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 The 2020–2021 farmer protests, which were sparked by the controversial farm laws that were later repealed, drew significant public attention, with criticism directed at the use of force and the management of the situation.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.
Is Shekar Gupta doing fine? Havent seen him on Cut the clutter and National interest for a while.
Dear Shekhar
Nice way of portraying one side of a story without considering specifics. I think few instances need to verify population register like Punjab, Puducherry and Karnataka have more older people than younger generation as per your analysis. All individual incidents related to head of the state (nation) for your convenience. But it would be always state subject when we ask for Congress reaction.
I really appreciate the role played by media for this story. Still we can’t find middle ground in media for our opposition to policies of this government. Maybe for diverting larger public from addressing these issues. We have taken Congress Mukth Bharath too seriously rather its Congress neglecting Hindustan.
We really miss effective role of opposition (always thinking who is heading before opposing) for building our nation now. Maybe belated entry of Congress to social media cause for loosing ground to younger generation.
Truth always triumphs
You seem to think you are doing a tightrope walk. But your pole is tilted. What you think is Titanium is merely some cheap veneer. Teflon too is a far cry. You sound like those sill BJP ads playing on FM Radio paid for by Government of India.
This is the most silly article penned by learned person like you. Everybody know how media people are cronies of the highest order where each of them strive to get favors from political class. The most obvious example is where and how they live. Secondly even the reputed newspaper like the one you are associated with have fallen a bit in the line as today’s biggest news of Farmers Bandh is nowhere to be seen on its front page.
All TV news channels at least to say are nothing but mouthpieces of one or the other political party backed by their crony capitalist
Pretty perceptive article.. Except that SG doesn’t tot up the positive points of the Modi regime adequately..swacch Bharat, saving and protecting the girl child and educating her ,building loos and pucca houses in crores, all weather road s to villages, vastly improving our highways, cooking gas and electricity for some 6 crores families and now health and medical insurance facility for the poor..wow.. That’s a lot of doing in 4 years. Add to this some 20 lakhs irrigation storage tracks and much improved irrigation facility.. The failures are in the urban front..cities , the pollution and congestion haven’t improved much. Ease of business is marginal.. Many businessmen are needlessly being hounded by the govt and tax rules are onerous.. If business doesn’t grow, sharp growth won’t happen. Employment is a function of prosperity in businesses, industry.. Govt can’t give employment to more than a few lakhs in any case..a good finance minister is sorry lacking..
Dear Mr Gupta
Though the article is well articulated, your bias against Modi is well reflected, when you give your opinion on ‘distratous growth and failing job market’.
A country with billion people still relying on failed methods of cast reservations and choosing a incompetent dynast over no-nonsense self made leaders will remain the dream of so called ‘dedicated socialist’.
I prefer meritocracy, substance over rhetoric and a country with equal opportunities.(Read Modi over ragtag Opposition)
Perhaps the opinion piece writer needs to pull his mouth out of Modi’s cock.
Come on, good or bad, Modi is just a human being. I am a Congress supporter but I can see the good in all leaders. What I really hate is the way Modi’s Bhaktas elevate him to God level.
I may be willing to concede that Modi is not corrupt himself but he is surrounded by mostly corrupt people like Amit Shah. Either way he needs to resign from PM post. The nation is far more important than him.
OMG! He has not come out of his digestion problem from 2014. And the same rhetoric “the economy has struggled under him, job growth is disastrous, the strategic situation has worsened, particularly in the neighborhood, social cohesion is facing dangerous strains, and far too many are feeling the pain” is never ever ever substantiated with proper facts on ground. Hail prestitutes for another win for Modi.
Carefully crafted damaging essay by SG to depict Modi all image and no substance. That depiction fits your essay like a glove.
This kind of journalism only strengthens Modi.
To say that he has not done anything in four years and the last four years have been hell for every section of society is what most people do not believe. He might not be what he promised to be in 2014 but nobody is.
The NPA mess that the UPA left is now being cleaned up through IBC (Tata buying Bhushan Steel for 36000 crores is a good example)
Giving gas cylinders to millions of poor women is no joke and the fact that there is not a single substantial corruption charge against this governmentis remarkable considering the UPA era. He is not the perfect leader and there are many mistakes being made, but he still the best alternative.
He has a good chance of winning 2019 because the secularism bogey that the oppostion has been using is way past its expiry date. Modi is not Vajpayee and Sonia Gandhi of 2019 is not tge Sonia Gandhi of 2004. She is no longer the sacrificing goddess she was made to be in 2004. There are some very good people in the Congress but their loyalty lies in the wrong places.
One thing I do know is that the more I watch these so called experts of indian society, I recognize the lies that has been peddled since this government came to power and why some people simply cannot give up the idea of India being ruled by only one family and no one else.
Totally agree with the above.
Excellent articulation. And an excellent analyis, by Shekhar Gupta’s as well.
Infact one looks forward to expressed opinion from him, whether it be online, on TV or on Twitter.
He is a top class journalist. Enjoyed his NTDV stints covering GJ, PJ and recently KA elections. Each view of his is so well nuanced and balanced, never a wiff of what his personal prefs are.
Each of his interventions on NDTV debates is so calming and educative, one wishes he would do more.
And he has such a sobering influence on Prannoy and Dorab, who are supposedly anti Modi, although I honestly cannot make out.
Yes, there are terrible Congi biased journalists like Sreenivan Jain and Needh Razdan, whose tilt and partisanship is clearly visible and are disgusting to watch and hear.
Vikram Chandra is again NDTV’s classiest journalist, who keeps debate
beautifully balanced and his parlays with Shekhar Gupta are like akin to sipping a fine wine with gourmet cheese.
One just walks away with such a +ve feel good, watching them both.
Sorry to veer of onto NDTV, but I am a very big SG patron