Is BJP fighting Congress with its back against the wall in Gujarat? The saffron party’s desperation to clinch victory by hook or by crook is palpable the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dragged Pakistan into the provincial electoral battle.
At an election rally in Palanpur, on Sunday, Modi claimed Pakistan was trying to influence the Gujarat poll outcome. It was shocking and bizarre because he based his contention on an alleged meeting between some Pakistani officials and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s residence in New Delhi. It was purported to have taken place a day before Aiyar called Modi a ‘neech aadmi.’
Without mincing words, Modi had told his audience: “There were media reports yesterday (Saturday) about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar’s house. It was attended by Pakistan’s high commissioner, Pakistan’s former foreign minister, India’s former vice president and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,” He also mentioned an alleged appeal made by Pakistan Army’s former director general Sardar Arshad Rafiq to make Ahmed Patel, a senior Congress leader and political advisor to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Gujarat chief minister.
BJP president Amit Shah echoed Modi’s allegations at another poll meeting and accused Congress of appeasing minorities for votes.
It looks Modi has drawn his own conclusions from the alleged meeting, which, any way, Congress and Pakistan have denied, based on some media reports. How could he level such serious allegations against another country without solid proof? If it were true, it poorly reflects on India’s sovereignty and its stature as an independent democratic country.
As expected, Rahul Gandhi hit back at him with a jibe, “PM Modi is talking about Japan, Pakistan, Afghanistan except Gujarat. He speaks on just two things. While half of his speeches are about Congress, rest is about himself.” Stung by Modi’s charge, Congress has demanded expulsion of Pak envoy if the PM’s allegations are true and proved.
Meanwhile, Pakistan, in a strong rebuttal of Modi’s contentious statement said: “India should stop dragging Pakistan into its electoral debate and win victories on own strength rather than fabricated conspiracies, which are utterly baseless and irresponsible.”
In a tit-for-tat twitter war, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Completely abhor outside interference in India’s internal affairs. Pakistan’s promotion of terrorism in India is well known but Pakistan must stop giving us lessons, we are proud of our democracy.”
Surely, the Indo-Pak war of words and mutual recriminations will continue for some days. What’s deplorable is internationalizing a state election issue and detracting voters from real and local problems. While mutual accusations are part of political game during electioneering, raising the spectre of conspiracy can prove detrimental to its proponents.
With the first phase of Gujarat election over on December 9 when voters in 89 constituencies had already sealed the contestants’ fate, the last-ditch bid by BJP and Congress to clinch victory has become nastier and bizarre. The outcome depends on the remaining 93 constituencies that are going to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on Thursday to years of uninterrupted BJP rule.
