The voters of India awarded two powerful terms to Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 2014-2024 but cut him to size in the recent general elections and even his party BJP was denied simple majority. However, with the help of his coalition partners, he has been sworn in as Prime Minister for the third term. The voters in this election had different priorities and were not impressed by his political gimmicks.
Throughout his election campaign, he used his energy in bashing Pakistan, passing derogatory remarks about Muslims, making ridiculously false claims that the opponent alliance ‘INDIA’ would take their gold and jewellery to hand over to Pakistan. He was shy of dwelling on the burning issues of inflation, unemployment, poverty alleviation, growing communal tension which the voters of the lower and middle class population were concerned with.
In his third term, Prime Minister Modi would not be able to pass divisive legislation without support of his coalition partners who don’t subscribe with many of his political ideals motivated by religious bias and communalism prejudicial to the secular identity of India.
The opposition alliance, INDIA, has returned to Parliament with a renewed strength and would be able to exercise some sobering impact on the ruling coalition restraining it from any controversial legislation that causes further political, social and communal fissures within the society. The defeat of the party’s candidate in Ayodhya, the birthplace of BJP’s political ascendancy, came as a rude shock to Modi and his colleagues.
So, one can safely presume that Prime Minister Modi, in his diluted third term, would not be able to follow his earlier political arbitrariness and the divisive communal politics. Though our leadership was very conciliatory in their felicitations sent to Modi on his assumption of the office of Prime Minister, the Indian leader did not show any apparent enthusiasm for the restoration of relations between the two countries.
The existing tension between the two countries is badly impacting regional security and economic prosperity. Both nuclear states have abject poverty ranging over 45%. While hoping that Narendra Modi may be willing to review his earlier aggressive policy towards Pakistan and agree to resume bilateral contacts between the two countries, we should concentrate on setting our house in order. The continuous internal political instability, economic crisis and the aggravating security situation within our borders undermine our position at the regional and international levels.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore.
