BC NDP leadership hopeful John Horgan’s juggernaut clearly unnerved Coquitlam MLA Mike Farnworth – whose dreams of being the party leader were shattered after the mass signups of Adrian Dix’s camp led to his defeat in the 2011 leadership campaign in spite of the fact that he was the most popular NDP contender with British Columbians.
Farnworth was clearly unprepared for the momentum that Horgan’s election machine garnered as he first won support from as many as 15 MLAs, including South Asian MLAs Harry Bains (Surrey-Newton) and Raj Chouhan (Burnaby-Edmonds), and then went on to gain the support of
Coquitlam-Maillardville MLA Selina Robinson, former Port Moody-Coquitlam MLA Joe Trasolini, former interim B.C. NDP leader Dawn Black and New Westminster-Coquitlam and Port Moody MP Fin Donnelly – and that was on Farnworth’s turf.
Farnworth’s campaign crumbled like a house of cards and on Tuesday he announced he was out of race.
It appears that Farnworth’s organizational skills were lacking – or had he become too complacent when Horgan announced that he had decided not to run?
Also, it seems that NDP party members were looking for a younger face, but with some political experience that MLA David Eby was lacking. That’s why they managed to convince Horgan to enter the race.
After all, Horgan made a surprisingly strong show in the last leadership election and those who didn’t like Farnworth started pressuring him to run when all the others who had been expected to enter the race, backed out.
In the last leadership contest, Harry Lali and Jagrup Brar supported Farnworth, while Dix had the backing of Harry Bains. MLA Raj Chouhan remained neutral. Lali and Brar lost in the last election.
HORGAN said on Tuesday: “Mike Farnworth is a great MLA. He has done so much for our party and our province,” said Horgan. “I am grateful for his support, and the support of so many members of our caucus, as we build a team that will earn the votes of British Columbians in 2017 and make life better for all B.C. families.”
Farnworth said: “John and I share a commitment to ensuring that our party is focused on providing a progressive alternative to the B.C. Liberals that can gain the confidence of voters. There’s too much at stake for us to be distracted and I’m proud to stand with John to ensure that the B.C. NDP is united and ready to win in 2017.”
Horgan, who in the past three weeks had visited New Democrats in B.C.’s interior, northern Vancouver Island, Vancouver and Victoria’s suburbs, said: “Everywhere I go I hear from New Democrats that they want us to be united, strong and proud of who we are and what we represent. And most importantly, they want us to build a team that can and will win in 2017. Today is a major step forward in that effort.”
Horgan said that he was taking nothing for granted, and that he would continue his campaign to bring real leadership for all of BC, with stops in Vancouver, Merritt, Kamloops, Nanaimo, the Okanagan and the Kootenays in the weeks ahead.
LAST January, the NDP had announced that their new leader would be announced at an event on September 28 in Vancouver following a four-day voting period.
Leadership voting has been scheduled from September 24-27, with party members voting by preferential ballot ahead of September 28. The party’s chief electoral officer will tabulate the results on September 28, and the winner will be announced at an event that evening. Members will cast their ballots using a telephone and Internet voting system.
The deadline to become a member of the BC NDP in order to vote is June 26. British Columbians can join the party by visiting bcndp.ca/join.
But now there may be no need for an election – unless, of course, someone decides to challenge Horgan after all this!
THREE South Asians were among the five athletes who received this year’s Surrey RCMP Basketball Classic scholarships which were awarded following the Surrey RCMP All Star Classic on Friday, April 4 at Enver Creek Secondary.
The scholarships were presented to deserving athletes who participated in this year’s Surrey RCMP Basketball Classic tournament and who are encouraged to continue their academic students and athletic careers.
The recipients:
* Parmeet Matharu (Enver Creek) – Chris Mohan Memorial Scholarship
* Nimrit Plaha (Panorama Ridge) – Surrey School District Scholarship
* Sukhjot Bains (Tamanawis Secondary) – Surrey School District Scholarship
* Nicholas Smith (Lord Tweedsmuir) – Pierlet Memorial Scholarship
* Skylar Sheehan (Semiahmoo Secondary) – Surrey School District Scholarship
“This year’s scholarship winners are role models in our community and serve as a reminder for youth to continue to work hard towards achieving their educational and athletic goals,” says Surrey RCMP Cpl. Bert Paquet. “The Surrey RCMP is very proud of this long standing event which is just one of the many initiatives that we are involved in to help strengthen the bonds between police and youth in our community. Thanks to all those who participated and helped make it another successful event.”
CANUCKS Sports and Entertainment announced on Tuesday that Mike Gillis has been relieved of his duties as president and general manager.
“On behalf of my entire family, I would like to sincerely thank Mike Gillis for his hard work and the many contributions he made on and off the ice during his tenure,” said Francesco Aquilini, Chairman, Canucks Sports and Entertainment. “The Vancouver Canucks had success under Mike’s leadership, and we nearly reached our ultimate goal; but I believe we have reached a point where a change in leadership and new voice is needed.
“I also want to thank our fans for their support for the Vancouver Canucks through a difficult and frustrating season. We haven’t met their expectations or ours. We are committed to bringing the Stanley Cup to Vancouver for our fans and we will continue to do everything possible to reach that goal.”
Gillis replaced Dave Nonis in April 2008 after the Canucks missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. The Canucks made the playoffs every year under Gillis except this season.
CANADA’S Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander on Tuesday announced that Canada’s active recruitment model for economic immigration will officially be called “Express Entry.” Set to launch in January 2015, “Express Entry” is a major step forward in the transformation of Canada’s immigration system into one that is fast, flexible and focused on meeting Canada’s economic and labour needs, he said.
“Express Entry” will allow for greater flexibility and better responsiveness to deal with regional labour shortages, and help fill open jobs for which there are no available Canadian workers. “Express Entry” candidates who receive a valid job offer or nomination under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will be quickly invited to apply for permanent residency – a key distinction between “Express Entry” and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which is only used to fill temporary labour and skill shortages.
Formerly referred to as “Expression of Interest,” “Express Entry” will be open to skilled immigrants and allow the government to select the best candidates who are most likely to succeed in Canada, rather than those who happen to be first in line. It will also prevent backlogs and allow Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to better coordinate application volume with the annual immigration levels plan.
Qualified applicants can expect faster processing times of six months or less when invited to come to Canada in four key economic streams: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, Canadian Experience Class, and a portion of the PNP.
With “Express Entry,” employers will have a key role in selecting economic immigrants and providing advice to the Government of Canada. To this end, Alexander also announced that over the course of spring 2014, CIC will work with provincial and territorial governments to hold a series of cross-Canada information sessions to provide employers with more information about this new system.
* Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2014 will invest $14 million over two years and $4.7 million per year ongoing to ensuring the successful implementation of Express Entry.
* With Express Entry, Canada will be able to select the best candidates who are most likely to achieve success in Canada, rather than the first person in line.
* The Government of Canada’s new and improved Job Bank will help facilitate matches between Canadian employers and Express Entry candidates.
* Having a valid job offer or provincial / territorial nomination will guarantee Express Entry candidates an invitation to apply for permanent residence.
Alexander said: “Express Entry promises to be a game-changer for Canadian immigration and Canada’s economy. It will revolutionize the way we attract skilled immigrants, and get them working here faster. Our government is actively engaged with our provincial and territorial partners, and with employers, to make January’s launch of Express Entry a success.”
Washington (IANS): Arguments over social media platforms among romantic partners are damaging relationships, ending in negative outcomes like emotional and physical cheating, breakup and divorce, a significant research reveals.
Individuals who are active Twitter users are far more likely to experience Twitter-related conflict with their romantic partners, researchers said.
“I found it interesting that active Twitter users experienced conflict and negative relationship outcomes regardless of length of romantic relationship,” said Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in University of Missouri’s school of journalism.
Couples who reported being in relatively new relationships experienced the same amount of conflict as those in longer relationships, he noted.
In his study, Clayton surveyed 581 Twitter users of all ages.
Clayton asked participants questions about their Twitter use such as how often they login in to Twitter, tweet, scroll the Twitter newsfeed, send direct messages to others, and reply to followers.
Clayton also asked how much, if any, conflict arose between participants’ current or former partners as a result of Twitter use.
He found that the more often a respondent reported being active on Twitter, the more likely they were to experience Twitter-related conflict with their partner.
“The aim of this study was to examine whether my previous study that concluded that Facebook use predicted Facebook-related conflict – which then led to breakup and divorce – were consistent with Twitter,” Clayton commented.
In his previous research on Facebook, Clayton found that Facebook-related conflict and negative relationship outcomes were greater among couples in newer relationships of 36 months or less.
If Twitter users are experiencing Twitter-related conflict with their partner, Clayton recommends “couples of all ages limit their daily and weekly use of social networking sites to more healthy, reasonable levels”.
According to him, although a number of variables can contribute to relationship infidelity and separation, social networking site usage such as Twitter and Facebook use can be damaging to relationships.
Cut back to moderate, healthy levels of Twitter use if you are experiencing Twitter or Facebook-related conflict, he advised in the study published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.
SHE wanted to introduce the racist and bigoted charter of values in Quebec to harass minorities, but Quebeckers on Monday booted out Premier Pauline Marois’ Parti Quebecois, and Marois even lost her own seat and resigned as party leader.
Quebec Liberal Party under Philippe Couillard won a majority with 70 seats in the 125-seat National Assembly. The PQ got only 30, the Coalition Avenir Québec 22 and Quebec Solidaire three.
SFU School of Public Policy Professor Doug McArthur credited the unexpected Liberal landslide victory, as opposed to a minority win, to two things. He noted: “The election result was clearly driven by young voters under 45 years of age who didn’t want to hear about sovereignty and separation. As many younger voters in Quebec are much more supportive of multiculturalism than their older counterparts, they also didn’t support the PQ’s proposed values charter.”
SFU Professor Patrick Smith said the reigning Parti Quebecois’ unpreparedness had a lot to do with its downfall. He pointed out: “It seems like they spent more time on recruitment than making sure they are on message.”
PRIME Minister Stephen Harper said: “Quebecers have chosen to elect a majority government led by the Quebec Liberal Party.
“On behalf of our Government, I would like to convey my sincerest congratulations to Philippe Couillard on his election victory.
“The results clearly demonstrate that Quebecers have rejected the idea of a referendum and want a government that will be focused on the economy and job creation.
“We look forward to working with the new Government of Quebec on those priorities.
“I would also like to thank the outgoing Premier, Pauline Marois, for her public service.”
PREMIER Christy Clark said: “Like most Canadians, I have been paying close attention to the provincial election in Quebec.
“The Canada I have lived and worked in, the country that I am humbled to represent around the world, includes Quebec.
“I look forward to working with Premier-elect Couillard at the Premiers’ table on our shared goals: building a proud, prosperous and inclusive Canada.”
THE World Sikh Organization of Canada said the result affirms what Sikhs living in Quebec have always believed, that the people of Quebec are fair minded and share their vision of an inclusive society which respects people of all faiths and backgrounds.
WSO Quebec Vice President Mukhbir Singh said, “The Sikh community in Quebec and across Canada would like to thank the people of Quebec for unequivocally voicing their support for an inclusive and respectful vision of Quebec society. Today’s result is a rejection of the politics of division. Quebeckers want to focus on the real issues such as the economy and building a stronger Quebec. The strategy of trying to divert attention from these real issues by targeting minorities has resoundingly been thwarted.”
WSO President Dr. Amritpal Singh Shergill said, “Tonight’s result is a testament to the fair-minded people of Quebec who have sent a strong message that they will not tolerate the exclusion and marginalization of minorities in Quebec society. We wish Phillipe Couillard all the best as he becomes the next Premier of Quebec and encourage him to continue on the path of building a welcoming and tolerant society. In addition, we would note that the Parti Quebecois has a history of openness and inclusiveness and we would encourage them to return to those roots.”
Guwahati/Agartala/New Delhi (IANS): India went to the polls Monday, with nearly six million people casting their vote in five constituencies in Assam and one of two seats in Tripura. The chief ministers of both the northeastern states dismissed any “Modi wave” and expressed happiness at the high voter turnout of at least 74 percent in Assam and as high as 84 percent in Tripura.
The nine-phase Lok Sabha election, the world’s largest democratic exercise involving 814 million eligible voters spread across 28 states and seven union territories, began Monday and ends May 12. The results will be out May 16.
The Election Commission in New Delhi said the voter turnout in Assam – 72.5 percent till 5 p.m. and was expected to go up as “people were still in queue to vote” – might cross 75 percent while, in Tripura, it was 84 percent till 5 p.m.
Assam’s chief electoral officer Vijayendra later said 74.19 percent turnout had been recorded till 6.30 p.m., while officials said it would go up as reports were still being collected from various polling stations.
Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency saw the highest turnout – 75.94 percent, followed by Jorhat with 75.68 percent. Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency registered 74 percent, Lakhimpur 72.76 percent and Dibrugarh 72.56 percent polling.
Brisk polling was seen in five of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Congress-ruled Assam and one of the two in Marxist-ruled Tripura. Voting for only these six seats, out of a total 543 in the country, was held Monday.
An estimated 6.4 million people were eligible to vote for the five seats in Assam.
In Assam, polling was peaceful even as the day coincided with the ‘Raising Day’ of insurgent outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
As balloting began at 7 a.m., people queued up at polling stations in Tezpur, Jorhat, Kaliabor, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur. Polling was briefly delayed in a few of the 8,588 booths due to technical snags in the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The political fate of 51 candidates were sealed in the EVMs in Assam’s first phase of polling. Three constituencies will go to the polls April 12 and the remaining six April 24.
Prominent candidates whose electoral fate was sealed Monday include the chief minister’s son Gourav Gogoi, outgoing Congress MP Bijoy Krishna Handique, BJP state president Sarbananda Sonowal, and union ministers Ranee Narah and Paban Singh Ghatowar.
In Tripura, over 80 percent of the 1.2 million electorate cast their votes till 5 p.m. in Tripura West constituency, as polling was held for one of the two seats in the Left-ruled state, an official said.
“Long queues of people were seen in most of the 1,605 polling stations. Clear sky with excellent weather encouraged voters to come to the polling booths early,” Tripura Chief Electoral Officer Ashutosh Jindal told IANS.
Voting was delayed for a while in some polling booths due to technical snags in the EVMs but engineers either replaced or rectified the machines, he said.
Jindal said no major complaint of wrongdoing was received from any party.
Polling in the tribal reserved Tripura East constituency will be held April 12.
In Agartala, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar questioned a wave in favour of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
“Where is the Modi wave? There is no Modi wave not only in Tripura but also in the entire country. The corporate media has created this so-called wave,” Sarkar said.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi spoke on similar lines in Jorhat after casting his vote: “Modi magic will not work here. It is Tarun Gogoi’s magic that will work here.”
“We earlier had problems like insurgency and lack of development (in Assam). The performance of my government is better than Gujarat’s in many aspects.”
In the last polls in 2009, the voter turnout was 84.45 percent and in 2004 it was 67.39 percent across Tripura.
SECOND PHASE ON WEDNESDAY
The second phase of the Lok Sabha elections will be held Wednesday for seven seats in five northeastern states – Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland.
Balloting will be held in the two Lok Sabha constituencies each in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, one of the two constituencies in Manipur, and for the lone parliamentary seats in Mizoram and Nagaland.
In 2009, the Congress won both the seats of Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur each, the lone seat of Mizoram and one of the two in Meghalaya.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won one seat in Meghalaya while Nagaland’s lone seat was bagged by the Naga People’s Front.
Polling for the 60-member Arunachal assembly will also be held April 9.
While 11 Congress candidates, including Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, have been elected unopposed tio the Arunachal assembly, 163 people will contest for the remaining 49 assembly seats, and 11 candidates are vying for the two Lok Sabha seats – Arunachal West and Arunachal East, both reserved for tribals.
Altogether, 759,498 voters would exercise their right to franchise for both the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in 2,158 polling stations in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Congress or its breakaway groups have been in power in Arunachal Pradesh since 1980. The only time when the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power was in 2003, when former Congress chief minister Gegong Apang crossed over to the BJP camp. But the BJP government lasted for only 42 days.
In 2004, the Congress bagged 34 of the 60 assembly seats. It improved its tally in 2009 to 42. While the BJP bagged three and the NCP five, as many as 10 seats were captured by local parties and independents.
In Nagaland, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio will fight the Lok Sabha polls against Congress candidate K.V. Pusa. Rio’s NPF is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
In all, 1,182,903 voters would cast their ballots in 2,059 polling stations to decide the fate of three candidates in the fray for the lone Lok Sabha seat from Nagaland.
In Manipur, polling will be held for the Outer Manipur seat April 9 while the Inner Manipur constituency will vote April 17.
Ten candidates are in the fray in Outer Manipur – including the Congress’s Thangso Baite, BJP’s Gangmumei Kamei, Trinamool Congress’s Kim Gangte and the NCP’s Chungkhokai Doungel.
In all, 899,626 people are eligible to cast their votes in 1,406 polling stations in Outer Manipur.
In Mizoram’s lone Lok Sabha constituency, it will be a triangular fight between incumbent member C.L. Ruala of the Congress, Robert Romawia Royte of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and M. Lalmanzuala of the Aam Aadmi Party.
The main opposition UDF is an alliance of eight parties led by the Mizo National Front, which ruled the state for two terms (1998-2003 and 2003-2008).
The MNF had won the Lok Sabha seat, reserved for tribals, in 2004.
By-election for the Hrangturzo assembly seat would also be held April 9.
The by-election was necessitated after Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, who won from two seats in the assembly polls held in November last year, vacated the seat.
Vanlalawmpuii Chawngthu of the Congress would contest against UDF leader H. Lalduhawma, who unsuccessfully contested the last assembly polls from the same constituency.
Altogether 702,189 people are eligible to vote in 1,126 polling stations in Mizoram.
Tight security measures have been taken in all the states. Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Assam Rifles have been deployed in large numbers, said an Election Commission official.
“Helicopters would be pressed into service and mobile surveillance squads would supervise the election,” the official.
Considering hot weather and early sunrise and sunset, the poll panel has extended polling time by an hour in the northeastern region, except in Manipur and Nagaland, due to certain security concerns. Voters can cast their ballot from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Perth, Australia (IANS): Up to 11 military planes, three civil planes and 14 ships will assist in Tuesday’s search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) for the international search efforts said.
The search area is approximately 77,580 sq km, and good weather is expected throughout the day, Xinhua reported.
According to the JACC, the underwater search continues with Australia’s vessel Ocean Shield at the northern end of the defined search area, and Chinese ship Haixun 01 and British HMS Echo at the southern end.
The pulse signals consistent with those from aircraft black box were detected by Ocean Shield and Haixun 01 over the weekend in separate locations at a depth of 4,500 metres undersea. But further confirmation is needed as to whether these detections are related to MH370.
The Malaysian jetliner is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean although no confirmed debris has been found since it went missing on March 8 on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.
Mirpur (Bangladesh) (IANS): Sri Lanka beat India by six wickets to clinch the ICC World Twenty20 title for the first time at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Sunday.
After being put in to bat, India could only manage 130/4 in their 20 overs with Virat Kohli top scoring with 77. In reply, the 2009 and 2012 World T20 finalists reached the target with 2.1 overs to spare. This was the fifth edition of the tournament.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara, playing his last T20I, top scored with an unbeaten 52 while Mahela Jayawardene, also playing his last game of the format, made 24.
INDIA captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni Sunday admitted that his batsmen couldn’t execute the plans well in the last four overs against Sri Lanka in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Sunday.
“In the middle overs, our batsmen tried our best to get going, but we couldn’t convert the good start,” said Dhoni, after India’s six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in the final.
Indians were done in by their inability to rotate strike and some smart death bowling by Sri Lankan captain Lasith Malinga (1/23) and Nuwan Kulasekara (1/29) as they surprisingly managed just 19 runs in the last four overs.
“We could have always got those 10-15 runs, but cricket is about those runs. The last four overs they executed their plans very well and for our side that doesn’t play scoops well, that worked for them. Malinga with that slingy action kept bowling it wide. It was a perfect game for them,” said Dhoni.
Virat Kohli was the stand out performer again for India with a fine 77 off 58 balls as the 2007 champions struggled to get 130 for four in 20 overs. Kohli was also adjudged Man of the Tournament.
Dhoni lauded Kohli for his consistent performance and said the Delhi boy has a bright future ahead of him.
“Virat has been brilliant in the last few years. He is someone who makes most of the opportunity. The good thing is that he plays authentic shots and still scores runs. He is got a bright future ahead of them,” he said.
CRICKETING stalwarts Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara were finally relieved as they finished their Twenty20 International careers with Sri Lanka breaking the jinx by winning the ICC World T20 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Sunday.
The World Twenty20 win here for Sri Lanka came after a series of losses in four ICC World Cup events. Sangakkkara and Jayawardene, both former skippers, were a part of the Sri Lankan side that lost the 2007 and the 2011 50-over World Cups and the 2009 and the 2012 Twenty20 World Cups.
Sangakkara and Jayawardene, who have played 14 years of international cricket together, admitted that the win was sweeter as they had to wait for five ICC finals. The win was also a sweet revenge for their loss to India in the 2011 World Cup ODI final in Mumbai.
“It’s been a long time coming.. Waited five finals. Pretty happy I was able to do something for our team,” said Sangakkara, who was adjudged Man of the Match, for his match-winning unbeaten 52.
Jayawardene said Sri Lanka have been waiting for this title desperately since their last World Cup win came in 1996. They had shared the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 with India after final was washed out twice due to rains.
“We finally managed to break the jinx. Thanks so much to family and friends but this one is for Sri Lankan fans who have been waiting since 1996. It wasn’t a normal match. Lot of emotions as this was the last T20. It hasn’t sunk in yet and it will take a couple of days to get the feeling,” he said.
The two legends were then given a grand farewell by their team mates, who carried them on their shoulders around the packed stadium.
Sangakkara said it was a humbling experience for both him and Jayawardene.
“It means a lot to all of us. We are very humbled by this. The way (Virat) Kohli was batting, he was about to take the game away from us, but the way we bowled was brilliant.
“It was an all-round performance, led by Lasith (Malinga), Angelo (Matthews) had an amazing tournament. India are a tough side, but we are happy to be in the winning side. My family and playing for Sri Lanka are the two most important things that happened to me in my life. Everyone’s got to go and my time is now,” he said.
(IANS ANALYSIS) Why has the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) not been able to release the party manifesto as yet, even though the first phase of balloting begins Monday? For Narendra Modi, this lapse is a major embarrassment. Not only does it point to a cloudiness of the outlook which is holding up its release but also that the “one man show”, which is how the party’s “mentor”, L.K. Advani, described Modi’s command-and-control structure, does have a few cracks.
The conjecture is that the manifesto has become a victim of the tug-of-war between Modi’s development plank and the BJP old guard’s Hindutva agenda which has the support of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the head of the saffron brotherhood.
The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate appears to have already bowed to the dictates of the old guard and the RSS by slamming the Congress for allowing beef exports. He did so at a meeting in an area dominated by Yadavs, who belong to the intermediate caste which has traditionally been associated with the rearing of cattle as goalas or milkmen.
But it isn’t their supposed sensitivities which guided Modi, but the long-standing propaganda of the RSS castigating Muslims as beef-eaters who have scant regard for the veneration of the Hindus for the cow.
Similarly, Modi is believed to have acceded to the party’s pro-Bania (tradesmen) sentiments by opposing foreign investment in the retail sector although he advised the small shopowners not long ago to be prepared to face the global challenge. However, these may not be the only issues which have held up the release of the manifesto.
It is possible that the old guard and the RSS are keen on reversing the process initiated by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1996 when he put on hold the three key points of the Hindutva agenda – the building of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the scrapping of article 370 of the constitution conferring special status on Kashmir, and introducing a uniform civil code which will dispense with the so-called personal laws of various communities relating to marriage, inheritance et al.
Vajpayee’s decision followed his failure to form a government because none of the “secular” parties was willing to join it despite trying for 13 days. It was after the three points were shelved that he was able to come to power at the head of an unprecedented 24-party coalition in 1998 when the BJP won 182 seats.
As is known, the RSS and the BJP hardliners have never been happy with this backsliding by the “moderate” Vajpayee, who was derided as “half a Congressman” by the Hindutva hawk, Sadhvi Rithambara.
It is not impossible that Modi’s rising star has persuaded the hardliners to restore the deleted items in the BJP’s programme. Modi may not be opposed to the idea. After all, as an old pracharak (preacher), his instincts must endorse the preferences of the RSS.
At the same time, he cannot be sure how a return to what the Sangh Parivar propagated during the Ramjanmabhoomi movement in the 1990s will play out two decades later, especially when he likes to project himself as a business-friendly “vikas purush” or development man focussed on bullet trains and “smart” cities.
Nor can he be certain as to how his admirers in the corporate sector will react to a pledge to build the temple, amend the Constitution on a sensitive subject like Kashmir and change “personal” laws which will affect the centuries-old traditions of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and others.
For instance, one such “law” which will be nullified is the tradition of Hindu brides and grooms to be married with agni or fire as a “witness” to the chanting of mantras. If a uniform code is introduced, only “civil” marriages certified by a registered officer will be legal.
It is obvious that an overturning of Vajpayee’s promise of 1996 will lead to social tremors and communal tension by rekindling fears that the bad, old days are back. Neither the corporate sector, which prefers a stable atmosphere, nor the common man will be pleased.
It is not inconsequential that the head of the drafting committee is Murli Manohar Joshi, who was known for initiating the process of the saffronization of textbooks when he was the human resource development minister in Vajpayee’s cabinet.
More recently, he was turfed out of his old constituency of Varanasi to accommodate Modi. It may not be entirely fanciful, therefore, to suggest that he is trying to get his own back on the man who humiliated him by loading the manifesto with his own antediluvian ideas.
Ironically, manifestos have rarely aroused much interest among the general public. They are usually seen as statements of intent which the parties issue as a matter of routine with no wish to implement them.
In the BJP’s case, however, it isn’t only the unusual delay which is significant because its publication April 7, when the Lok Sabha election would have started, has been frowned upon by the Election Commission, but because the internal reasons point to a deeply divided party.
