In the last stormy campaign, Narendra Modi had adopted the posture of converting India to be a super economic power through rapid industrialisation that would bring employment opportunities. He had abandoned not only the militant BJP posture of imposing its will on three issues but had also kept to minimum use of the party name. He had sought vote for his government. It paid unexpected dividends with a clear mandate. His offer of dignity to every Indian had paid richly as the chemical catalyst to the electoral process. He was able to overcome the barrage of accusations for 12 years.

His first election address in the election rally in Meerut district shows that he has abandoned his previous approach, probably because he cannot convince even sober minds of his achievement in his chosen field of the economic developments. He cannot run down convincingly the reality of heavy drop in employment as the vicious campaign of his opponents. Rural population can see farm labour running around in search of employment that can at least give their families bread twice a day. They also do not need evidence to slow down of the economic growth in last two years. He also cannot name the forces or identify causes that compelled him to pout his regime in reverse gear.

The excessive element in his present campaign of militancy to the extent of calling opponents as anti-national elements who seek to be worshipped as hero in neighbouring country or telling his spectators that the previous regimes grew nothing but poverty in seven decades or even comparing the opponent alliance with harmful intoxicant are not merely desperation but also reflect that he could not even write his campaign lines.

He also cannot explain why he had to suddenly reverse his efforts to have friendly relations with Pakistan as were reflected in his attending the family celebrations of the birthday of Pakistan Prime Minister. Not only that he had to give up his yearnings to implement the pet dream of Atal Behari Vajpayee but he also had to use the surgical air strike against Pakistan. It was to justify the party’s withdrawal from its alliance with the state party of Kashmir that ended the civil rule in Kashmir. The second surgical strike became necessary to provide the pep to its campaign. But again peaceful nature of Indians came to fore as the war hysteria attained the inevitable collapse. Rather it could not take off.

Yet the militancy element in his first election rally indicates the pressure under which he is writing his campaign material. It may be a painful experience for him as it brings to abrupt end his efforts or striving to mark out his place in Indian history as a great leader.

The result in the Bihar assembly poll in 2015 was not the defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party but it was a burial of his politics to break the cast stranglehold on politics in Bihar by winning minds and votes of the OBC young. The cast hold over the state politics was so overpowering that the upper castes were thrown out of the power corridors since 1990. For the Mentors of the BJP, bringing him in control and keep him under its domination was more important objective. The message hit him even harder. Even his last ditch effort of delivering miracle in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls even without mention of his dream project of conversion of India into an economic giant was a surprise.

The indications were clear from the assembly polls in Gujarat and Karnataka that the rural voters were alienated though the urban voters stayed despite hardship they had suffered due to severe economic measure in the end of 2016, made the victory in three BJP ruled states only few months prior to the Lok Sabha polls a difficult process. If he had intention to advance the Lok Sabha polls he was not allowed to avail of the options.

The Pulwama episode walked his way to build a new catalyst for the electoral chemistry. That makes sense for the excessive militancy in his campaign. But then the Sangh approach also has been of militancy and the three controversial issues in the BJP agenda since 1989 also have elements of militancy as they seek to impose its view on entire Indian population. But militancy has never won a clear mandate from the population whose basic psyche is of democracy and tolerance. If it were not so the Indian society so divided in class and castes with 60 percent of its populations suffering in the abyss of socio-economic deprivation would not have been able to survive so many aggressions and so many aggressors would not have been able to rule for so many centuries.

In the ending year of the last century, the Vajpayee regime had a decisive victory in the Kargil war that every Indian virtually had seen on their TV screen at home. Several dead bodies of officers and jawans were ceremonially received. The Vajpayee group was forced to put the controversial issues on back burners. Yet it could win 172 seats. The Balakot strike hysteria is merely verbal claims and no concrete evidence is presented. As such can it impress the peace loving population to get swayed or does it have potential to accrue the opposite yield?