My Opinion

Asiya Andrabi is known for her anti India sentiments. There are several cases of indulging in anti national activities against her. She created a stir when she raised the flag of Pakistan from the precincts of her house in Srinagar. Acknowledging her gratitude for having raised the Kashmir issue at the UN, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has written to her pledging his country’s support to her fight for Kashmir.

While addressing the British Parliament Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is currently undergoing a transformation and those visiting the country, would feel the difference. He said change is happening in the way the government is working. There is a change in policy making, there is more accountability in governance and lesser bottlenecks in terms of doing business. He said “if you visit India, you will experience the wind of change.” India has opened her doors to the whole world in several sectors like defence and energy. Describing India as the best place to invest, the Prime Minister said that India is the “new bright spot of hope and opportunity for the world”. Referring to global challenges like terrorism and extremism, he said that Indo-UK ties would work for a better world.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is credited to have started several new projects…Skill India, Make in India, Bullet Train to name a few. Some projects like shelter for all and electrification for all are also in the pipeline. However substantial amount of capital is required for these projects to take off successfully. Foreign investment is necessary and foreign investment is possible only when there are fewer bureaucratic roadblocks. In order to make it easier to do business in India, the government has brought in certain reforms in the FDI policy. This change in the government’s liberalisation policy is likely to attract more investors and infuse more capital in various sectors in the country.

Immediately after BJP’s debacle in the Bihar Assembly polls, there is an open revolt in the party. Veterans like LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sinha & Shanta Kumar who did not have much of a role to play in the last one year, have hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP President Amit Shah for the party’s shocking defeat. There is no denying that these leaders have been taking a dig at Modi and Amit Shah from time to time and were just waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack directly. One can understand what these veterans have said that those who managed the campaign in Bihar cannot shrug off responsibility in times of defeat especially when they have taken credit in times of victory but what is strange is their own lack of responsibility towards the party. At a time when campaigning in Bihar was underway, none of these senior leaders especially those of the Margdarshak Mandal or the advisory panel, took the initiative to give their useful insights and guide the party but instead chose to remain within the confines of their own houses.

Union Minister Uma Bharti blames it on conspiracies against BJP that resulted in the party’s shocking defeat in Bihar. The party leaders are taking a stock of the situation and trying to assess the reasons for their loss. However Kailash Vijayvargiya’s remarks against Shatrughan Sinha can never be justified. And this is not the first time that the BJP leader has courted such a controversy. A few days ago he had targeted Shahrukh Khan which had embarrassed the party. And today he likened Shatrughan Sinha to a dog chasing a car! If a general secretary and senior leaders of the party are determined to make such irresponsible statements, the party will have no ground to silence its critics and before the BJP takes action against Shatrughan Sinha, it would have to reign in on people like Kailash Vijayvargiya.

There is no denying that BJP left out the local leaders in chalking out their poll strategy in Bihar and those responsible for strategising were not too well versed with the ground realities. They were inept in understanding the caste dynamics in the state. They were unable to study the voting patterns or assess which caste would align with which seat. On the other hand, the Mahagathbandhan of Nitish and Lalu were successful in calculating the complicated caste arithmetic for each and every seat. Initially the BJP was unable to understand the caste demographics in Bihar and by the time it did, it was too late.

The mandate is clear in Bihar. The people have voted for a strong government. The going will not be easy for Narendra Modi. The opposition especially Rahul Gandhi will pose several challenges for him in the Parliament. Not just governance, Narendra Modi will have to brace himself for upcoming elections. The Gujarat local body elections are round the corner followed by assembly polls in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. Anti BJP parties will join hands and become a formidable force. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will now have to focus more on Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas or together with all, development for all.

Today is a day when BJP will have to take a backseat and lend its ears. However there are reports that the party could take action against Shatrughan Sinha and RK Singh as Murlidhar Rao has hinted. However if BJP does take action, it would come across as an act of intolerance by the party. Even Shatrughan Sinha is well aware of this. Well wishers however feel the verdict is a wake up call for the BJP. Not just the opposition, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah could face criticism from within the party. However there is a firm possibility that the members of the party will now have to abide by their leadership and change the manner in which they have been functioning so far.

The protesting ex-servicemen who had decided to return their medals, have now something to cheer about. The Defence Minister has announced that the One Rank One Pension scheme would be implemented before Diwali. Due to the Model Code of Conduct in place for the Bihar Polls, the Government had delayed the final notification of OROP. It will finally be a happy Diwali for these veterans.

Perhaps there is no other crime as horrific as rape. Even though sentencing in the Nirbhaya case was announced within three years and in the software engineer rape case in Mumbai within two years, incidents of rape continue unabated. It is necessary to have the strictest law for rape in place – a law that will create fear amongst criminals and act as a deterrent to such a heinous crime.

It is perhaps for the first time that a financial assistance would be announced for those who moved to India from POK after Independence. The government will also outline a rehabilitation package for the Kashmiri Pandits who were displaced 25 years ago. During his visit to Jammu & Kashmir, the Prime Minister is likely to declare several such packages for the State. However the separatists have vowed to oppose the PM’s visit. It seems strange that separatists are bent upon opposing the Centre’s financial package which is ultimately for the benefit of the Kashmiris in the State.

There is no denying that almost every Indian family invests in gold but that gold is of hardly any value to the economy. As part of the new gold monetisation scheme, the government wants to encourage households to bring out their gold lying idle in lockers and safes and convert them into a government deposit scheme. This will not only make the gold secure, it would also help in utilising it more productively which in turn would help in the development of the country.