BJP Ministers are all rallying to safeguard the “clean image” that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has enjoyed - despite embarrassing frauds under his watch as well. The Prime Minister and BJP Chief Mr Amit Shah are hitting Congress hard, the latest laughable one of Mr Rahul Gandhi hatching an “international plot” to unseat the Prime Minister.

The duo operate with the credo that any stick is good enough to beat Mr Rahul Gandhi with and the “dynasty” he comes from. Increasingly in recent weeks, a renewed mandate for the Prime Minister is sought to be obtained by playing extraneous factors like ‘national security in danger’ and a Maoist plot to “assassinate” the Prime Minister. And the Maoists are supposed to be guided by a set of intellectuals and activists, who have been abruptly taken into custody allegedly without due process, and they fall in the category of BJP’s newly-minted creature, ‘urban Naxals’ .

The Supreme Court is seized of this matter on a petition from leading intellectuals raising constitutional infringements, like right to dissent, involved in these arrests and would determine whether the case for Pune police raids and arrests of these activists in August was a concocted one.

No doubt the Modi Government desperately seeks to sustain itself with new promises for farmers and Dalits and other tantalising schemes - away from the discredited “achhe din” sort of promises in 2014. Mr Modi has embraced populism without compunction while being hesitant on structural reforms. His charisma is on test and pitiably for millions of his admirers it is no longer taken for granted.

Barren of impactful achievements in the first four years, but adding to the list of ‘development’ projects for the future, the ‘vikas purush’ has also to go into the enemy camp and make rattling noises. For the BJP any opposition alliance is “unethical” at the Central or State levels, even as Mr Amit Shah keeps on hunting for allies and numbers to make up for majority in Lok Sabha. There are breakaway groups and disappointed individuals in ticket distribution wanting to try their luck under the banner of the saffron party. Mr Amit Shah

Be that as it may, one wonders whether, in a country facing huge challenges and massive discontent among the poor - the farmer, the Dalit or other caste divides - and bankrupt policies on economic front, obsession with one single issue (Rafale) would make the battle decisive for an anti-BJP alliance and for the glory of the Congress

The Rafale debate looks interminable the way the Congress is confronting the Modi Government raising more questions. It has also taken the matter up with CAG and Central Vigilance Commission after Government’s rejection of Congress demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe. Also questioned is the circumstances of sidelining of HAL, the public sector giant, in favour of a private party (Reliance Defence Chief Mr Anil Ambani) in the defence contract with Dassault Aviation (France).

The Modi Government faces the prospect of being pilloried further on the Rafale deal but so far the Congress seems to be fighting a lonely battle. Potential allies in the yet-to-form Mahagathbandhan are on the sidelines watching the unfolding developments in the Rahul-Modi duel though the Prime Minister himself has preferred largely to remain quiet leaving it to his trusted Ministers to retort against accusations.

Much uneasy as it should be for the Modi Government to shore up its defences, with 2019 poll looming large, against scams-type allegations and crony capitalism, which cannot be wished away, the Congress is not out of major difficulties on the electoral path.

Indeed, going by the 2014 voting math, Mr Rahul Gandhi has serious work left to galvanise the organisation to improve voting strength in many states in order to be able to emerge as formidable contender and earn its pride of place in the Gathbandhan.

It is as well Mr Gandhi is not a Prime Ministerial candidate at present, and may not be even when the Alliance gets formed as originally envisaged. It is a post-poll poser.

In preoccupations with Rafale Deal affair, the Congress seems to be losing the dynamism it was generating with Mr Rahul Gandhi’s poll campaigns, especially in Gujarat. Mr Gandhi may have already failed in tying up major alliances especially in UP (Lok Sabha)and Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (Assembly).

Ms. Mayawati has unilaterally moved to strengthen her BSP in these states and if she persists, she could become, far from a rising star to take national command, only a game spoiler. Mr Gandhi has launched poll campaigns in Telengana and Madhya Pradesh and is leaving greater initiatives to the state congress leaders in alliance-building and seat-sharing in days to come. At the moment, a spectacular rejuvenation of Congress across the country as a whole seems to have taken a back seat. (IPA Service)