Beloved Prime minister Narendra Modi’s image as a strongman with a 56-inch chest is well established at international forums as well as among adversaries of India. He built this image during his chief ministership of Gujarat, later he showcased it on national as well as international forums. From taking Digvijay Singh down in a press conference to landing midway in Islamabad at the peak of India-Pakistan rivalry, he has showcased it again and again. But, few months into the Bengal elections, it took a hit. Now, the arrest of the Union minister in Maharashtra is the latest incident to affect this image.
Union minister Narayan Rane was arrested on Tuesday for his minor remark against the current chief minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray. Rana was arrested at Sangameshwar in Ratnagiri by a Nashik city Police team that had left in the morning. . “We condemn the way in which Maharashtra Police and Ratnagiri SP behaved with him. He was having his food when he has manhandled and arrested…We have not been told under which section he has been arrested. We fear for his life” said BJP MLC Prasad Lad who was with Mr Rane. Hours after being detained in a humiliating fashion, Narayan Rane a Union minister was granted bail in the matter.
Meanwhile, the ground-level workers and committed members of the Nationalistic Party started to protest against the arrest, which was given a violent turn by Maharashtra Police. Earlier, Shiv Sena workers had attacked the BJP party-men at their Kalyan Office. A similar attack was orchestrated on a BJP corporator in Thane. The Shiv Sena has been so much on steroids that they did not even spare Senior BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and attacked his car.
Clashes between police and protesters near Union Minister Narayan Rane's residence in Mumbai, after his remarks on CM Thackeray.
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It has been a pattern for the committed workers of the BJP. The BJP party members on the ground have been thrashed, humiliated, belittled by the Trinamool Congress in Bengal, BJP members laid their lives for the party during elections. The political killings of BJP members included killing and hanging their dead bodies and the central leadership, could only pass formal condemnation for those Taliban-type incidents. Similarly, in Kerala, BJP has lost a good chunk of its committed workers. Now, encouraged by BJP’s formal silence on the issue, Maharashtra is on its way to surpass Bengal and Kerala. Their state police have been acting like a private militia arresting whoever and however, they want without any consideration for an established system of law and order.
BJP workers have started to feel that the top brass of the party does not care about them at all. There was no action on the ground while workers were getting killed in all three states. The uproar erupts on social media, and then the party offers a formal statement condemning the Taliban-type actions of Mamata Di, Kerala Chief Minister, and now Uddhav Thackeray. After two to three days everything goes gunk and the issue of ground-level party personnel bites the dust. If this carries on and BJP leadership does not take any action, then the workers are going to get thrashed in other states too. It will spread like a wildfire in states like Orissa, Chattisgarh, Punjab, Rajasthan, etc and the party will only be able to do a ‘kadi ninda’ on the dead bodies of loyal workers.
It’s time BJP should recognize that it has made its way into the Parliament because it has a huge ground-level support system, something which Congress could not do in 75 years despite staying at the helm of affairs.
If BJP does not wake up in time and start caring for its party workers, not only Modiji’s strongman image will take a hit, but also the rise of unifying Hindu sentiments will take a big hit in the only country left for Sanatanis.