The will of the people

The people of India have spoken and their mandate must be respected. An emphatic win for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has heralded five more years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP's tireless, populous, and effective campaign has painted most of the country in its saffron hues; its opposition reduced to small pockets of influence mainly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and some parts of West Bengal.

The mandate is clear; a majority of Indians wanted to see the incumbent government continue and make better on its promises of 2014. A large section voted for continuity of governance and with no real option offered by Congress, they chose to back the winning horse instead of the feared instability brought forward by a motley bunch of regional parties propelled by their respective ambitions. Reports of high joblessness may have worried the educated lot, farmers may have stared at agrarian crisis, traders may have been washed out by demonetisation, but all of them have still reposed faith in PM Modi and his government to fix this crisis.

A closer look at the voting figures shows that the BJP was favoured more than the Congress in rural areas, which were, not long ago, Congress vote-banks. The grand old party's promise of 'roti, kapda and makaan' (food, clothing, and housing) has been cleverly overhauled by BJP into 'toilets, LPG subsidy, electricity'– almost a gift from the PM that reached right inside their homes – a daily reminder of his largesse. Giving these most basic but essential amenities to vast masses won the hearts of rural India. The fact that BJP has performed less flamboyantly in urban areas perhaps shows that not all of its policies received mass acceptance. But even in spite of this, the final numbers showed the party as victorious.

What do the results of Lok Sabha 2019 say about us as people? It showed that many who sit in air-conditioned offices and vent on social media are actually not in sync with the majority view. Rafale, jobless growth, demonetisation, and crony capitalism made no real dent on the people's perception of the incumbent government; and honestly, none of these issues struck a deep chord with the "aam aadmi". It is also undeniable that keeping with global trends a large section of India voted for a right-wing, nationalistic party. Many of these voters are not necessarily frothing in the mouth for Muslim blood but they sure don't mind some Hindu muscle-flexing after years of the politics of alleged Muslim appeasement practiced by other parties.

BJP's victory has also transcended caste equations, and this perhaps is a silver lining. But do we see an end to caste-driven reservations? I think India is still far away from that day. And if nationalism is the ultimate winner, we can hope for better social and civic sense. And no, bullying and trolling people on social media for having divergent views is not nationalistic! We also have to accept that a candidate such as Pragya Thakur won and Atishi Marlena lost. Though they were not in direct contest, the reverberations of this will be heard as the ugliest reminder of Lok Sabha 2019.

The most worrying aspect of these results is the complete decimation of the Opposition and shows that India is striding towards a single-party system. Perhaps only an Opposition candidate that can compete in a Presidential-like contest, will finally be able to prove his worth. And in the absence of that, some of the people of India will have to assume the role of Opposition keeping the government in line through checks and balances.

With great power comes great responsibility and PM Modi has promised to be a fair and inclusive prime minister for all of India's citizens. Today, some may feel like a political minority, alienated within their own country, but they too will have to accept the mandate of the people and co-exist peacefully with the majority. Hopefully, they will be allowed to do so.

(The writer is a journalist and media entrepreneur. The views expressed are strictly personal)