Exactly one and a half years ago, Narendra Modi’s role in BJP’s historical victory decimating Congress in the 2014 general elections was celebrated across the country and the PM became a national hero. Months passed and Modi lost his first big test of his strength and suffered a shameful defeat in the hands of Arvind Kejriwal, when BJP won just 3 seats in the Delhi Assembly polls early this year.
And today, the Bihar Assembly poll results show the pathetic affairs of BJP in not just Bihar but also the rising anti-Modi wave across the country. While leaders like Kejriwal, Mamta Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi calling Modi’s rule an intolerant reign of arrogance is expected being his staunch detractors,it is the common people’s resilience in voicing against Modi’s oppressive ways that is gaining more prominence.
While Modi’s charisma seems to have a bleak appeal in Bihar elections, even the party’s religious stance with the ‘Holy Cow’ campaign failed big time, with Biharis siding with the corrupted fodder (read Laloo Praad Yadav) than trusting Modi’s promise of a developed Bihar, despite the PM announcing a whopping 1.25 lakh crore as a special package for the state’s development.
Political analysts opine that Modi’s and BJP’s ignorance of the minorities and the weaker classes and their patronage towards the privileged as one of the prominent reasons behind this defeat. Already, BJP’s supporting parties like Shiv Sena have been demanding Modi to claim responsibility for his party’s poor show. Will the once a history maker mend his ways and bounce back to silence his detractors?