Last four months have witnessed Modi frequently shifting his political priorities and strategies. Ambivalent stand on issues riding on which he contemplates reaching out to the voters, oscillating between Hindutva-Ram Mandir and Viksit Bharat (developed India), provide an insight into the wobbliness of Modi’s priorities. Not sure of which of the two issues would make him cross the river of “electoral Vaitarani” and help him win the Lok Sabha election, he is performing rope-tricks to motivate his rank and file and keep them in a fighting mood.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has made Modi the Sangh’s sacrificial goat. As prime minister, he should have focussed on the issues people are facing. Instead, he has to put himself at stake for accomplishing the mission of RSS. Though Modi was projected as the public face of the event, the fact is he was forced to consecrate Ram Mandir at the behest of Bhagwat.

But within two months of the inauguration, both Bhagwat and Modi have come to realize that their extravagant mythological exercise of consecration has failed to yield desired result; polarising the 80 per cent Hindus. After this flop show, they embarked on yet another uncharted path, to honour Karpoori Thakur and M S Swaminathan with the coveted Bharat Ratna. But ironically, this also did not help them catch the imagination of the Dalits, EBC and farmers.

With the saffron ecosystem having miserably failed to come out with a tenable electoral strategy, Modi has decided to use the ‘development’ plankto win over people and keep his cadres going. In his Sunday speech at the national convention of the BJP, Modi waxed eloquent about the country's growth and rising global standing, enumerate his government's so-called measures for empowering every section of society.

That Hindutva and Ram Temple have lost electoral relevance was manifest in Modi urging his cadres to reach out to the rural areas with the message of development. Before a crowd of 11,500 delegates from all across the country, Modi said that he was not seeking power for "sattabhog", instead for country's benefit. He exhorted party members to work with renewed energy, vigour and enthusiasm for the next 100 days to ensure a big victory.

Swaying of Modi has surely benefitted INDIA bloc. While some political analysts have already written off INDIA, describing it as a waste of time and energy, Modi is busy injecting life into the opposition with his constant harping on it. While experts say that Rahul Gandhi should have first sorted out the issue of seat sharing, they forget that setting a counter-narrative and communicating with the people is equally imperative. An insight into the benefits of Bharat Jodo Yatra and now Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra makes it explicit that Congress is on the path of revival.

Modi’s yet another device, threatening and coercing the opposition leaders, has misfired. While he has been facing functional disorder, the nonconforming attitude of the leaders who he forced to join his bandwagon, could not inspire the people. Though these leaders think of themselves as most prudent and politically astute, people are beginning to take them as political jesters. Satraps like Mamata Banerjee and Nitish Kumar have inflicted more harm to their own political and electoral interests than on the INDIA bloc.

While Nitish, after switching his loyalty back to Modi, has turned into an outcaste in Bihar. Even the Mahadalits, EBC and minorities, who he claimed as his committed supporters and followers, have been publicly abusing and insinuating him. BJP leaders are not quite sure that the nine-time Bihar CM would motivate these people to vote for the NDA candidates in the elections.

People are looking towards mahagathbandhan of RJD, CPI(ML), CPI, CPI(M) and Congress as the only alternative, which would usher them into a bright future. Shifting loyalty of Mahadalits, EBC and minorities has made Nitish nervous. To check the erosion and also send out the message that he continues to have working relation with secular forces, he called on RJD chief Lalu Yadav on Saturday. A seasoned politician Lalu put him in embarrassing position by saying “doors were always open for Nitish Kumar. Jab aayenge to dekhenge”.

Nitish tried to salvage his prestige by downplaying the issue saying, “I maintain good relations with allies as well as opponents”. But the harm has already been done. The message has gone out to both side of the political stream, the INDIA bloc and the NDA, but also to his supporters that he has turned avaricious for power and can resort to any action to sustain it. There is no denying that Nitish shaking hands with Modi has only harmed him instead of adding to his strength.

For Mamata Banerjee as well, the situation has not been too rosy in Bengal. Her obdurate stance towards the INDIA bloc has simply bolstered the BJP to intensify its campaign against her. Though she is not tired of boasting that she alone could defeat BJP in the Lok Sabha election in Bengal, the fact is the TMC leaders are jittery and are not convinced of her claim. Failure of the TMC leadership to contain the women’s rebellion in Sandeshkhali against the misdemeanour of the local TMC leadership is a candid example of the party losing ground support and also a section of senior leaders turning averse.

Main complaint of both these leaders has been that Rahul has not been paying attention to seat-sharing and also not been respecting them. Do these regional leaders think that they are capable of seeping the election through across the country and defeat Modi by themselves? Clearly, they don’t have their ears to the ground.

On the other hand, it is the Indian mainstream media, also known as Godi media, that has been inflicting severe damage to the INDIA bloc. In a Goebbelsian manner, they have launched vilification campaigns against the Congress, especially targeting Rahul. However, this too reinforces the fact that INDIA is not a spent force, nor has it lost its political relevance as is being made out by the mainstream media.

Though it is alleged that INDIA bloc is facing the crisis, an insight into its functioning in the neighbouring Jharkhand shows the INDIA leaders are in upbeat mood. They had earlier planned to announce the seat-sharing coinciding with entry of BJNY of Rahul Gandhi in Jharkhand. They now plan to announce seat adjustment after release of Hemant Soren from jail. While it would be a major rebuff to the BJP, at the same time it would raise the morale of the INDIA bloc cadres and leaders.

In Bihar too, the constituents have finalised seat sharing. It had been delayed due to betrayal of Nitish Kumar. INDIA bloc had agreed to concede 17 seats to JD(U). But in the prevailing situation, the RJD, Congress and Left parties had to field their own candidates on those 17 seats. Contesting the 17 additional seats would create huge pressure on the availability of the resources. Nevertheless, the INDIA bloc leaders are confident of resolving the resource problem.

Notwithstanding Congress putting forth ambitious proposals for each state, aiming for significant representation in the upcoming elections, its primary aim has been to win over the OBC, Dalits, EBCs and especially the youths. It is also clear that the nature of revival of Congress would also underline the number of seats it would contest.

The alliance committee has already submitted its report to Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi. The Congress is looking to contest in around 291 seats and the rest in alliance in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The leadership is quite euphoric that the new narrative set by Rahul Gandhi has brought about a major change in the approach and psyche of the people, especially the youths, who incidentally in 2019 had rallied behind Modi. They are confident that this time it is not going to be repeated.

The shift in the stance and mood of the younger voters has been evident throughout Rahul’s BJNY journey from Manipur. Whether it was in Manipur, or Bihar or Bengal or Uttar Pradesh, for young voters Rahul is their hope. They are frustrated with the politics of hatred and Hindu-Muslim rhetoric of Bhagwat and Modi. Reports say that Rahul’s BJNY received more enthusiastic welcome from the youths in Uttar Pradesh than at any other place the Yatra has visited so far.

A media report underlines: “They were among the huge crowd — 1.5 lakh strong, according to a police officer on duty — that greeted Rahul Gandhi outside Anand Bhavan in Allahabad”. The city has not seen such a huge crowd at any Congress programme in recent years. “It shows the people want the Congress back, but it’s up to the Congress to respond or return to its slumber after this Yatra,” it adds.

Rahul’s interaction with Muslim leaders make it abundantly clear that they are not going to waste vote and will rally behind the party which fights for preserving democracy and human rights. One thing was quite noticeable at the Allahabad rally: ordinary voters had inundated the city. It has been indeed a shocking revelation for Modi; people openly saying: “We don’t deny the importance of Lord Ram in India’s life but a human can’t bring Ram. He comes by himself. Nobody can claim credit for bringing Ram.” (IPA Service)