“Desh dekh raha hai, ek akela kitnon pe bhari padh raha hai“
PM Modi during his speech in Rajya Sabha
PM Modi’s remarks over the Adani Group allegations seemed like an outburst, however, the Prime Minister might have inadvertently given his party a punch line.
For, there is no doubt in the BJP’s mind that, as it begins the countdown to the 2024 general elections, its trump card remains making the contest “Modi vs the Others”, to ride over the expected bumps due to issues such as inflation, unemployment etc.
Expanding on that, the party’s focus would be the Centre-run or Modi government schemes. The BJP identified this as a winner some time back, with the central message of its electioneering being that the Modi government is devoted towards reaching the benefits of its schemes to the last man standing, and qualifying this as “real secularism”, not delineated by any religion or group – or, as the party calls it, “politics of saturation”.
The “labharthis” or beneficiaries of these schemes are seen by the BJP as committed voters of the party, with the gamble paying off in recent elections such as in Uttar Pradesh. Every morcha of the BJP has now been asked to organise workshops, camps and nukkad meetings, and distribute literature and make short films, to spread the word regarding its schemes.
At the BJP National Meeting last month, Modi’s leading advice to party leaders regarding the nine Assembly elections this year and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls was to work beyond their traditional support base, though he qualified that this must be “not just for votes”; while his warning to “headline seekers” in the party to stay away from antagonising communities and groups was part of the same message.
The BJP Minority Morcha subsequently identified around 60 Lok Sabha constituencies where the minority strength is more than 30% of the population for a four-month outreach programme.
Alongside, as part of its grand, year-round G20 presidency celebrations, the BJP is seeking to refurbish the PM’s image globally as a statesman.