It is clear that the focus of Salman Khurshid and Mritunjay Singh Yadav's "Contesting Democratic Deficit: An Inside Story of the 2024 Elections", must be the Congress party's vision of the world in 2024, as it is a quickly created portrayal of an insider's perspective of the general election. The writers go on to say that they have made every effort to communicate their experiences in the time allotted.
They write, "In her 2024 interim budget speech on 1 February, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman confidently emphasized the government's achievements and announced that the government would lay a White Paper on the House table 'to look at where we were then till 2014 and where we are now, only for the purpose of drawing lessons from the mismanagement of those years.
In response, the Congress party was quick to act. The announcement of a 'Black Paper' on the ten years of the Modi government was swiftly made". The document had to be prepared in less than seven days, so a committed team started working on a war footing. When the Black Paper was finished. It was launched by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, titled '10 Saal Anyay Kaal 2014-2024.'
According to the report, the Modi government's ten years in office have severely harmed the nation's economy, fueled crimes against women, and perpetrated serious injustices against the nation's minorities. It amounted to a charge sheet detailing the injustices committed by the BJP when it was in office.
They write, "The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the hardships arising from these economic blunders, disproportionately affecting the labor class... While the government remained impervious, the ordinary people went all out to help with food and shelter. Only billionaires seemed to receive support from the Modi government through corporate benefits."
The threat of rising inequality, which economists referred to as a "K-shaped economy," loomed big after COVID. Rahul Gandhi presented a sign illustrating the stark truth of this economic disparity during a press conference. The data presented a concerning image: The wealthiest one percent of Indians now owns almost 40 percent of the country's total wealth by 2024, a startling rise from 12.5% in 1980.
The Congress brought up the fact that BJP leaders have publicly incited violence and hatred based on caste and religion throughout India. The idea that out-of-power rightist groups are responsible for riots has gained support as the frequency of communal disturbances in the states has decreased. It appears that targeted violence, such as lynchings and physical assaults, has recently supplanted rioting.
The authors talk about the 2020 riots in Northeast Delhi, the CAA protests, and the consequences of the Nuh violence. After midnight, Maulana Saad, the Naib Imam of Anjuman Jama Masjid in Sector 57 of Gurugram, was killed in the Nuh Violence when a group of 90–100 Hindu vigilantes allegedly broke into the mosque and set it on fire. Compared to 2013, the number of crimes committed against Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe populations rose by 48% in 2022.
Another tragic and widely unrest-plagued chapter in recent history was the narrative of farmers' protests against the controversial farm laws. About 750 farmers unfortunately died during the protests, which began in November 2020 and lasted for several months. This number reflects the movement's enormous toll. Protests transitioned from the fields of agriculture to the sports field.
When Indian wrestlers, backed by well-known figures like Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik, accused Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual exploitation and intimidation, the controversy started at Jantar Mantar in January 2023. Their calls for the disbandment of the WFI and his resignation reverberated throughout the protests.
They add that 146 members of Parliament were suspended from both houses of Parliament during the Winter Session of 2023, which was a tragic event in India's parliamentary democracy's history. Unsurprisingly, 2024 served as a sobering reminder of the decline in press freedom in the delicate field of Indian media. A string of harsh crackdowns on dissenting voices occurred in India, which was placed 161 out of 180 nations in Reporters Without Borders' 2023 World Press Freedom Index.
Using anti-terrorism laws, the police broke into the houses of around 50 journalists, activists, and comedians throughout India. Despite government opposition, alternative media were becoming more visible, according to Newslaundry CEO Abhinandan Sekhri. He thought that people were becoming more and more supportive of independent digital media outlets as they became tired of the backlash against television media.
To understand the path to 99 seats for the Congress and 232 for the INDIA Alliance in 2024, a cursory examination of the Congress party's attempt to regain lost ground and the voter's imagination is necessary. In the lead-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi pledged to lead the Congress from the front as part of the fresh effort.
This dedication started with a massive outreach initiative called the historic Bharat Jodo Yatra. The yatra, which began on September 7, 2022, at Kanyakumari, at the southernmost tip of the subcontinent, and culminated in the valley of Jammu and Kashmir, represented the party's determination to reestablish ties with the people and bring the country together under its flag.
In each district he visited during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi made it a priority to establish a connection with the Dalit population. Rahul Gandhi gained prominence with every stride and won the affection of men, women, and children of all ages. By listening to hundreds of thousands of Indian voices on this first Yatra, he was able to understand the beliefs and aspirations of the populace.
The second, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, was suggested at a Congress Working Committee meeting just months before the 2024 elections. Its purpose was to direct the voices of the people in support of a vision for India that was embodied in the Nyay Patra, the Congress's comprehensive manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and that had a democratic, production-led economy, harmony, and tolerance as its concrete social foundation. After Rahul Gandhi visited the riot-torn state of Manipur on January 14, 2024, the Nyay Yatra got underway there. His dedication to his principle of Mohabbat ki dukan was demonstrated by this visit.
Rahul Gandhi was dedicated to this path even after the elections. Carpenters, bike mechanics, barbers, shoemakers, and numerous others were among the common Indians he met while on his Yatra. Despite the limitations and initial hurdles, the India Alliance demonstrated, "What can be achieved when diverse political forces come together with a singular purpose—to defend the idea of India. Through painstaking negotiations, strategic compromises, and coordinated efforts, the Alliance demonstrated that with combined efforts, a shared commitment to win, and a willingness to set aside the fight for a bigger slice of the pie, we could defeat even the most formidable adversary like the BJP. The seat-sharing process, though often fraught with difficulties, ultimately brought about unexpected successes and pivotal moments of collaboration. This alliance taught us many valuable lessons."
After starting with the Udaipur Chintan Shivir and continuing through the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the Congress campaign for the general elections culminated in the amazing document known as Nyay Patra, which was overseen by P Chidambaram. Consisting of the '5 Nyay 25 Guarantees' package, the Congress party manifesto showed a dedication to inclusive growth and social justice. A collection of measures to support women's rights, improve education, strengthen healthcare, uplift the underprivileged, and give all residents financial stability.
Rahul Gandhi carried a copy of the Constitution with him wherever he went as the campaign gathered steam and it became more obvious that the political tide was turning. Rahul Gandhi fought for the caste census as the cornerstone of his political agenda in addition to preserving the Constitution. The authors provided a fact check of Modi's inaccurate and disparaging remarks made throughout the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign. Later, they deciphered the results of the Lok Sabha elections in a number of states, including Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, etc.
Although the INDIA Alliance was intended to be a strong rival to the BJP, its implementation in crucial states like Delhi, Maharashtra, and Haryana revealed a number of tactical errors. The result was largely influenced by internal discussions, competing demands, and the incapacity to strike a balance between alliances and grassroots reality.
The Alliance needs to put aside its limited self-interests and strive toward a common national goal. Differences in viewpoints and ideologies are normal in democracies, but when constitutional protections and democratic institutions are threatened, it is vital to establish common ground and concentrate on the important things.
With firsthand accounts, intimate information, and in-depth analysis, Salman Khurshid and Mritunjay Singh Yadav describe how opposition parties came together to support the notion of an inclusive, pluralistic India. A must-read book to understand the dynamics of the 2024 elections.
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