My dear friend Irfan Ali who lives and works in Princeton, New Jersey, USA has prompted me to write this article. Evidently Irfan was put off by my article that the newly formed alliance of 28 opposition parties called INDIA ( Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance ) is a stunt.
In response to my article Irfan wrote angrily on whatsapp :
”It appears that you don’t want an opposition in India? What would take you to support a strong opposition to fight this authoritarian demagogue? Should there be no opposition in India at all ? You seem more into Pakistan politics when your own system is screwed up. INDIA is a combination of 28 parties but NDA has 36. Who is doing a stunt?”
To which I responded :
”I have never said I don’t want an opposition, so don’t twist my words. Of course I want an opposition, but the meaningful opposition can’t be within the system of parliamentary democracy, but can only be by a historical united people’s revolutionary struggle led by modern minded leaders determined to rapidly modernize and industrialise the country. I have explained this in detail in many of articles, which u may see.”
I had earlier written an article that BJP will win the coming Lok Sabha elections in India in 2024.
https://indicanews.com/2023/08/02/justice-markandey-katju-despite-everything-bjp-will-win-2024-elections/
Irfan thinks that INDIA can help in ousting BJP from power. I totally disagree.
What I foresee is this : a few months or a few weeks before the 2024 parliamentary elections the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, or the Shahi Masjid in Mathura will be demolished by a huge mob of fanatics ( just as the Babri Masjid was demolished ).This will generate an emotional wave all over India, on the basis of which BJP will easily win ( never mind how many people will be killed or other ‘collateral damage’ done in the backlash ).Read More:
Song Needed for the Coming Storm in the Indian Sub-ContinentMost Indians are emotional, not rational, and they vote accordingly not on real issues like poverty, unemployment, hunger, lack of healthcare, price rise, etc. For instance, in 1962 the Indian army invaded Goa, and soon thereafter parliamentary elections were held, in which Congress swept the polls, with people in a victory mood. After Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984 parliamentary elections were held, and in the sympathy wave Congress secured a record over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha.
The BJP came to power in 1998 and in 1999 because of the fervour generated by the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation.On 26th February 2019 the Indian Air Force conducted a ‘surgical strike’ in Balakot in retaliation to the Pulwama attack on 14th February which was attributed to Pakistan trained terrorists. Two months thereafter, and in a martial hysteria ( with the slogan ‘Pakistaniyon ko ghar mein ghus ke maara hai’ ), parliamentary elections were held in India in April-May 2019, in which BJP won with an increased majority.
The Babri Masjid was demolished in December 1992 when Congress was in power in the centre, and despite an undertaking given in the Suprême Court by UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh of the BJP that it would not be demolished. So undertakings mean nothing, and now both Central & State Governments are of the BJP.So a huge mob of fanatics will very likely demolish either Varanasi or Mathura mosque, with the police turning a Nelson’s eye.
Then in that emotional surge and communal passions elections will be held. Hindus ( who are 80% of India’s population ) will be told to celebrate victory over the Muslim devils who broke our temples and committed other atrocities on us, and elections will then be held in this surcharged atmosphere, leading to a BJP victory, and with INDIA going up the chimney.
I am not approving this, but I can foresee this happening.BJP has been in power since 2014. Will it easily give up power ? No, it will resort to every ‘saam, daam, dand, bhed’ i.e. Machiavellian tactic ( as Congress had earlier done for decades ). All is fair in love and war, as the saying goes, and politics is war.History shows that the wars for the throne of Delhi have been ruthless, and so will be the 2024 elections.I am afraid Irfan is living in a dream world.
Markandey Katju is an Indian jurist and former Supreme Court judge of India who served as chairman for the Press Council of India. He has also worked as Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department.
