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 The 2020–2021 farmer protests, which were sparked by the controversial farm laws that were later repealed, drew significant public attention, with criticism directed at the use of force and the management of the situation.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.
Prof PK Sharma, Freelance Journalist,Barnala (Punjab)
How crazy and restless is the duo of NaMo -Amit Shah for their insatiable lust for power ?
In journalism, it is very often said that journalists should have “a smelling nose for news.”
However, NaMo and Amit Shah in the same way have ” a very sharp smelling nose only for
power.” ! They are constantly on their toes smelling power anywhere like ” sniffers of power ”
alone !
Ironically, their gimmicks, ploys, rhetorics, guiles, fallacious-tall-utopian promises of 2013-2014
now stand very badly exposed ! This time, they have so far failed to explore new and catchy ones !
Therefore, now left with no other choice or option they always remain in search of Chhattisgarh like
developments in the opposition camp to eye advantage to grab power by hook or by crook ! What else
they can do except to fall back upon such cheap and hollow tactics !
They have now forgotten nation and issues. Their failure to deliver the goods and then redress the
grievances of the masses have dashed the hopes of the people to the ground !
They are madly running after power ! Had they performed, coming upto the expectations of the masses
the story would have been other way around ? The power then must have run after them ! Amit Shah’s
madly rushing to Chhattisgarh speaks volumes of the duo’s scare, nervousness and panic to wrest power !
But nation and public too have smelt them very sharply determining not to fall in their trap of tempting
tricks and web of lies again !
Prof PK Sharma, Freelance Journalist
Pom Anm Nest,Barnala (Punjab)
Behenji will prove to be worth her weight in gold for the ruling formation.