• Prakash Pohare

In the last ten years, the country has seen the same equation that BJP is synonymous to Narendra Modi. BJP’s ‘Manifesto’ for Lok Sabha elections 2024 was published on April 17, 2024. Since there are 53 photographs of Modi in this 76-page Manifesto, it would not be an exaggeration to say that this is Modi’s ‘Photo Album’ published and its title is also ‘Modi’s Guarantee’. Almost all the announcements of Modi in the last ten years have tuned out to be ‘Meaningless’. However, in this Manifesto, he has claimed to establish a different model of overall development by giving new 24 ‘guarantees’ in which it has been said that India should be ‘self-reliant’ in the production of pulses, edible oil and vegetables and efforts will be made to ‘Secure the plate for the poor’. Are pulses and vegetables formed like mineral oil in the earth or the sea? If these are agricultural crops, then why are farmers from Maharashtra to Gujarat via Punjab-Haryana continuously taking to the streets in the last ten years demanding MSP guarantee, reservation and their demands? Do pulses and vegetables not grow in their fields?

First the GST glitches, then ‘Tughlaqi’ decisions like demonetization and then the Corona period - these crises have reduced the middle class in this country to below the poverty line and many people have lost their jobs. If anyone has been a ‘guinea pig’ in the Modi era, it is the middle class. Before his first term, Modi had claimed to create two crore jobs every year, but in reality, after coming to power he has not created even one crore jobs every year. Apart from this, the wrongly implemented GST after demonetization and then the Corona crisis further aggravated the situation of unemployment. Yet, Modi is guaranteeing ‘high value jobs’ to the middle class if he is voted to power for the third time! In fact, in the Modi Era, the ‘University Grants Commission’ (UGC) has become a monkey. The controversy over ‘National Education Policy-2020’ (NEP) is still not over. Universities and colleges are in trouble due to unnecessary mistakes of the government. As a result, instead of maintaining the standard of higher education in universities and colleges, it has declined.

After the Corona period, all services have become expensive. Inflation has increased manifold, but Modi government has not taken any concrete steps on this. How can we trust this ‘guarantee’ after so much that has happened in the last ten years? Unemployment has reached 80 percent in the last ten years. The Home Minister of this country publicly says that if the youth do not get jobs, they should ‘fry pakodas’, yet ‘guarantees’ are being given to the youth!

Modi government has so far claimed to make one crore rural women ‘Lakhpati Didi’. Modi and BJP leaders, who consider themselves ‘Modi’s family’, have only done the work of ‘delegating’ instead of ‘empowering women power’. What steps did Modi take on the cases of brutal rape of girls in Kathua, Unnao, Hathras by BJP leaders themselves? Did you condemn it? What punishment was given to the criminals in these cases? The mentality of Modi and ‘Modi’s family’ towards women is contaminated with the ideas written in ‘Manusmriti’, this has been seen many times in the last ten years. So how will the women of this country believe in Modi’s guarantee of ‘women empowerment’?

‘Farmers’ dignity’ ‘Modi’s guarantee’ is just a form of rubbing salt on the wounds of farmers. In 2020, the Modi government passed the ‘Agriculture Reform Bill’. It was widely opposed by farmers across India. Farmers of Punjab-Haryana protested against this bill on the Delhi border for thirteen months. Even after blockades all around, the farmers did not step back. Nothing much was achieved even by defaming them. 700 farmers died in this movement. Farmer leaders were termed as ‘Agitators’. Ultimately, the Modi government had to withdraw that law.

Recently, these farmers protested again to get their demands fulfilled as had been accepted by the government. But Modi government did not allow them to reach Delhi by digging roads, using tear gas and guns. Even during this movement, many farmers died and a number of them were seriously injured. If the policies of the Modi government are in the interest of the farmers, then why are the farmers forced to protest against the government before the general elections?

In the last ten years, the Modi government has never been serious about policies that provide even the slightest relief to farmers, leave alone policies for the welfare of farmers, so why should they believe in ‘Modi’s Guarantee’?

‘Respect for workers’ should actually be called ‘carrot guarantee’. All types of employment came to a standstill during the Corona lockdown. Then workers from big and small cities started their journey back homes. When thousands and lakhs of people travelled several kilometres on foot, what did the Modi government do for them? Then why did you not want to respect the workers? Some people died on the road. Some became victims of accidents. Those who managed to reach the village were stopped at the border by the people of their own village due to fear of Corona virus. Why didn’t Modi government remember these workers? It is true that Prime Minister Narendra Modi washed the feet of some selected workers in front of the camera, but instead of strengthening their feet, the government’s policies proved how they will connect with each other. Therefore, apart from the blind devotees, no one has any doubt that ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ was, is and will remain a mere ‘Jumla’ and an ‘eyewash’ of the Modi government.

How much truth is there in ‘Modi’s guarantee’ of ‘Safe India’ was revealed by China’s infiltration. Till date, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has never told the truth about China’s infiltration in front of the Parliament. Modi government tried to teach Pakistan a lesson in Pulwama incident, but it was heavily criticized by the international media. If Modi government is really strong, then why is China continuously making mischief?

Modi government has done nothing except promoting the ego of Hindutva. If India is a country of all religions, then promoting only Hinduism at the government level is against the values of the Constitution, but both the ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ of Ram Temple and the ‘Inauguration ceremony of Ram Temple’ were celebrated by Modi as ‘government events’. Not only this, the new Parliament was also inaugurated by inviting Hindu religious scholars and priests. BJP’s policy is to create a communal atmosphere and take political advantage of it.

‘Guarantee of good governance’ is clearly ‘fake news’. Because in the last ten years, from Delhi to Kerala or West Bengal, wherever opposition parties are in power, Modi has created obstacles there. Putting up obstructions in these states is an admission of their ‘mismanagement’. The sentence ‘Concrete steps against corruption’ is the most humorous because the recently revealed information on ‘Electoral Bonds’ has revealed that the Modi government has obtained the maximum number of electoral bonds by using the ‘Chanda do, Dhandha lo’ policy. Economist Parakala Prabhakar, husband of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has publicly called it the ‘world’s biggest scam’. Not only this, he had publicly said in an interview that Modi is the ‘worst and most corrupt Prime Minister in the history’ of India. Former Governor Satyapal Malik and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy have also given similar statements.

Rafale Scam, Adani Shell Companies, PM Care Fund, Skill India Scam, Lalit Modi Scam, Vijay Mallya Scam, Nirav Modi Scam, Demonetization, Ram Mandir Land Scam, Electoral Bonds – all these scams are examples of how BJP gives guarantee of good governance on the basis of fraud! Apart from this, on one hand, leaders of other parties were called corrupt and then they were taken into their party, like Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Praful Patel, Ashok Chavan - it is a long list. Taking them into his party and freeing them from corruption and getting ED, CBI raids on those leaders who do not join his party and putting them in jail - if Modi calls all this ‘guarantee of good governance’, then nothing could be more ridiculous.

The ‘guarantee’ of ‘one nation, one election’ is also controversial. The way the Modi government is fanning this issue, it increases a lot doubt. Even after enjoying power at the Centre for the last ten years, Modi says elect me for the third time, then I will fulfil the promises made in ‘Modi’s Guarantee’. He claims to have prepared a roadmap for the first 100 days, but doesn’t say much about what has been done in the last ten years! But he is citing that he will make India a developed country by 2047! In the last ten years, he created his image as a Prime Minister who did not hold a single press conference, only raised hollow slogans, spread poison and talked only about Hindus and Muslims apart from giving money to certain industrialists. There is so much that Modi has given to his industrialist friends for free or at throwaway prices! This simply means that ‘Modi’s Guarantee’ is actually like ‘Birbal’s Khichdi’. So now he is giving false hopes of 2047 to the public.

Now the time has come to decide whether, considering the experience so far, all references to Modi should be completely forgotten or stones should be put in the ears! Or this parcel should be thrown back on the garbage heap!

(The author is Chief Editor of daily ‘Deshonnati’, Maharashtra and can be contacted at 9822593921)