No-holds-barred wrangle mars fair poll process

The 2024 elections are witnessing a new trend. More than the guarantees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the Congress party manifesto, issues like ‘mangalsutra, gold’ remark by PM and his other allegations against Congress have garnered more attention and even kicked up a massive row. The PM claims that Congress wants to give reservation based on religion, which is against the Constitution, and that it is opposed to SC/ST and OBC castes.

He is also reminding people that the then Congress Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said that Muslims had the first right on country’s resources and that the grand old party is trying to snatch the property and distribute it among certain community people. In all his speeches across the country, Modi has been reiterating that Congress’ thinking has always been one of appeasement and vote-bank politics. He referred to the “pilot project” taken up by the Congress in Andhra Pradesh when it came to power during 2004-2010. He said that as many as four times the Congress tried to implement the Muslim quota in AP but they could not do so thanks to the stand taken by the Supreme Court.

In 2011, the Congress tried to implement it across the country. “They snatched the rights given to SC/ST and OBC and gave them to others for vote bank politics.” In an emotional tone, he even said as long he is alive he will not allow religion-based reservations. To counter this, the Congress has been bringing out various documents and claiming that the BJP and the RSS want to change the Constitution given to the country by Dr B R Ambedkar. They say that Modi is twisting Congress statements saying that SC, ST and OBCs will lose reservation.

The Congress said they would hold discussions with all and will amend the constitution to remove the cap of 50 percent on reservations so that no injustice is caused to anyone. Now a new charge against Modi has been made by former AICC president Rahul Gandhi that protecting “rapists,’ is Modi’s guarantee. This allegation comes in the wake of JD(S) leader and former PM Deve Gowda’s grandson Prajwal’s reported sex scandal and his subsequent escape to Germany. Both BJP and Congress are making these issues as their main poll agenda.

In Telangana, which goes to polls in third phase on May 13, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is going very aggressive against the BJP. His speeches have in fact more sting than those generally made by D K Shivakumar of Karnataka. Sometimes it leaves one wondering as to who is the AICC president? On one hand, he called PM ‘Bade Bhaiya,’ but the ‘Chote Bhaiya’ is leveling all kinds of allegations. He says his ‘Bade Bhaiya,’ when asked for Bayyaram, gave ‘Donkey’s Egg,”

In Andhra Pradesh, it is ‘Who killed Babai V/s Govinda, Govinda.’ The TDP, Janasena and BJP alliance has been moving forward aggressively for past two months. BJP is the lateral entrant along with AP Congress. Certainly this combined attack on the ruling party has unnerved them but a strong fight is still on. Both sides are exuding confidence of winning the polls.

The BJP and the Congress at national level are sparring bitterly, with BJP making Congress appeasement of Muslims with quota a sentimental issue, and Congress dubbing the BJP ‘move’ to ‘dump Constitution’ a disquieting possibility . Now one wonders whether all this does not come under the model code of conduct. The Election Commission of India’s MCC forbids candidates to “appeal to caste or communal feelings” to secure votes. When will it act proactively, not waiting for complaints, to curb such nefarious practices?