EFFORTS AT DERAILING PM MODI AND THE INDIA STORY FAIL YET AGAIN

Care needs to be taken to ensure that, while opposition to the government by political parties is part ofa democratic system, such criticism should not affect the economic trajectory of India or the country’s societal stability.

- MADHAV NALAPAT

Anti-Modi elements across time zones failed during the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Subsequently, they sought a clean sweep against the BJP in the just concluded state assembly polls and bypolls. The calculation was that such a decisive defeat would lead to a revolt in the BJP against the leadership of PM Modi, something that is itself illusory, as his hold over the party goes far beyond such calculations. The country has changed, the BJP has changed, and Modi represents that change. They failed once again in their efforts at restricting the BJP tally, for the ruling party returned to power in Haryana and Maharashtra, and all but swept the board in UP bypolls. Given the reality that it is PM Modi who is the architect of the policy of keeping the Indo-Pacific secure through a confluence of interests with key democracies, the Sino-Wahhabi lobby has not given up the push to ensure that PM Modi does not complete his third term. Now the focus has shifted to developments involving Sambhal, Manipur and a prominent Indian business house, each of which is sought to be linked to PM Modi when the facts are different.