ill words uttered focusing on a particular section of the votes must also not last after the election.
In this 18thLok Sabha campaigning, the ruling BJP leaders, more by Narendra Modi, created a wedge, with the deliberate agenda of humiliating one section of the citizens of the country. This took place not once or twice but throughout the 7 phases of electioneering. The population that accounts for 14.2 per cent of the total has been repeatedly attacked by the BJP on various grounds by quoting the statement of the opposition parties wrongly.
BJP leader, can quote the points actually raised by the opposition and maintain the election propaganda in a responsiblemanner. Taking flimsy issues and twisting them to denigrate the sizeable section of the population is unheard so far in the past. The ruling BJP cannot deny it.
Isolating that section can be proved by the nomination of only one candidate from that section as their party’s candidate out of the total of 543 constituencies. “If you (voter) have got two buffaloes one will be grabbed from you by the opposition (if they come to power) and will be handed over to the ‘targeted section’.
If you have kept gold jewels (including the mangal sutra) that will be seized by the opposition and will be delivered to the ‘targeted section’.
What an uncivilized attack during the course of election propaganda. Our constitution says no one should be discriminated based on caste, religion, race, language……. The propaganda of BJP has belittled the constitutional values, the fundamentals with which the country has been built up. Instead of exploring further harmony and unity among the people, the saffron party has acted on the contrary.
There are umpteen issues against which ruling side can criticize the opposition and expose them. But BJP had downgraded itself by comparing the opposition’s propaganda with the ‘Mujra’(dance),that was limited to only meeting, exploiting people during the dynasty rule of the past. In social justice front also, BJP has lowered itself with undue and irrelevant interpretation of constitutional provisions.
Social Justice – Reservation in education and jobs are meant for the socially and educationally backward classes. There is no mentioning about the religion of the backward classes. When adequate representation in education and jobs are not still provided for the backward classes, the only avenue is to increase the total reservation without fixing any ceiling. Instead of supporting the enhancement of reservation, BJP, during the election campaigning has highlighted that the existing reservation to the open Backward classes, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes will be withdrawn and will be allocated to the ‘targeted section’ if the opposition to comes to power. This unethical propaganda creates enmity between the citizens of the country.
Besides, the Prime Minister Modi in his propaganda said if the Congress is elected and assumes power, it will bulldoze the Ram Temple at Ayodhya. If the Congress wants to know about the handling and operation of bulldozer, they can seek advice from the Chief Minister Adithyanath Yogi from Uttar Pradesh. Can we expect such utterance from the person holding the position of the Prime Minister? Criticizing the ruling and opposition side naturally at the time of campaigning for election is usual naturally. Utterances of the above said sort is unusual and never happened earlier.
All these comments by the BJP creating unrest and disharmony is unbecoming of any ruling establishment.
All these unprecedented campaigningare contrary to the model code of conduct. Both the opposition and the responsible public personalities reported the violation to the Election Commission. In response. ECI gave common advice to both the ruling and the opposition sides. The violation continues unabated. Such a situation is not expected to happen in a democratic polity but only in a dictatorial regime.
Having ruled the country consecutively for two terms (10 years), BJP has not said much about their achievement. They indulge in undesirable activities. The ruling BJP must not stoop to such a low level. No past Prime Ministers of our country had campaigned like that. By setting a precedent, the Prime Minister Modi has put the Indian democracy at a vulnerable level in the international political parlance. Persons who have to initiate action on the undesirable things are carrying out such misdeeds. The public, who do possess the ultimate sovereignty, mustdecide about it.
-V. Kumaresan