It was a difficult choice indeed. But in a democracy ultimately it has to be made by common man. And in Gujarat he has made it in favour of Modi and his party. It was a choice between moderation and extremism, pluralism and communalism. Unfortunately, the majority of people in Gujarat were manipulated in such a way that they have voted for the same forces, which in turn, may give boost to negative forces in the country.
Modi and what he stands for is a mirror of what India would be if Hindutva gains power to control India and her people.
This election gave a chance to people of Gujarat to get rid of Modi’s divisive and narrow-minded policies. There has been widespread resentment among large sections of Gujaratis against Modi government. Farmers were up in arms against his policies. Patels, who wield considerable influence, were dissatisfied. Some of his close associates were disillusioned with his authoritative style of functioning. A few could gather courage to resign their posts and work against him. Even an influential section of RSS opposed him openly. Some religious leaders and organisations of Sadhus also campaigned against him.
As regards democratic forces and human rights organisations, they were in the forefront of war against him. Muslims, who are about 10 per cent of population, were the worst victims of his anti-Muslim and hate-filled policies. It was under his supervision that worst crimes against humanity were committed during infamous Gujarat carnage 2002. They attracted adverse comments from Supreme Court, the highest seat of justice in the country. Even International Community took strong exception to Modi government’s abetment of atrocities against Muslims. It even brought a bad name to India in such a way that then Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee had to concede that he felt so ashamed that he had to hang his head in shame.
In spite of the above mentioned adverse factors Mr. Modi succeeded in creating hysteria in the name of ‘Save Gujarat’ and ‘Save the Good Name of Gujaratis’. He is a powerful orator and shrewd manipulator. In all fairness it should be accepted that he is a good administrator and has given a boost to industry and business. Therefore the coffers of big business were readily available for his election campaign.
In spite of best efforts of democratic forces and Congress Party to expose the divisive policies of Modi, the common people were carried away by his propaganda. It is because they have been continuously fed on anti-Muslim propaganda. Modi projected himself as the only saviour of Gujarat and protector of the pride of Gujaratis.
Gujarat victory has made BJP over-jubilant to the extent that they are seeing in it signs of their re-emergence on the national level. The UPA, the Congress and the democratic forces need to take serious note of this. They must adopt methods to thoroughly cleanse the country of communal poison. The dangerous trends to spread hatred and present Muslims as enemies of the country, which polarise the electorate, must be fought tooth and nail.
The 15-crore strong Muslims, who are one-seventh of India’s population, must close their ranks and join hands with all democratic sections to save the country from fresh onslaught of divisive forces. Next parliamentary election is not far away. It would play an important role in preserving the democratic and plural India.