The only ray of hope for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s supporters is the claim that the world is looking at India because of Modi. The moment allegations such as the collapse of India’s economy, increase in unemployment, and reduction in GDP growth rate are levelled, BJP leaders try to push things under the carpet by claiming that ‘even then, the world’s focus is on India.’ There is no doubt that China’s focus is on India. In the last two months when Chinese mounted attacks in Ladakh, BJP leaders stooped to the level of attributing the attacks to the jealousy triggered due to India’s development under the leadership of Modi! Already, a BJP leader has issued a statement that the developments works initiated in the Indian border have startled China.
In the recent days, the party is drawing up strategies to draw into its fold actors, political leaders, and the media. By delivering hate speeches, a leader can emerge in the country within a day. Similarly, we have seen how television channels retain viewers by spreading rumours and fake news throughout the day. Whatever the result, their only goal is to make sure that they get attention. It is true that a majority of the people were optimistic that Modi would do something new and develop India to such an extent that the world would be amazed at India’s development. His initial speeches and announcements that we will soon witness ‘acche din’ instilled confidence in the people of the country. But all expectations were dashed in the first five years of his administration.
It is not that the world is not looking at India. In fact, the world is looking at India wonder struck. It is looking at the country with anguish, sadness, and worried at where the country has reached! We were at least hopeful that Narendra Modi’s friend US President Donald Trump will have good words to say about India. But now, his friend ‘Doland Trump’ has called India as a ‘dirty country’ in his speech. Perhaps, Modi should have built higher walls on the streets of Gujarat during the ‘Namaste Trump’ programme. Maybe Trump saw Gujarat’s dirt and has now called India a ‘dirty country’. But we need to be clear whether Trump needs to be criticized for calling India a ‘dirty country’ or criticize Narendra Modi for converting the country into one. The country will not develop by getting praised by paid media nor will the world praise the country based on media reports. Similarly, it is not right to forcibly get praised by others. Before criticizing or making sarcastic remarks, we should first weigh the truth in Trump’s statement. Modi had already accepted Trump’s statement and therefore, when Trump arrived, he constructed walls overnight in the by-lanes of Ahmedabad. He has constantly tried to cover up the state of the nation not only by constructing walls but also with the help of the friendly media.
It is ironical that the embarrassment we feel when Trump calls us a ‘dirty country’ is not felt when the United Nations expresses anguish about the increasing human rights violations in the country. The United Nations has already warned that human rights is under tremendous strain in the world’s largest democracy that is India. At the same time, Europe’s Parliamentary Committee had also warned India about the increasing attacks on minorities. These are more humiliating than Trump calling India a ‘dirty country’ in his speech. Such official statements of anguish have not only affected India’s standing in the world but also impacted the country’s economy. Only if democracy has a strong foothold and peace and harmony prevails in a country will industrialists come forward to invest. No country will want to make investment in a country where crime, violence, and cruelty are on the rise. Also, India’s poor performance in the Global Hunger Index and the problem of tuberculosis assuming alarming proportions should be issues of humiliation for the country. We need to quickly find answers for who and what is responsible for India reaching this state. Otherwise, instead of becoming the world leader, India will become a pain to the world.
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Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.