West Bengal Election: Opposition has to understand this mood of the country’s democracy. If an alternative is to be made against Modi, then it can be raised on the ideology and bilateral politics that Advani did. Modi cannot be stopped only by electoral coordination.
CM Mamta Banerjee and PM Narendra Modi
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee) has written a long letter to every big leader of the opposition. Mamta says that the BJP (BJP) is attacking the democracy of the country and every party of the opposition should jointly thwart its intentions. It is clear that this step of Mamta Banerjee shows less strategy and more worry about defeat. But this has been happening before also. In this way, Ram Manohar Lohia was the guide to fight the elections. What he did in 1966-67 gave a different direction to politics. The Congress was dominated then. Lohia was a socialist leader. He felt that defeating the Congress is a priority and questions related to ideology can also be discussed later.
Lohia took those steps, which are still debated today. He started talking to the Jana Sangh, which was considered to be part of the RSS in politics. The result was that in 1967, non-Congress governments were formed in North India, which was called the United Government. But no government could last much longer. The Congress toppled all these governments. The reason was obvious. The foundation of these governments rested not on ideology but on the desire for power. But it had a profound impact on Indian politics. Lohia died in 1967 but his politics changed the picture of the country.
When the entire opposition gathered against Indira Gandhi
In 1970, two things were cleared in the country. Indira Gandhi’s political supremacy and the failure of all central parties against the Congress. In 1967, Swatantra Party got 44 seats and Jana Sangh got 35. In 1971 Jana Sangh got 22 seats and Swatantra Party got only 8 seats. CPM Became the largest party in the country but with only 25 seats. One thing was clear that it is impossible to defeat Indira Gandhi alone and the people of the country did not allow anyone other than Congress to become a big party at the Center.
But Indira Gandhi then made a big mistake. Despite being popular, he declared a state of emergency. Kept politicians and journalists in the country’s jail. All political parties got together. The Jana Sangh merged itself with the Janata Party. Every small and big leader from Charan Singh became a part of the Janata Party and the Janata Party slammed the Congress in the 1977 elections. The Janata Party got 283 seats. But this test also failed. There was discord over ideology and Morarji Bhai’s government fell.
Governments fell many times due to ideological differences
But by then the opposition had cut the worm of power. He did not understand that the country needed an ideological alternative. The country had sidelined the ideological option of the Swatantra Party. Then there was the air of socialism all over the world and the Swatantra Party was supporting big businessmen. The BJP was also in the air and in 1984 it got only 2 seats. Even in 1990, the BJP and the Left made Vishwanath Pratap Singh the Prime Minister, but due to ideology and political agenda, the government fell again and the country was reduced to the politics of Mandal and Kamandal. Then something else happened in the country, the Babri Masjid was demolished. Now the socialists were getting the support of Congress instead of BJP. From 1996 to 1998, the country saw two Prime Ministers and then the government fell.
Modi again changed the political direction of the country towards the political direction of 1970
The country gave a clear indication that it needs a party that has the power of ideology. This is the reason that socialist parties collapsed in the country and the BJP stood in front of the Congress. This bipartisanship lasted 16 years, which Modi ended in 2014 again. Rather it would be correct to say that Modi again turned the country towards the politics of 1970 where only one big party dominates. Eliminated political exceptions from 1998 to 2014.
The opposition has to understand this mood of the country’s democracy. If an alternative is to be made against Modi, then it can be raised on the ideology and bilateral politics that Advani did. Modi cannot be stopped only by electoral coordination. Let the synergy be maintained even after the elections. For this, one more thing is needed and that any one party should have more than 60 seats and can work as a center in the opposition. Congress does not have that many seats.
How much Mamata Banerjee can plead for democracy, but Modi’s break cannot be just electoral coordination. Its foundation can only be a new political project. BJP had taken the support of Ram Janmabhoomi. The Congress and its related parties will have to choose their path. I think his path goes not through the politics of Lohia and Jai Prakash but with the attitude of Indira Gandhi. That is, politics on its own terms.
Bengal Election: Mamata writes to non-BJP leaders including Sonia, calls for united fight
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