As the doctors have their own favourite disease, politicians have also their own favourite issues and campaign points. The issues which can be politically beneficial in one state, may be counter-productive in others, and may not be suitable at all at the national level. All the regional political parties in the INDIA alliance must acknowledge this fact, before they try to evolve the unified campaign strategy – both the issues and political events to be organized.

Several of the INDIA alliance partners have exposure and experience in the national politics, and several others have expertise in offering humiliating defeat to the NDA or BJP at the state level. Coordinated array in the electoral battlefield of General Election 2024 can therefore work wonder in securing win against the PM Narendra Modi led government. However, for this to happen, the regional political parties would need to drop their insistence on their favourite regional issues when the national strategy of the opposition is in making.

The principles that have provided cohesion for India to remain united must form the core of the opposition campaign, or else the fundamental character of the country would be destroyed. RSS-BJP clan have been pursuing the policies that divide the people on communal lines, nursing hatred among majority Hindus against others. Political dominance for Hindus against other communities seemed for many of them a rallying point in favour of PM Modi and BJP. Loss of peace and tranquillity, life and property, and continuously living in conflict and riot situation must be driven home to the people’s mind, especially the women, who are chief target of the communal forces to inflict injury to the pride of other communities. All efforts of establishing political dominance in the name of religion must be thwarted, and the opposition alliance need to tread carefully, keeping always in mind that any statement of the leaders of opposition are subject to exploitation by the RSS-BJP clan. It should be noted that both the majority and minority appeasements are wrong. INDIA alliance must take a principled stand on this issue to save its secular credentials.

Corruption, nepotism, and favouritism are the second most important set of issues concerning the common people of the country. PM Modi has been trying to brand only opposition leaders corrupt, until they either fall in line or join the BJP, while keep his mouth shut in case of his favourites, even though cases are pending against them or threads of corruption connect them as revealed by CAG and many national and international investigating agencies. INDIA alliance should approach the electorate with a compendium of cases exposing the PM Modi led government’s misdeeds.

Unbridled arrogance of the PM Modi led government and its authoritarian rule is well known by now. Whatever the government like to do, does, even by truncating judicial process, or violating or circumventing judicial orders. Mockery of judiciary, subjugating constitutional authorities, changing the laws to strengthen its own power over democratically elected opposition governments in the states, etc are hallmark of his rule. Electorate must be briefed about this during INDIA alliance campaigns since large number of media organization are willingly or unwillingly carrying the Modi’s propaganda wrapping up within the real information. All the three - print, electronic, and new internet media – are by and large unable to provide the complete picture due to a range of professional hurdles created by Modi government.

Deceptive economic growth needs to be clearly driven home to the electorate. Fastest growing country tag on the basis of GDP growth rate has successfully been concealing the reality on the ground. India is going to miss majority of the 17 SDG targets. The country is still housing largest number of poor in the world, and about 97 crore out of 142 crore people are not able to afford healthy food. Stunting and wasting of children are unacceptably high, which clearly indicate that people are not able to even feed their children. Number of anaemic women remains the major cause of maternity and child death in the country.

So, what the economic growth means to the common people that the PM Modi has been talking about? Yet, it has a meaning to the rich, when we look at the figure – 20 biggest companies in India bag 60 per cent of the revenue and 70 percent of the entire profit in the country. Does this model of growth has any meaning to entire population minus these 20 companies, few of them are owned by Modi’s friends? Economic rules are known to have tweaked to benefit his friends, and CAG and other reports have exposed corruptions that are linked to RSS-BJP clan leaders. Economic inequality must be made one of the core issues in INDIA alliance campaigns.

RSS-BJP clan and their supporters or stooges have been harping on the so-called enhancement of international prestige for which the entire credit has been falsely given to PM Modi’s leadership. INDIA alliance needs to provide the people with the facts as to how some praises by other countries are not really praise but an enticement to derive benefit from India, when PM Modi has put the country on sale to domestic and international private sector companies. Moreover, one must not be allowed to be misled about the cost of sovereignty of India at which international praises are being collected.

Internal and external security of the country has been put to risk, due to social unrest within, and failure in foreign policy without. Old glory of India must be restored as non-aligned country, and PM Modi government must be opposed in relation to its policies aligning with certain countries putting its independent decision making at considerable risk.

National and regional aspirations within INDIA alliance can be taken care of only when discordant issues are put to rest for a common agenda and joint political events. Working class, farmers, Dalits, women, and OBCs must be assured of social and economic security. The country is waiting for appropriate response from INDIA alliance with their unified campaign and clear roadmap for development of the country. (IPA Service)