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Rahul Gandhi has finally promised Rs 72,000 yearly to 20 per cent of the poorest people in the country if Congress comes to power. BJP’s Arun Jaitley, the Union Finance Minister called it a bluff and termed Rahul’s announcing the basic minimum income scheme ‘a bid to cheat poor’. Supporters of the idea of Universal Basic Income (UBI) hailed the announcement. Skeptics, being worried about fiscal costs, raised probing finger as to how the required money would come?

The idea was always something of a will o’ the wisp. There weren’t too many politicians who seriously thought that a grand alliance of all the anti-BJP parties was possible to take on the ruling party at the Centre.

With elections round the corner, the Opposition still seems to be groping for a solid and cohesive poll narrative against the Modi government, while the ruling BJP has identified terror and nationalism as its main theme. The Opposition was concentrating on a basic plank essentially on livelihood issues. It was confident of taking on the government with issues like jobs, agrarian crisis and demonetization etc., that that would determine the outcome of the polls, as it affects the common man. This was the scenario till Pulwama and Balakot happened last month.

Pro-Modi media are all over proclaiming the success of Narendra Modi’s ‘Mein Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign and in the current heat and dust over elections, even the Rafale fighter-jet is depicted as ‘Chowkidar Rafale’, its presence in the IAF inventory deterrence to keep enemy aircraft miles away from the LOC and the International Border.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s obsession with the Nehru-Gandhi family seems to be pathological. A Malayalam news outlet says if Rahul Gandhi contests from Wayanad, BJP candidate from Amethi Smriti Irani will also file papers from Wayanad. While this will be carrying things too far, it has the potential to make it even-sevens for Rahul Gandhi.

Former home minister and deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani, whose name was missing from the candidates’ list of the ruling party, was once called as the “Iron Man” of the Bharatiya Janata Party. It was Advani who steered the Rathyatra demanding for the Temple of Lord Ram on the site of Babri Masjid at Ayodhya. It was the Ram Temple movement which politically benefitted the saffron party which tasted power for the first time after the 1996 parliamentary elections — although for a short 14 days. Nevertheless, BJP won the 1998 and 1999 parliamentary elections and Atal Bihari Vajpayee — Advani's close ally — became the prime minister of India. It was Advani himself who had announced Vajpayee as the face of the BJP in the party convention of Mumbai held in 1995.

Politics is never in a static form. It continues to get evolved with the social and economic developments as it is the cause of transformation of aspirations, needs and demands of people. But the Congress is unable to or unwilling to get out of the strait Jacket of politics it adorned since the grand success of the 1971 massive mandate. It continues to believe, despite an addition of a clear majority of two generations of voters in the current electorate, that the electorate can be enticed with the promise of welfare measures and cheap goodies.

Coinciding with the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh an US intelligence report presented to the US senate select committee by Dan Coats, director of national intelligence had cautioned that India could see a spike in religious violence ahead of the general elections. Fortunately no major religious violence took place, but Pulwama massacre of the security personnel definitely took place and it provided sufficient opportunity to Narendra Modi to systematically harp on Hindu nationalist themes.

BHOPAL: After the declaration of partial list of candidates for Lok Sabha polls both Congress and BJP are facing tough opposition from rank and file.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ‘Congressisation’ of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala is complete! That is the unmistakable conclusion emerging from the fierce factional fleud that marred the finalisation of the list of party candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. Such infighting is unheard of in a cadre-party like the BJP. Needless to say, the internecine group rivalry has left a trail of bitterness.