Ajay Kumar I Lucknow
The rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the country’s politics and the decline of several regional parties, including Congress, speaks volumes. Even though leaders opposing Modi and the BJP, frustrated by their defeat, are accusing the elections of rigging and misuse of government machinery, it is not that these opponents are unaware of their political weaknesses and immaturity. However, these repeatedly defeated leaders are unwilling to accept the truth. The truth is that apart from the BJP, no political party in the country has a democratic structure. This includes the country’s oldest party, Congress, along with a long list of other parties such as Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Biju Janata Dal, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, and now even the supposedly honest ‘Aam Aadmi Party’. Although the convenor of Aam Aadmi Party, Arvind Kejriwal, has not yet accused the EVM machines or government machinery of rigging following his loss in Delhi, the Samajwadi Party continues to rant after their huge defeat in the high-profile Milkipur Assembly seat in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Similarly, Congress President Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and many other leaders from their party continue to raise similar concerns. The situation is such that, frustrated by their defeat, Modi’s critics keep lashing out not just at him and the BJP, but also at agencies like the Election Commission, CBI, and ED. These leaders do not hesitate to tarnish the image of the country to defame Modi and the BJP. Among them are educated leaders like Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who studied abroad, and Arvind Kejriwal, a former IRS officer, as well as Tejashwi Yadav, son of Lalu Yadav, who too is stuck in a politics of accusations and counter-accusations.
In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal has completely tarnished his image. The Kejriwal who emerged as a youth icon 12 years ago now lies in the dust. The same Kejriwal, who had made arrogant statements like “I am the master of Delhi” in the assembly and had embarrassed himself by accusing the Haryana government of poisoning the Yamuna River, had dreamt of becoming Prime Minister after serving as Chief Minister of a half-developed state like Delhi, but now he has even lost his legislative seat. Political analysts say that just as quickly as Kejriwal rose in politics, he has fallen from grace. His future seems bleak, and the reason for this is his boastful attitude, failure to engage in trustworthy politics, and opportunism. In Delhi, Rahul Gandhi’s failure has been even more embarrassing than Kejriwal’s. For several elections now, Rahul Gandhi and Congress hold the record of zero seats in Delhi.
Just like Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav, who inherited the political legacy of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, has also failed to live up to expectations. After winning the 2012 assembly elections, the then Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav handed over the chief minister’s chair to his son, Akhilesh Yadav, despite Akhilesh having no experience. Though Akhilesh has failed to make a significant impact on his own in politics, he has made a name for himself with his boastfulness and expertise in blaming others for his failures. When it comes to controversial statements, Akhilesh Yadav once mocked Lord Ram and his followers by calling Samajwadi Party’s Member of Parliament from Ayodhya, Avdhesh Prasad, the new king of Ayodhya. He used to flaunt him like a trophy, but after the loss in the Milkipur Assembly election, Akhilesh has lost his composure. The Samajwadi Party leaders are so frustrated by the loss that the party’s general secretary, Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav, started advising Uttar Pradesh government officials to ignore Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s orders and instead lecture him. From Akhilesh Yadav to Shivpal Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav, they are sinking deeper into despair. Ram Gopal has even called the Ram Lalla temple in Ayodhya useless. Samajwadi Party leaders have been relentlessly attacking the Chief Minister regarding alleged mismanagement during the Mahakumbh, but it remains unclear what the party is gaining from this, as the Samajwadi Party’s public support base is completely shattered. In Milkipur, even the Yadav votes eluded the Samajwadi Party.
