INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party was given a spectacular defeat by a regional party Tuesday in state elections in Delhi that were seen as a referendum on his policies, including a new national citizenship law that excludes Muslims. Aam Admi Party (AAP) swept the state polls routing the BJP by a massive margin by winning 62 out of the 70 seats.
While Modi was re-elected with a huge majority in the May 2019 general election, but at the state level, his party has not fared so well and it has lost power in five states: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Despite indulging in one of the most vitriolic, communal hate mongering campaigns in Delhi as a desperate electoral gamble, the defeat was humiliating and indeed a slap on the face of Modi. The people of Delhi proved that they do not want an intolerant and extremist India rather want redressal of the problems faced by the poor people. The AAP members themselves called it the victory of work over hatred. Since nothing good can be expected from Modi, therefore, there is little chance that he will get some lesson from the recent state level defeats and review his policies especially towards Muslims and the situation in occupied Kashmir. Modi may have support of some extremist based groups which believe in Hindutva ideology but voices emanating from within India have proved that majority of Indians do not endorse his policies. Whilst Modi never misses any opportunity to malign Pakistan at different forums, it is also for us to accelerate our efforts on the diplomatic front to expose the ugly nexus between BJP and RSS, and their saffron terror. Those claiming themselves champions of human rights should also not turn their back to their policies for vested commercial and economic interests. The RSS should be reined in and declared as a terrorist outfit by the UN to save the Indians from their cruelty. This is also important for regional peace and stability.
