India’s current government is led by the Bharatiya Janta Party or the BJP. It is also the country’s largest national party. It was formed in 1980, though its origins lie in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which was founded in 1951. The Jana Sangh was closely associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organization that continues to play a significant role in shaping the BJP’s ideology.
The party first came to power at the center in 1996, but its government lasted only 13 days. It returned to power in 1998, forming a coalition under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister. His tenure saw India conducting nuclear tests in 1998, economic reforms, and a focus on infrastructure development. However, the BJP lost power in 2004 to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
The BJP made a historic comeback in 2014 by securing 282 seats out of 543 in the Lok Sabha, with Narendra Modi as India’s prime minister. Major policy changes include the revocation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019, and the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 that criminalized triple talaq in India.
The government’s handling of several protests and crises has faced widespread scrutiny. The 2020–2021 farmer protests, which were sparked by the controversial farm laws that were later repealed, drew significant public attention, with criticism directed at the use of force and the management of the situation. Similarly, the government’s response to the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests raised concerns over its handling of dissent, particularly the use of force. The BJP’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic also attracted criticism, especially regarding the lack of transparency around the death toll, shortages of medical resources like oxygen cylinders, and inadequate preparedness during the second wave.
Additionally, the ongoing inter-tribe conflict in Manipur, which erupted in 2023, has faced criticism for the government’s perceived failure to take adequate action, with accusations of poor crisis management and insufficient intervention in addressing the escalating violence.
Haryana lesson for BJP
‘ Batoge to Katoge’
Haryana lesson for Congress
‘Baatoge to Katoge’. Rahul Gandhi should stop trying this strategy of divide and rule with the Hindu majority. It can backfire as it clearly did. Also if you are for caste equality why was Kumari Selja ignored and suppressed?
What is the Congress ideology? At least with BJP you know what they stand for. With DMK they claim to stand for Tamil chauvinism and social justice but slip in to profting the Karunidhi clan. Parties like SP and BSP are about a particular caste. What does the Congress stand for?
The usual answer is big tent, which is a euphemism for their political opportunism. Rahul Gandhi spoke about empowering lower castes to actually try to divide the Hindu votes by sowing divisions. The reason why this did not work is because there was an inconsistency between what he claimed and what they did i.e make the Jats in Haryana rule over the rest.The other castes saw through the lies.
This is not an old guard vs new guard thing. This is a say what you stand for, and dont change it because you are power hungry and simply dont lie thing.
No journalist of the old guard such as Vir Singhvi or others will ever dare call Rahul Gandhi’s opportunism as that. When Rahul Gandhi speaks of caste it is for equality, when BJP genuinely tries to empower all, it is caste calculus. Hypocrisy by all.
One thing is for sure. If it had been the Congress in power in Haryana for two terms, with a huge head of anti incumbency steam having built up, the BJP would have blown it away in a landslide. So Team Rahul has to figure out how to win elections.
Writes “I am always wary of the tendency to find a fall guy after every defeat.”.
But the article is Hooda Bashing, Modi Bashing.
Btw
Rahul Gandhi likes this post .
Seriously old guard? Then let’s start with the oldest guard, the Gandhi family. The elephant in the room is RaGa and his bunch of clueless advisers/ sycophants. After all who allowed Hooda to run riot. As long as RaGa and his bunch rule the roost the Congress doesn’t have hope in hell.
Since the Congress lost, Hooda is being blamed. If it had won, then Rahul would have been given the credit.
CONgress embedded lackeys in the media, calling themselves journalists, are more pained than the party itself. Call it being more loyal than the queen herself.