Prime Minister Narendra Modi would do well to remind himself of constitutional proprieties. The Union government is meant to be neutral and non-discriminatory in its approach to all states, irrespective of the colour of the party ruling at the Centre and in the various states. Regrettably, Mr Modi, in the course of his energetic electioneering in Haryana and Maharashtra, has been asking for votes for his party on the specious ground that this would bring them benefits as the state and the Centre will be on the same wavelength.
The suggestion here is that Mr Modi himself will be keeping an eye on the development factor in the two states if these went with the saffron party. The PM’s vigorous campaign — he is to hold 10 rallies in Haryana and 20 in Maharashtra — suggests that the BJP is seeking to capitalise on his current charisma in the hope that this would bring dividends just as it did in the Lok Sabha election.
Since the party does not have state leaders with wide appeal in either Haryana or Maharashtra, Mr Modi becomes that leader by default in both states where Assembly elections are slated for October 15. And it is this that is being played up by the BJP and making Mr Modi disregard the norms of propriety.
The downside of this is that state elections are willy-nilly being made a litmus test for Mr Modi’s popularity with the voter. If the BJP does well, the argument is sustained. In case it does not, the country may be in for a wave of aggressive Opposition politics, especially if the price and employment situations do not improve.
In alliance with the Shiv Sena, the BJP had reaped a terrific harvest in the Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra. If a result of that kind can be repeated in the state when the Hindutva alliance is off, the saffron party could emerge as an unstoppable force, cleaning out the Shiv Sena possibly for years to come. Mr Modi’s praise of the late founder of the Shiv Sena, Balasaheb Thackeray, is no doubt a bid to win over some of the Sena voters in that effort. Shiv Sena’s counter steps will be interesting to watch.
The Congress has been in power with the NCP in Maharashtra for three consecutive terms and two consecutive terms in Haryana. As such, the Congress has considerable anti-incumbency. The party will thus be fighting with its back to the wall. So far, not many signs of this have emerged except for Sonia Gandhi’s well-attended public rallies.
The result of the break with the NCP is also uncertain. In both Maharashtra and Haryana, the Congress, like the BJP, is in the fray on its own. This is a situation different from the May Lok Sabha polls. From a political point of view, the joust becomes interesting since the BJP is now in power and some aspects of its functioning are under scrutiny, especially the price situation.
