Today in Politics: As PM Modi reaches a milestone, BJP faces 3 key challenges
While the PM reaches this milestone, his party faces some challenges on the domestic political front. First up is Bihar, where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has added momentum to the Opposition's attempts to corner the NDA government. While the ruling alliance is united in public, concerns have been expressed internally about how the voter verification drive will unfold, given that voters have been confused and have expressed anxiety about the entire exercise, as The Indian Express reported in a recent series from the state. Now, JD(U) MP Giridhari Yadav has become the first NDA parliamentarian to publicly criticise the SIR. While Yadav may not be a political heavyweight, the BJP will hope that cracks do not appear in the Bihar alliance.
Opposition RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has said the party may consider a poll boycott over the SIR, and the Congress Bihar in-charge, Krishna Allavaru, has said 'all avenues are open'. In the context of the Congress and its senior leadership repeatedly raising questions on the integrity of recent electoral processes, whether this turns into a serious option for the Mahagathbandhan will be one of the political stories to watch out for on Friday and the days to come. In all likelihood, this will end up playing into the hands of the BJP and give it breathing space to manoeuvre and counterattack the Opposition when it must be feeling the heat in Bihar.
The second challenge for the BJP is managing the optics following the surprising resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar as Vice-President earlier this week. Though the jury is out on why Dhankar stepped down so suddenly, Neerja Chowdhury writes in her latest column that the BJP won't be happy with the fact that it has to admit that it could not manage someone it had chosen for the second-highest Constitutional post.
Third, the BJP faces a tough test in less than a year in West Bengal, one of the states where the SIR is expected to cause a political upheaval if held. Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee has already declared she won't allow the exercise in the state, saying it will lead to the exclusion of genuine voters.
The TMC chief has also instructed her party to start mobilising on the issue of detention of Bangla-speaking migrants in various BJP-ruled states. At her Martyrs' Day rally in Kolkata on July 21, Banerjee targeted the BJP as an anti-Bengali party allegedly hounding Bangla speakers and labelling them as Bangladeshis. She alleged the BJP had unleashed 'linguistic terrorism' on Bangla speakers and announced that starting July 27, the party would hold protests each weekend to protest this injustice. She reiterated her message on Thursday.
The narrative built around Bengali pride and painting it as a party of outsiders had proved costly for the BJP in the 2021 elections and could hurt its chances in next year's elections too. How the party responds to this while maintaining its appeal to its core voter base about being tough on undocumented immigration will be one of the things to watch out for.
Also happening today:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will move a resolution in the Rajya Sabha to extend President's Rule in Manipur by six months.
The NISHAD Party in Uttar Pradesh will observe bandit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi's death anniversary on Friday by honouring women activists and holding discussions on her 'contribution to the fight for social justice'.
— With PTI inputs
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