Electoral scene

WEAPONISING ED SHOWS MODI'S LIMITLESS AMBITION TO STAMP OUT ALL POLITICAL OPPOSITION Prem Shankar Jha
https://thewire.in/politics/weaponising-ed-shows-modis-limitless-ambition-to-stamp-out-all-political-opposition

they had found perfect instruments not only to destroy the opposition but also to convert India into an
authoritarian, one-party pseudo-Hindu state of their dreams... Only one threat remained to be removed: this was the possibility, still remote in March but not to be discounted, of the opposition parties recognising the common danger that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) posed to all of them – the destruction of India’s multi-ethnic federalism – and presenting a single United Front against the BJP in 2024.

No scandal, least of all corruption, can rock BJP arithmetic. Adani or no Adani https://theprint.in/opinion/no-scandal-least-of-all-corruption-can-rock-bjp-arithmetic-adani-or-no-adani/1523063/ Shruti Kapila 17 April, 2023 While it is tempting for the opposition to focus on corruption, the real political question in India today is authority.

The prime minister is now routinely reminding people of his humble origins while describing corruption as a trait of the old order. In so doing, Modi is speaking to and shoring up his large gallery of converted and committed voters. Casting himself again as the new force in an old order helps reflect corruption as an outcome of a decadent passage of time. Modi’s appeal has rested on his rite of passage from modest origins to India’s strongman....It is this fine line between strength and authority that Adani-gate is testing. While strength is a signal virtue, authority is an ace political vice. This is precisely because authority is associated with weakness and will be the touchstone of the next national electoral campaign.

Authority is no strength: whether it is the stalling of a joint parliamentary committee probe or, more to the point, the slapping of civil or criminal suits – corruption, defamation, and what have you – against opposition party leaders. Lawsuits might not make a martyr out of a Rahul Gandhi or an Arvind Kejriwal, yet. What it leaves behind is the distinct stench of authority. The BJP’s spin doctors have already started to confuse strength with authority. In doing so, they are beginning to make Brand Modi vulnerable...

Strongmen might be loved, but authoritarians are only feared. As modern politics teaches us, only kings and monarchies can rule with fear and authority. Democracies and even their strongest leaders need and live on the love of the people.

As Assembly Polls Draw Near, Azad, Sharma's Resignations Point to Deep Factionalism Within Congress https://thewire.in/politics/azad-sharma-resignations-congress-factionalism

In North India, the party has already lost Delhi and Punjab to AAP, failed to prevent the BJP's return to power in Haryana and Uttarakhand, and now faces infighting in its J&K and Himachal Pradesh units.

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The Indian National Congress has announced a Bharat Jodo Yatra, which will begin on September 7 from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. The party reached out to the civil society groups for support and engagement with the five month long yatra. 
In response, a National Conclave was attended by India’s over 150 Civil Society Organisations, Movements, Professionals and Unions. The conclave engaged in substantive discussions and expressed broad solidarity with the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The participant organisations welcomed the decision of the Yatra and expressed their willingness to engage with the yatra. It was decided that an appeal will be issued in the coming days for larger engagement of various civil society groups, Jan Andolans and  individuals.
The conclave was also attended by Shri Rahul Gandhi, Shri Digvijaya Singh, Shri Jairam Ramesh and others on behalf of Congress, who had an interactive discussion on various  aspects related to the yatra. The conclave was convened by a group of civil society activists including Aruna Roy, Syeda Hameed, Sharad Behar, PV Rajgopal, Bezwada Wilson,
Devanoora Mahadeva, GN Devy and Yogendra Yadav.

From Other Communications: ,

 The discussions were frank, nuanced, and grappled with the challenge of how peoples' movements and organisations can best engage with the Bharat Jodo Yatra to take on the crisis that the country faces today. The group discussions reflected the quality of deliberations. The interactions with Shri Digivijaya Singh and Shri Rahul Gandhi helped provide a clearer picture of how the Yatra fits into a larger perspective.

As we all agreed, a brief press release, attached here, was issued at the end of the meeting. We also decided upon the following steps to take the initiative forward:

1. We would draft and circulate, after due consultation, an appeal to wider society for engaging with the Yatra.
2. A group or committee would be formed to serve as the institutional bridge mechanism between peoples movements and the organisers of the Yatra. The eight signatories to the invitation letter for the Conclave would set up this group/committee, which reflects the social and ideological diversity of peoples' movements, after due consultation with the attendees and those who agreed with the idea but could not attend the meeting.
3. A series of regional and local consultations are to be held in a coordinated manner in the following weeks and months to synchronise with the Yatra's schedule. After the conclusion of the Yatra, a follow-up all India national conclave would be held

To facilitate ease of communication in the coming days, we intend to create a Whatsapp group (and an email group) of all who took interest in this initiative. Please let us know which mode would you would prefer.

In solidarity,
Aruna Roy, Devanoora Mahadeva, Ganesh Devy, P V Rajagopal, Sharad Behar, Syeda Hameed, Wilson Bezawada, Yogendra Yadav