Gain the trust of all

Apropos the edit ‘Modi tsunami’ (May 24) now that Bharatiya Janata Party’s phenomenal success in the Lok Sabha elections would not have been possible without getting votes from all sections of the nation, this realisation should broaden its perspective to involve all people irrespective of religion, caste or creed in nation-building initiatives of the government.

Its performance in areas such as action against cow vigilantes and restrictions on eating habits has not been reassuring.

Both reaction and action on the prime minister’s part were late. The doubt will linger because the party has renominated Muslim-baiting leaders like Giriraj Singh and Sakshi Maharaj for Lok Sabha. The PM should treat the awesome mandate to win the trust of all ( sabka viswas ).

He indicated his desire to do so in his speech to the party workers. Let us hope he will live by it.

Pune

Five years ago, Narendra Modi had cast himself as ‘The Challenger’ against a tired and discredited UPA II regime and secured 282 seats for the BJP — the first time a party had crossed the halfway mark on its own since 1984. That feat was surpassed this time round as Modi, projecting himself as “The Saviour”, reaped a pro-incumbency harvest not seen since the days of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. He has literally transformed India’s 17th Lok Sabha elections into a virtual referendum on himself and his rule, and thus received a resounding endorsement from the people of this country.

Key element of the Modi appeal was his perceived honesty and hard work. Far from denting his image with the “ Chowkidar chor hai ” campaign, Rahul Gandhi ’s attack was dismissed as baseless and immature because the Congress had failed to provide any “smoking gun” evidence of corruption. That Modi did not have a family to bequeath his wealth or legacy to was another factor contributing to his incorruptible image. But possibly the biggest factor that contributed to Modi’s success was the lack of a credible and cohesive alternative. The Opposition failed to see how much India had changed and how Modi represented — for better and for worse — an angry, aggressive, ambitious and aspirational New India.

Hyderabad

With the landslide victory in the 17th Lok Sabah elections, Narendra Modi has scripted a new history, projecting himself as an icon still unbeaten. In this election, the people witnessed a ‘Modi versus None’ type of campaign — more like a presidential election.

It seems that the people have chosen a party (the BJP) with a dynamic and pragmatic leader like Modi over a bunch of self-interested opposition parties without an integrating leader. In particular, the people have disregarded the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) — formed by arch-rivals (SP and BSP) — whose narrow aim was to sweep the caste votes.

Before and during the elections, the opposition parties had raised many burning issues faced by the people. But the people seem to have ignored them all and favoured the ruling party. The BJP party men, currently in celebratory mood, have to respect the people’s mandate. And Narendra Modi should live up to the expectations of all sections of people.

Cuddalore, TN

There is a tendency of opposition parties to voice their concerns about EVMs just before and after polls.

The better way to register their anguish would be for them to pass resolutions individually or jointly, declaring that they will not participate in the coming elections if the country doesn’t switch back to paper ballots.

EVMs have served the nation well but have of late lost credibility, owing to large-scale allegations of rigging.

Some positive change to overhaul the system can happen only if the protests come well before announcement of elections, as otherwise the government can take the stand that the Election Commission will not be able to switch over an alternative mode in a short period.

Gurugram

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