BJP To Work On Coalition Strategy

June 4, 2024, results for Lok Sabha elections brought third term victory for the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and to make complete sense it was the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coming back to power. That day it also turned the clock for the BJP because by not getting a majority after ten years of government they felt the true need for its allies in the shape of NDA which helped Atal Bihari Vajpayee as well. The verdict of 2024 has made the BJP dependent on the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janta Dal(U) entirely. Despite being suddenly in such a situation, looking ahead BJP celebrated the results of Lok Sabha elections across the country. 

But with such results the internal dynamics of the new government vis a vis BJP will be different in coming months. To state that simply, BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have taken a route of consensus this time as till now PM Modi has never had a chance to run a coalition government.  Although PM Modi in his maiden speech after the election results declared that NDA would continue to make big decisions in its third term, but BJP may have to keep aside its core issues while running the NDA government and reinvent the idea of cooperative federalism. The task of running a coalition NDA government is now on PM Modi because many difficult decisions the PM may take could be blocked by the allies if it impacts their voter base in any way. 

Because of this, the new political dynamics that PM Modi & Home Minister Amit Shah invented while running a majority government will be visible a little less this time. Such changes can be witnessed within the new cabinet formed. Because of power-sharing many of BJP’s major faces were dropped from the new cabinet.  Let’s also not forget that some prominent cabinet faces of previous Modi government were defeated because of several political reasons on ground. This has brought mixed feelings for BJP as instead it inducted new OBC, and women faces in the newly formed cabinet. It reflects the BJP’s plan to face combative opposition in the Parliament this time led by the Congress party. At the same time, BJP’s narrative of giving a stronger government wasn’t achieved which has given Congress an edge in the Parliament.

For BJP the results in the Jammu region were on expected lines as Jammu and Udhampur seats were retained by the party. However, on both seats of the Hindu majority region, the results witnessed a dip in victory margin. So, this significant dip this time will be an area of concern for the party. On the other side in Kashmir, the Muslim majority region, voters threw a shocker by making jailed terror funding accused and independent candidate Engineer Rashid victorious against Omar Abdullah in Baramulla. Similarly, the Mehbooba Mufti faced defeat at the hands of National Conference’s Mian Altaf Ahmed by around 2.81 lakh votes in the Anantnag – Rajouri seat. With this, both key faces of the Abdullah and Mufti families were left out of the important political battle of 2024.  Because on both regional sides sentiments were different after 2019 and the results are a message for the new government in Delhi. Besides, it became more important as the BJP-backed candidates Zaffar Manhas of Apni Party and Sajad Lone of J&K Peoples Conference lost on both Kashmir seats.  Jammu & Kashmir voters have spoken boldly through votes but silently to reclaim the political space in their respective regions.

For the BJP, who must be preparing for assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand, these results will set a future path where the focus on the past will remain present in their plans. One of the different tasks this time for BJP will be to work on coalition strategy because explosive statements to communicate narrative during campaigning won’t pay to the NDA and in some situations may instead cause moral defeat to this alliance. Therefore, the entire politics of BJP this time will embrace many new things not witnessed in the last ten years.

Develop Heritage Consciousness In Youth

The talk of ‘cultural heritage’ always puts reflection on the history and identity of every society. And let’s agree that ‘cultural heritage’ faces increasing challenges in the era of ‘smart cities’. Why so? All because the modernization in the name of ‘smart cities’ in times to come will decrease the interest of the younger generation towards their cultural heritage. The lack of formal and informal education contributes to this phenomenon also. The importance of ‘cultural heritage preservation’ should become a priority to preserve cultural heritage for future generations. Among other things that majorly damage cultural heritage are uncontrolled development activities, climate change, and natural disasters. Another challenge is the limitation of conservation resources and the absence of experts due to the lower positioning of ‘heritage preservation’, resulting in a loss of interest and participation in conservation efforts. These many things lead to the degradation of heritage sites and the loss of valuable artifacts.

To begin with, especially among the younger generation, it is required that we raise ‘historical consciousness’ and ‘historical literacy’ in them so that we can preserve cultural heritage. Simply speaking, understanding the past and strengthening a sense of connection to that past need to be done in many ways. With this, the youth can be positively influenced and a perception building towards cultural heritage can be done easily. Besides, this will be a step in the right direction to raise their willingness to participate in preservation and conservation efforts by contributing in their ways. It will play a crucial role in developing communities that understand their history and culture, and the ‘past’ and the ‘present’.

For ‘historical literacy’ museums and heritage sites play a crucial role in promoting cultural knowledge in the younger generation and allow communities to engage with cultural knowledge. Therefore, this literacy on the conservation of cultural heritage should start among high school students in India as this period can play a critical role in influencing the engagement of the younger generation in heritage preservation. Moreover, on a very high note developing educational programs and public policies to enhance students’ participation needs to be developed as a part of the theoretical framework. This will raise ‘historical consciousness’ in the youth across the country. The current and most popular scheme launched by the Government of India – ‘Smart City’ can become an example of the ‘sustainable preservation’ of cultural heritage among the youth.

To champion the cause of heritage preservation, one basic question arises in the era of ‘smart city’- Are we ignoring the history and culture of a place? Depending on the ‘value’ and ‘beauty’ of cultural heritage at any place the answer will come correctly for this question. But the need is to ask this ‘question’ everywhere because only offering illuminating lights and building gates in markets won’t complement developing historical consciousness and proactive heritage conservation endeavors in the younger generation.  Jammu enjoys a rich heritage with many historic monuments, buildings, and sites; for this reason, more money should go into the conservation of heritage work. Only transforming the city with different ideas of urban improvement and not preserving the old Jammu city would defeat the idea behind having ‘smart cities’.

The conservation issues are complex but unless this happens, our ‘smart city’ won’t be sustainable.  And that will also fail the idea of shaping Jammu’s informed youth who will become custodians of heritage.  At the local level in Jammu high-level coordination is required between different government departments to resolve pending works. Sometimes bringing these departments together is a little difficult for different reasons, but if done, the conservation of these heritage buildings in Jammu will provide a sense of identity and continuity for future generations. It will also support the local tourism industry.  The prevailing situation makes it imperative for Jammuites to participate and raise issues for conserving our heritage. The onus now lies on us to support smart heritage-inclusive cities and not let things be forced on us in the name of ‘transformation’ while the heritage of Jammu City remains isolated in the name of ‘change’.

Anantnag-Rajouri Seat And Shifting Political Dynamics

Even after facing stiff opposition from the Gujjars and Bakerwals, Paharis became successful in getting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status in Jammu and Kashmir. Paharis have fought a long battle for reservation before seeing this success. Ten percent reservation has been given to the Pahari Ethnic Tribe, Paddari Tribe, Kolis, and Gadda Brahmins in J&K which was approved by the Parliament in this year’s budget session in February. The Gujjars and Bakerwals were already enjoying a ten percent reservation in Jammu and Kashmir under the ST category. With this new addition, total reservations under the ST category have gone up to twenty percent. However, Gujjars and Bakerwals continue to believe that Paharis didn’t deserve reservation as they belonged to a socio-economically empowered group. With this new ten percent reservation for the Pahari community, Paharis will now get their share in government jobs and various seats in educational institutions. Paharis have a large population in the Poonch and Rajouri districts of the Jammu region and around ten lakh new people are going to get new ST reservations as Paharis have a presence even in North Kashmir’s Baramulla and Kupwara districts.  

This new reservation has seen large political activity around it from protests to internet blockades to political allegations. Most opposition party leaders in J&K believe that this reservation only results from the BJP’s ambitions of expanding in the Muslim-majority Rajouri and Poonch districts. Moreso, because nine assembly segments in the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly after delimitation are now reserved for ST. Before the delimitation of constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, the Jammu region had only thirty-seven assembly seats while the Kashmir region had forty-six. Surprisingly, after delimitation, Jammu got an additional six seats and Kashmir saw only an increase of one seat, taking the total tally to ninety seats in the J&K legislative assembly. So, this allegation of opposition parties shows some reasoning for it. But as they say ‘politics is number game’ so this reservation appears more of a socio-political plan of the BJP to extend its footprint especially in these two districts.

According to the 2011 census, the total population of Paharis in the Pir Panjal region is fifty six percent. Moreover, the BJP has registered victory in the assembly segments of Nowshera and Kalakote falling in this region and retained that lead in both assembly segments during the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In this prevailing political scenario and with this new ‘reservation’ granted, BJP is banking on the consolidation of its traditional Hindu vote bank and expand more with Muslim Paharis vote to score big again in this belt as well as in assembly segments like Uri and Karnah in Kashmir region. BJP is planning to gain with ‘reservation’ even in some pockets of south Kashmir where Paharis are present in significant numbers and this region is known for low-voting percentage in elections.  Firstly, BJP wants to test and achieve out of this ‘new reservation’ and low voting percentage trend in the newly carved out Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat having eighteen assembly segments, including Anantnag, Anantnag West, Budhal, Devsar, DH Pora, Dooru, Kokernag, Kulgam, Mendhar, Nowshera, Pahalgam, Poonch Haveli, Rajouri, Shangus-Anantnag East, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Surankot, Thannamandi and Zainapora.

BJP wants to create a strategic political push on this seat as it is the first-ever Parliamentary seat stretching in both the Jammu and Kashmir divisions. With the impact of the Pahari reservation on this Lok Sabha seat, the BJP’s plans will be little smooth. If we go by simple math that if south Kashmir doesn’t vote in high numbers again this time and Pir Panjal witnesses Hindu and Muslim Pahari vote consolidation in favor of BJP, then BJP will be in favorable condition in Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat, and it may convert this into its maiden electoral victory in the Kashmir valley. Meanwhile, let us also admit that it is easier said than done because of the opposition parties contesting against the BJP on this seat and the traditional strong political hold of the National Conference, Congress, and PDP in the Pir Panjal region. Considering the newly carved Rajouri-Anantnag Parliamentary constituency and the shifting political dynamics in this constituency vis a vis historical voting trends, every single vote will be crucial in determining the future representation on this seat which may become a turning point in Kashmir's electoral journey.

Temple & Modi : A Dominant Social Force

For BJP supporters there was no parallel to LK Advani’s rath yatra in 1990 which propelled BJP firmly into Indian politics. But after the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya which became a socio-religious-political event, the old sentiment of rath yatra is left far behind now. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is the protege of LK Advani proved his determination further. BJP supporters are firmly propagating that post-1947 India hasn’t seen this kind of sentiment in the country which united all Hindus. In the Modi era, the Ram moment also became a Modi moment, and we can say that PM Modi has showed his mettle in this event management. The consecration of the Ram Lalla idol will further thrust the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha elections as this event saw religious fervor, media frenzy, and high emotional sentiment across the country. 

The Lord Ram’s temple & PM Modi have turned into a dominant social force as well. A persona has been continuously built around PM Modi by his supporters after the abrogation of Article 370, the Balakot air strike, and after hosting the G20 summit in India. With all this happening in PM Modi's term, he has secured a place in the history books. In the democratic setup many believe in him as king of Hindu hearts after PM declared that 1000 years from now people will talk of January 22 as a date of Hindu pride and emotion after performing rituals in the Lord Ram’s temple in Ayodhya. Previously, the coalition politics of NDA forced it to go soft on the Ram temple, but PM Modi blurred the line between State and religion in his era and infused new energy in supporters of Hindutva. The temple construction matched the 2024 election calendar after the favorable decision of the Supreme Court to build a temple in Ayodhya. The carefully chosen month, with Sadhu Samaj in the audience cheering the PM Modi has given a new lease of life to BJP to go ahead in 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

With temple inauguration PM Modi has given a call for “Ram Rajya” which reflects that India will ensure equal treatment to all citizens with no fear for other communities, especially minorities. The question is - will this match the minority's mood in the nation? In the last 10 years, we saw many time weaponization of ‘Ram’ and minorities being threatened leading to communal tensions in some cities of India. Also, we have seen many instances where hate speeches were made for a social and economic boycott of minorities. PM must ensure that in his third term (which is likely to happen) the legacy he is trying to build should not become a hollow promise for minorities in India as many BJP workers are openly making calls for Hinduism as the official religion of the Indian republic which creates a toxic social environment. This also gives tools in the hands of fundamentalists who work only to create polarisation in society. Though these things become ‘headline-grabbing’ in politics but whenever the political system stirs social divide it always leads to differences which at times leads to hundreds of deaths in the name of religion. Amidst the whole thrust put by the BJP on PM Modi’s personality to secure hat trick for BJP government, delivering on security for minorities can be the beginning of a new India where an inclusive nature symbolizes the political achievement of any party rather than just a 'soft target' of receiving votes in the election season.  

Four Years With Covid 19

As of 1 March 2024, there were 1001 active Covid 19 infection cases in India according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. For almost four years now, we have been watching the number of newly infected vs. the number of recovered and discharged patients each day in India. It seems Covid 19 statistics have become part of our lives. But have you ever met someone who got Covid 19 infection six times in the last four years? I met one-person last week who recovered from a cold and flu and while telling me this, he laughed that he should be a ‘subject of research’ because in the last 4 years during annual seasonal outbreaks in the winter months, his rapid screening tests always gave him Covid 19 positive reports. Fear was absent in his eyes. This incident took me back four years when fear ruled in the name of Covid 19. Do you remember March of 2020?

I remember that I was involved in a heritage conservation program in the first week of March 2020. Interestingly, after the event a retired IAS officer said that there was a ‘coronavirus’ going around in India so keep a check and plan your next schedule accordingly. And he said it's a pretty ‘serious virus’ at least for ‘retired people’ and everyone laughed together. However, I reassured him that it was nothing to worry about and that we would probably conduct a session in a few weeks with him being the resource person again. Well, I was wrong.  The virus took the shape of a complete global pandemic and on March 24, 2020, we faced lockdown. Soon, ‘coronavirus’ became ‘Covid 19’ that brought the entire planet to a halt. And this halt made a big impact on our lives. There was no contact with anything or anyone. No handholding or patting someone on the back. During that lockdown, we realized how very important is our mental health and how important it is for us to be connected to friends and family or be part of a crowd at a marriage function.

We all are ‘survivors’ of this pandemic where devastation was the only word explainable and attributable to Covid 19. The death from Covid 19 remains an ongoing and serious risk. Many people died during the Omicron wave than in the supposedly deadlier Delta wave. Then came the new Covid 19 variant JN.1 with new increased volume of reinfection and new symptoms and deaths as well that caused the most concern. This has resulted into long covid, with symptoms like fatigue, memory loss, chest pain, diarrhea, and rapid heart rates. Some researchers have suggested that it can lead to a higher risk of lung problems, fatigue, diabetes, and certain other health problems which is result of long covid only. A lot of materialistic things are still not affordable for us, but ‘life’ should be taken as the biggest luxury after seeing all this.  Perhaps we learned to appreciate the many things we took for granted after lockdowns.

No one wants that loneliness to return to our lives. No one wants to stay in that isolation, especially our elders. The pandemic has made us better people, and more willing to lend a helping hand. Covid 19 brought the societies together which were drifting away due to introduction of technology in our life. We learned that humility and kindness should reflect our lives. However, the sad part is how quickly we forget and now no fear or sense of threat prevails in our minds. So, this should not end up with us just being a ‘survivor’. It’s important to remember that we battled loneliness, sick children, parents, in-laws and so much more. Today as we stand, we need to stay hopeful that we continue to thrive and live life full of community and new experiences. For all this, don’t forget to thank your God who helped you through this!

Live A Healthier Life

If you look around, you will find several people these days who spend time online to find diets and ways for weight loss to become healthy. Honestly, I know many people who search for answers for such personal aspects of life on the internet. During conversations with them, I realized that after reading a lot they yet had no clarity about diets and ways all because such people get over-exposed to the information on the internet and later cannot explain to themselves, what information exactly they found. It's nothing surprising because many times this online weight-loss diet knowledge is completely the opposite of each other. When faced with such a situation, the trust and confidence of people touch another low as they feel that weight loss is something that happens rarely. They lose hope and then even preach to others that we should enjoy eating and be happy with our body weight, which is God’s gift, or ‘his way of life’ designed for them.

Although it's a personal choice to maintain weight. But all those who want to lose weight need the right approach and guidance to stay on track. To raise your confidence, let me disclose that the only thing that must be looked for in healthy weight loss is a 'nutritious diet' that comprises vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products because without it no weight loss can be achieved.  Of course, there is also a lot of proven evidence that documents that a 'nutritious diet' for weight loss works only if we stay consistently on it. Often, the adult in us says something else and the child in us takes us off track in this weight management plan. So, let's talk about a simple guide to make an informed choice by keeping note of some basic facts.  

To start with, limitation needs to be made on everyday salt intake in our meals be it with fruits, vegetables, or healthy nuts. In addition to it, the nutritional value of the diet matters a lot, and this is impacted by the protein sources we have in our daily food plan. For this, if you are taking non-vegetarian foods, you can have your protein share through egg, chicken, fish, or any other type of meat (only a small portion), and for vegetarians, protein sources are beans and legumes, soy, nuts and nut butter, tofu, quinoa, grains, soy milk, spinach, mushrooms. For vegetarians as well as non-vegetarians, one of these protein sources should be taken every day along with every main course. Adding to the problem is a common thing i.e. sweetness, which we all look for after meals. But it means transportation of unhealthy options inside the body while doing weight management as the use of artificial sweeteners after every meal deviate weight loss plans. 

While doing all this, let me tell you that we need not follow one diet plan for the rest of our lives. There is always the need to bring variation in a diet after 2-3 months otherwise it brings medical problems, especially nutritional deficiencies, and metabolism defects in the body. Besides, the reason behind this approach is also to shut doors for short-term weight loss plans. I watched people getting results with extreme dieting and sadly in every case weight came back in less than 3 to 4 months. Extreme dieting is impossible to follow for long and hence, weight gain. The diet that you need to follow should bring healthy results and not the ones that may later invite medical problems. Another trend has been witnessed of taking multivitamins to become healthier without even knowing the need for it. In the present day, it’s an exception to take calcium and Vitamin D supplements as vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets don't fulfill the intake requirements for these nutrients. Otherwise, a healthy diet can supply you with necessary minerals and vitamins that you need to sustain a healthy body. In other words, it's always important to choose something right for yourself.  

Further, while doing a nutritional diet plan, it is equally important to limit your calorie intake by limiting trans fats mostly found in packed foods as well as junk food, a favorite alternative, especially for millennials. To limit calorie intake, people feel that fasting is a path they should take to cut high-calorie intake done in previous meals. But that's basically a myth and something which harms your body again. A few hours of fasting in one day will not help if, on the remaining days, nothing has been done to help the body in a healthier manner because a sustained effort is needed to be made to keep body healthy. To do all this, a long-term commitment is needed to develop eating habits that bring change and a gradual adjustment in the body's metabolism.

A new normal must be created with these basic health lessons which are crucial, and they become a foundation stone to practice a healthy lifestyle.  After all, no diet is a perfect diet until you exercise or do some physical activity as part of this process. It would help to keep body weight away. For this, do some workouts in the gym, running, or even a brisk walk for 45 minutes every day along with your healthy eating routine. Whatever you choose, just choose not to cheat/miss a day. More so, due to a reasonable exception if you miss a day then don't worry as every routine should motivate you enough to follow back and not make you feel guilty. Try to live a healthier life but if you have certain health issues or take medications then check with your doctor always before planning to jump into weight loss plans. Everyone has a goal to remain healthy and it is never too late. But to achieve it, only a few people take steps that bring immense happiness and reduce the anxiety caused by clothes that suddenly feel tight.

Reset Jammu's Security Mechanism

In the last few years, the Kashmir region has witnessed a weakened anti-India ecosystem. This needs to be appreciated. The first major sign of improvement in the situation is that the stone pelting has become a thing of the past. Kashmiris no more pelt stones on Indian security personnel near any site of a gunbattle between militants and security forces. Previously, teenagers in Kashmir were being used by their handlers for carrying out such stone pelting attacks near almost every site of gunbattle. Secondly, in the last four years calls to boycott any elections in J&K have stopped. Although an "era of peace" is yet to be achieved and could be far still the central government is firmly taking steps like declaring ‘Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, J&K (TeH) as an 'Unlawful Association' under UAPA. Moreover, for the first time in the last many decades, the New Year celebrations took place at Srinagar's Lal Chowk on December 31 and people were seen enjoying the Lal Chowk without fear.

The working security machinery in Kashmir has been remarkable and never seen in the past 3 decades. Amid the developing peace in Kashmir and the rising spirit of nationalism across the country, let's not shy away from acknowledging another fact that the Jammu region has been witnessing an upward trend in militant activities since 2019. A process has been set into motion to take the Jammu region back in time. Simply examine the year 2023 which started with a massacre at Dhangri village of Rajouri in which 7 civilians, including children, were killed on January 1. After that, IED recovery was made at Kheora Rajouri, then twin explosions in two different vehicles at Narwal Jammu in which nine civilians were injured. Apart from what all started building in 2019, the year 2023 hinted towards infrastructure ready for maintaining the troublesome situation in Jammu province. It would be too 'liberal' if we forget that the year 2023 ended with the martyrdom of four soldiers in the Poonch district when heavily armed militants attacked an army vehicle at Dera Ki Gali. After this incident, another internal security conflict erupted when three civilians allegedly died in Indian army custody which triggered a massive public outcry.

After the year 2021, these border districts have seen targeted killings of security forces personnel. Despite efforts by security forces, the militants struck again and again in the Poonch and Rajouri belt which surely now is the prime focus of militants. Addressing the year-end press conference in Jammu, DGP R.R. Swain also said that foreign terrorists are still getting some support from “our territory”. This may also point towards the critical challenge slowly but steadily built in the Jammu region in the last few years. A question arises here- Is Rajouri-Poonch going back to the late 90s? Surely no. However, the recurring nature of attacks shows that the intention is purely to revive militancy. With these attacks, anti-India forces intend to dispel the perception that peace has returned in J&K and for that reason, these civilian killings and attacks are significantly done now in the Jammu region.

Another big reason behind this change of tactics is that militants are finding it very difficult to operate in Kashmir so for that reason these anti-national activities have been taken out of the Kashmir valley to maintain the momentum. The government is saying that there is peace in the Jammu region but despite such claims, the reality remains grim as fear now prevails among civilians.  These areas in the past saw a change of demography and with a renewed threat prevailing in the region, this may silently start happening once more. With two elections coming for J&K in 2024 and a hanging hope to see full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir at an "appropriate time", it's the right time to reset Jammu's security mechanism and the government should weigh all the strictest methods to prevent Jammu from becoming another Kashmir 'living in the sense of fear'.