Though it is easy to attribute the BJP’s massive victory in Uttar Pradesh to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was a combination of factors that sealed it for the party (“Saffron storm in Uttar Pradesh”, March 16). The BJP not only selected its candidates carefully, distributing tickets to non-Yadav OBCs and non-Jatav Dalits, but also showcased the Samajwadi Party government’s selective appeasement of Muslims and failure to maintain law and order. And of course, the party used Mr. Modi to the hilt. It left nothing to chance, because it knew how critical this election was going to be. The writer may call it the power of propaganda, but the fact remains that the Prime Minister knows how to connect with the common people and win their trust. And if the BJP won despite demonetisation, which the Opposition criticised severely, then it means that the Modi government is doing something right to ensure that people trust its policies. Hopefully, the BJP government in U.P. will fulfil all its promises and help the largest Indian State usher in a new era of inclusive politics.
Bal Govind , Noida
The author has lamented the fact that “secular parties” were unable to offer any alternative to the BJP’s discourse of “communalised development”. By secular parties, she might have meant the Congress, the SP, and the BSP. But to be fair, there are no genuine secular parties in the country. All parties are either covertly or overtly playing the communal card for electoral gains. When an entire community votes en masse for a particular party or strategically votes to defeat a particular party, would that promote secularism?
Of course, it was wrong on the BJP’s part to not give even a single ticket to Muslims in the U.P. election. The party’s excuses or reasons for this are devoid of merit. It is a fact that Muslim votes have also contributed to the party’s spectacular triumph. It is incumbent on the BJP leadership to ensure that Muslims have a justifiable representation in the incoming State administration.
If all the parties opposing the BJP come together with the sole aim of defeating it, these alliances will only be short-lived. It is time for the Opposition to stop deriding Prime Minister Modi, as mere anti-Modi politics has become futile and counterproductive. They need to come up with better and more acceptable alternatives.
C.G. Kuriakose,Kothamangalam, Kerala
