Modi’s LS oration shows why he remains the undisputed Indian political monarch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a man of many words. And none of the words he uses goes waste. He exhibited this unique trait when he spoke for over two-and-a-half hours in Lok Sabha during the debate on the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against his government. Interestingly, he started his much-awaited reply by reeling off the achievements of his government on the economic front. He tried to corner the Opposition by talking about the turnaround in the banking sector, growth achieved by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and LIC, despite skepticism from his political opponents. The highlight of his speech was that no-trust motion would always turn out to be an auspicious occasion for him, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

He went on to say that NDA retained power in 2019 with a bigger mandate and his government succeeded in turning India into the world's fifth largest economy after a no-trust motion was moved against it in 2018. He exuded confidence that this trend would continue and NDA would retain power with a much bigger mandate in the 2024 General Elections. He further said that his government would turn India into the third largest economy during its third term. In fact, the Prime Minister also spoke about a fourth consecutive term in 2029!

He advised the Opposition to do their homework and come prepared whenever they move a no-trust motion. He wanted them to say that they would take the economy to second or first position in the world when he was talking about third position! He also mocked an old statement of senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram that the Indian economy would anyway reach $5 trillion one day or the other and there is nothing that the Modi government can take credit for it. Of course, that comment is rather immature of someone who is a former Union finance minister.

The Opposition came up with the no-trust move now to corner Modi and his government ahead of upcoming elections to State assemblies this year and the General Elections next year. But Modi turned tables, cornered glory, and walked away with all the accolades. With his powerful speech, the Prime Minister has shown why he is still the unchallenged emperor of political India.

Rahul Gandhi, former Congress president, who also spoke, showed improvement in his oratorical skills, but the 'flying kiss' controversy took the sting out of his attack. Will he ever match Modi in the highly-competitive political games? Let me save the topic for another day. Anyway, Modi's success lies in how he has dexterously combined Hindutva and development into a potent political strategy to outsmart his rivals. The Indian National Congress, the Grand Old Party of India, and the leading Opposition party, is focusing excessively on Hindutva to checkmate BJP. Other Opposition parties are also sailing in the same boat.

But it is completely incomprehensible for people like me as to how the Congress can find fault with the saffron party on the Hindutva issue when it has a strong ally in Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), which is infamous for practicing much harder Hindutva plank. This is tantamount to doublespeak and it doesn't work.

Furthermore, the Opposition parties don't have any credible plan as regards development of the country. This will be more appealing to the growing middle class, which is more aspirational now. Unless Opposition parties address this critical gap, there is no way they can halt the BJP's juggernaut.

However, it's not that the political game is over and it will be a walkover for BJP and Modi in 2024. Historically, no Indian Prime Minister had won a third consecutive term after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Even his daughter Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi, who was known as the Iron Lady of India, could not achieve this rare feat even though her cumulative tenure as the Prime Minister lasted for nearly 16 years. That means there has been no third consecutive victory for a prime minister in India in the last 60 years.

It's the same with the political parties as well. One of the key factors that denied this rare feat to all the PMs and political parties after Nehru, has been the anti-incumbency factor. Will that happen this time? It doesn't look possible at this point of time, but one never knows. Furthermore, the ever-rising prices may also prove to be BJP's undoing this time. The price of 14.2 kg domestic gas cylinder skyrocketed to over Rs 1,100 apiece post subsidy now. It's pinching the poor more as LPG has now become an essential cooking fuel for all. So are also petrol and diesel prices.

Indirect taxes have also gone up phenomenally. Unemployment is another nagging issue. If the Opposition block, which attractively named itself as INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance), fuels anger against the Modi government using these key issues, it will notch up a better electoral performance. But unfortunately, till now, there are no signals whatsoever that point in this direction.

This apart, the Opposition alliance should also effectively showcase to the country how it could provide a better political and economic alternative. Otherwise there is no reason why the voters should opt for it. The recent no-trust motion in Lok Sabha has revealed that it falls short on this front by miles. So, as of now, Modi is sitting pretty and has bright chances of setting a new record of becoming only the second person in Independent India to secure a third consecutive term as the Prime Minister. A similar milestone awaits BJP as well. But then 10 months are a long period in politics and anything can happen between now and April 2024 when the country heads for the General Elections. Let's see what is in store for people, politicians and political parties in the coming months.