Nadeem Jaffer
Priyanka Gandhi, the charismatic grand-grand daughter of Javahar Lal Nehru rightly pledged this week to revive the olden bonds between the Indian National Congress and the Uttar Pradesh people, when she made her entry into the Indian politics again after a about four years absence. Her entry into the Indian and especially the UP politics is being termed as the ‘master stroke’ by the analysts, who objectively see the state of affairs in India, currently crumbling under clutches of fascist Bhartai Janta Party or BJP.
For the BJP, which is licking its wounds after it was dealt blow in the December state elections defeat, it seems a gignatic task to make a counter move against the re-entry of Priyanka into the politicos of the UP, the strongest hold of the Hindu fundamentalist party. Though, Indian commentators, especially those of the right wing, have been trying to undermine the recent sweeping wins of Congress in the December 11 elections in three of the five significant states, independent analysts foresee its reflection in the upcoming general elections of India.
The Congress, India’s largest opposition party, defeated the BJP regimes in Chhatisgarh, Rajasthan, and emerged as the single largest party in Mahya Pradesh (MP). The results of the state elections are considered a barometer for the general national elections, which are merely a few months ahead from now on. The Congress has visibly shown strong signs of its revival in all the three, especially in MP and Chhattishgarh, where it has been out of power for about 15 years. In order to capitalise over the victory in the state elections, the Congress’ master stroke of re-debuting Priyanka’s political career is very timely.
In UP, where Muslims make the largest minority, BJP has already been in deep troubles because of its inherent caste-based hierarchy in its leadership. The Hindutva party has been blamed for dividing the Hindu gods by castes. The caste discrimination has gone so deep in the UP that it is being ironically called now as Caste Pradesh instead of Uttar Pradesh. And that is being blamed by the Hindus themselves and not by the other religious minorities like Muslims, Sikhs or Christians. The political opponents of BJP rightly accuses the Hindu fascist party of promoting hatred and divide on communal lines. Communal killings in the police encounters have been rampant in the UP. Even the patients in the hospitals are admitted on the basis of their castes. Anti-BJP alliances are already coming into forces in UP where Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are cementing their ties to forestall the BJP in the upcoming general elections and vowed to ‘wipeout’ the fascist party in the UP and stop it from making the government in Delhi in the 2019 elections.
In Agra, one of the largest cities of UP and the hub of the footwear industry, Priyanka’s entry into the politics is being rejoiced. The footwear industry had to bear a major jolt after Moodi’s government announced demonitisation and imposition of general sales tax. Associated with the footwear industry, the poor and middle-class citizens of Agra heaved a sigh of relief with the announcement of the news that Priyanka, would lead the Congress politics in their province. Priyanka Gandhi’s joining the Congress politics has breathed life to Congress’ hopes to defeat BJP in the elections. The charismatic lady would be taking charge of Congress’s campaign in UP, a much-desired move that is expected to bring back the lifeblood that had seeped away from the Congress in the past elections.
