Modi Vs Oppn: It is akin to hare and tortoise race

Lack of planning, coordination and vision has spoiled the golden chance the opposition parties had got to take on the BJP in the 2024 elections. The BJP worked out its road map well ahead of all parties and has been systematically implementing it notwithstanding the criticism it had received from their rivals, and succeeded in building a narrative which led to a situation where Modi 3.0 appears to be a certainty.

Even as it is touting its development achievements, the BJP government is pushing for nationalism and also catching the fancy of nation with massive propaganda for the inauguration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya, attracting the attention of the entire country and Indians across the globe towards what Modi keeps saying ‘Bhavya Ram Mandir.’ The inauguration saw Modi follow an 11-day strict ritual. Though it would take another 10 months or so for the temple to be fully ready, it is already drawing droves of tourists from abroad as well as from within the country.

This was followed by starting prayers at Gyanvapi temple and the Emirates echoing with the mantra of ‘Om’ when the first temple in Abu Dhabi constructed by the influential Swaminarayan sect with the generosity of UAE recently became a reality. This temple has come to be known as a miracle of the prayers of Pramukh Swamiji, the will of PM and the expression of harmony in the desert by the UAE.

Then comes the inauguration of ‘Sudarshan Setu’, the country’s longest cable-stayed bridge of 2.32 km, on the Arabian Sea connecting Beyt Dwarka Island to mainland Okha in Gujarat’s Devbhumi Dwarka district.

The four-lane cable-stayed bridge called the ‘Sudarshan Setu’, boasts of a unique design, featuring a footpath adorned with verses from Srimad Bhagavad Gita and images of Lord Krishna on both sides. Beyt Dwarka is an island near Okha port, which is nearly 30 km from Dwarka town, where the famous Dwarkadhish temple of Lord Krishna is situated.

Along with this, Narendra Modi has of late started taking to scuba diving. He had done this in Lakshadweep sometime back and now he went for scuba diving off the Panchkui beach coast in Gujarat and performed prayers as he witnessed the ancient Dwarka city of Lord Krishna, which is submerged in the waters. Wearing a white diving helmet and ochre robes, “More than courage, it was faith,” he said after coming out of the waters.

He soon virtually inaugurated All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Rajkot in Gujarat and e-dedicated to the nation four more AIIMS at Bathinda (Punjab), Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh), Kalyani (West Bengal) and Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh). These developmental projects are worth Rs 48,000 crore. On Monday, he would be laying foundation stone for various rail projects in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

When there is so much of activity along with the high decibel propaganda, it is but natural for BJP to catch the attention of the people. But what is the opposition doing? With great difficulty, it could come to an understanding on seat-sharing in states like UP, Delhi, Gujarat, Chandigarh and Goa. But then what is their agenda? If we see the alliance between TDP and Jana Sena in Andhra Pradesh, they have one common agenda: YSRCP-mukt Andhra Pradesh. But for bloc INDIA, each ally is pulling in a different direction. There is no common programme or campaign.

Even the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra did not get the kind of traction the party expected. The opposition seems to have mastered the art of ‘plan to fail.’ It is really sad that they have lost a golden chance.