By: Haroon Siddiqui Columnist, Sun Apr 06 2014
It is billed as the biggest election on Earth. In the world’s largest democracy, an electorate of 815 million will troop up to 930,000 polling stations in 28 states in nine phases over five weeks, starting Monday and ending May 12. If vote counting goes as swiftly and accurately as has been the norm in India, results will be announced May 16. Then would begin the real tamasha (show, entertainment, drama) over who would form the next government.
Polls show the
centrist Congress government would be wiped out.
During a recent trip to India, I found no party stalwart who doubted that
prospect, so palpably angry is the public at Congress misrule that has been
marked by corruption, dynastic rule (under the Gandhi family), government
gridlock and stalled economic growth coupled with nearly 9 per cent inflation.
The right-wing
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to win. Yet its leader,
Narendra Modi, is no shoo-in as the next prime minister for both prosaic and
profound reasons, the latter relating to the identity of India: is it a secular
nation of 1.3 billion with Muslim, Christian, Buddhist and other minorities
totaling as many 200 million, or a Hindu nation with a Hindu ethos that the
minorities must acquiesce to and assimilate in, as Modi’s most fervour
supporters believe? .....To Read More.....
My Take –There is a reason there was a West Pakistan
and an East Pakistan - present-day Bangladesh - that once was a part of India, and there’s
a reason East Pakistan is now called Bangladesh. Ancient
tribal societies with modern trappings. But there's one thing these third world tribal societies have in common. Once you scratch the surface of the problem you begin to realize Muslims are at the heart of it all.
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