Nevertheless one fact cannot be denied that Modi continues to command the support and sympathy of the people, especially the urban middle class who have turned the decisive vote bank for him. Throughout his five year rule he expressed much of his concern for the middle class. It is something else that he let them down on many occasions and did not conform to their expectation.

While people, particularly the minorities and dalits, suffered during these years, the opposition, particularly the left, failed to build a popular mass movement against the tyrannies of the saffron brigade. Lynching of the people from the minority community had become a common phenomenon, but the left was more with its internal polemics than confronting the mercenaries.

Whatever little amount of resistance movement was witnessed during these years, it came from the farmers and peasantry. What was significant aspect of these movements was the emergence of the young educated farmer leaders. Unfortunately the left parties could not induct them in their rank and file.

Nearly a year back the opposition political parties had raised the expectation and aspiration of the common people that they would come on a single platform. But they failed. The opposition coming on a common platform proved to be utopia. The opposition even could not present the façade of unity. In Uttar Pradesh Mayawati shut the door on the face of Congress and forged a “mahagathbandhan “ with SP and RLD. In Bihar Lalu’s RJD was engaged in a bitter fight with Congress and its leader Tejashvi did not share dais with Rahul Gandhi till the culmination of the third phase of polling.

The most glaring incident has been of their not converging on a united candidate to take on Narendra Modi from Varanasi. At one stage the young leader of Bhim Sena, Chandrashekhar Azad had offered to contest against Modi from Varanai. But the opposition did not sincerely pursue the matter.

Notwithstanding economic slowdown and agricultural distress, the opposition parties have miserably failed to exploit the scenario, mobilise the people and turn them against Modi. Shocking indeed in spite of facing financial hardship, surviving without job, the common people extended their support to Modi. For them the call to protect nation and uphold the cause of nationalism attained more importance than their domestic needs, the urge for survival. Little doubt Modi and RSS have intoxicated them to such a large extent that they forgot their plights and miseries.

For the first time in last 45 years the country is facing employment crisis. Modi government has not bothered to alleviate the situation. The middle class families are lurching. But this situation is not going to prevail over nationalism. Shocking indeed the middle class youths who desperately need a job to endure feel content with Modi’s slogan of nationalism.

Though the NDA fares worse than the UPA on the jobs front job-related anxiety is greatest among the young and college educated voters. One thing is absolutely clear that the issue of farmers’ distress, though very real, is not at all an electoral issue. The reason is farmers’ distress does not affect the urban middle class.

The common people nurse the view that the government has comprehensively failed to create jobs. They also think that GST and demonetisation destroyed jobs. In the last 11 years after the last loan waiver, the farmers’ indebtedness has mounted. According to a NABARD report, the average indebtedness is ₹1.04 lakh per farmer. Significantly the farmers are not interested in merely getting loan.

They want some institutional agrarian reforms so that farming becomes remunerative. They think the farmers’ issue has been neglected by the Modi government and the government is actually favouring only corporates. It is not that the opposition was unaware of these needs of the farmers, but it did struck to the streets demanding justice. One development is quite obvious and it is satisfaction level of the people. It is highest in cities and lowest in small towns. (IPA Service)