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Modi vs Nobody ?
PERTH Sanjiv Gupta : The diverse Opposition parties can unite , but none of its leaders has a pan-India appeal ( Finding the Challenger , June 18 ). The regional leaders are strong enough on their own but their alliance could turn out to be just a poll gimmick . Against such an unconvincing unity , it will be their idiocy if they think they can fool the electorate . If their ‘ unity ’ wins , every leader will want to be PM . They stand a better chance if the Congress replaces Rahul Gandhi at its helm with an able leader to run the election campaign ( like BJP did by floating Narendra Modi in 2014 ). The Karnataka assembly outcome may not have any bearing on 2019 .
DELHI H . C . Pandey : In the article titled An Anti-Modi Puzzle , the writer deftly analyses many aspects of the ‘ Modi versus the rest ’ question , but a few observations don ’ t sit well with how things are . Nitish Kumar has been painted in poor taste for joining the BJP . Why ? He wouldn ’ t remain CM if he hadn ’ t done that . Secondly , Modi ’ s second term hasn ’ t been talked about . Wouldn ’ t that be an interesting insight for the readers ? Modi is the only PM till date to make such a definite impact on the global scene . At the global summits he drops in , you can see the kind of respect world leaders have for him .
PORVORIM , GOA M . N . Bhartiya : The insurmountable hoax of Modi has been created by his supporters through the hyper ideological use of social and electronic media . His theatrical extempore speeches seldom have any substance . He tactfully avoids any conflict with his mentors sitting in Nagpur and with communal forces on the ground — like the love jehad and gau raksha brigades . His brand of populism is nothing but a balloon , waiting to be burst . But who will burst it ? The “ unconditional ”
June 18 , 2018
united front gets stuck because everyone is selfish . “ What is in it for me if Modi gets dislodged ?” they think . But it could play out interestingly this time , let us wait and watch . Ten months are left for the general elections , a long enough time period to crystallise any firm trend in a volatile political atmosphere .
VARANASI Indu S . Dube : Prime Minister Modi has emerged as a Goliath in the arena of Indian politics . That is why the disparate Opposition parties are joining hands to overcome the giant . All of them have suddenly become integrationists . Many leaders in the inchoate coalition have such extreme ambitions that they won ’ t be able to contain for a long time . This might end up disrupting the current developments of an attempt to form a ‘ super ’ coalition . And any time in this process ; the unnoticeable process of disintegration will spontaneously start . It is a fact that each one of them knows their inherent characteristics , which would lead to ideological inequalities . Further , the volatility will make the future of the coalition iffy . But they are standing hand-in-hand because they are afraid of the disaster lurking . Certainly , they have apprehension that if in 2019 , Modi comes to power again , it would force some players ’ exit from politics . Recent bypoll results and the formation of the government in Karnataka have given a shot in the arm to the possibility of a coa lition for 2019 , but the air is full of skepticism . The prevalent view in the realpolitik still remains Modi ’ s image of a dynamic leader . People know the axiomatic failure of coalitions . The public observes the optics .
LUCKNOW M . C . Joshi : Ask any Opposition leader about the prime ministerial face of the proposed grand alliance , and you would get no answer . They argue there was no face of the anti-Congress Opposition in 1977 and again in 1989 , when the PM was decided only after the elections . Both times , the people voted decisively against the party in power — against Indira Gandhi ’ s Congress for imposing Emergency , and against Rajiv Gandhi ’ s for the scandals such as Bofors . But can people ’ s disenchantment with Modi match that ? The CSDS survey shows Modi ’ s popularity has gone down by just two per cent since 2014 . In fact , the Opposition has nobody who can stand up to Modi . Rahul Gandhi is being projected as the challenger because he is the leader of the only other pan-Indian party . The findings of the survey indicate that Rahul is more popular than Modi only in the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh , but trails behind him by huge margins in all other states , inc luding Mamata Banerjee ’ s Bengal , Naveen Patnaik ’ s Odisha and Arvind Kejriwal ’ s Delhi . one-liner
DEHRADUN Rakesh Agrawal
“ Abki baar : bhay-mukt ( fearless ) sarkar ” should be the slogan for the 2019 general elections .
4 OUTLOOK 2 July 2018