NaMo Magic Vs Resurgent RaGa - Bharat Vs INDIA battle heats up

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shinate uploaded a satirical comment on Youtubecalling for disbanding the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India as the latter reported several irregularities in the Govt projects, thus exposing the ‘hollowness’ of the PM’s claims of zero tolerance for corruption.

Exuding super confidence on the Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that he will return to the Redfort on August 15, 2024. For the first time in the history of Redfort speeches, Modi presented his government’s achievements and launched the election campaign by deriding the opposition, Congress in particular, for dynasty, corruption and appeasement. Then of course, he presented the Amrit Kal agenda and said he will present his report card on the next Independence Day.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appears to be trying to build on his Bharat Jodo and the party claiming that he is ‘unstoppable’. More on this later.

Let’s take the Red Fort address first. Congress president MallikharjunKharge boycotted the I-Day event with his reserved seat that remained empty sending a message that the party does not appreciate PM Modi. Kharge’s justification was that he had the Independence Day event to attend at the Congress office and that he would not have been in time to make it as it would have taken a lot of time to get out of the audience at the Redfort owing to protocol issues. These issues have been there always at such events and Kharge’s argument does not hold water. It is clear that he wanted to just skip the PM’s address.

This gives rise to a serious question: was it proper to abstain from the nation’s Independence Day event. Equally serious answer could be that the Prime Minister’s speeches have not been apolitical even at the Independence Day events. He has been harping on dynasty and corruption by targeting the Congress party.

Critics are quick to pick holes in the PM’s speech and point out that the issue of dynasty is not limited to the Congress or other opposition parties. Several BJP leaders including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Vijaya Raje Scindia have their children in plum positions. And Ministers such as Piyush Goyal and Jyotiraditya Scindia are children of political veterans. NCP working president Supriya, daughter of Sharad Pawar, says she does not find anything wrong in the dynasty as the children of politicians have every right to choose their career path. As regards corruption and appeasement, the Congress has already been saying that the BJP government at the Centre favours few chosen business tycoons and it was discussion on this issue that the ruling party members have been blocking in Parliament by shouting down the opposition. The Hindenburg issue is under the Supreme Court’s scrutiny even as other business deals of large conglomerates are being questioned by the opposition.

On corruption charges against the non-BJP governments, the BJP governments at Centre and States seem to have adopted the ‘washing machine’ policy by giving clean chits to accused politicians when they join the Lotus Party. A glaring example is Prime Minister Modi’s accusation that the NCP is involved in a Rs 70,000 crore scam and within a week the party leader Ajit Pawar joins the BJP government in Maharashtra sharing the deputy CM’s post with Devendra Fadnavis! Not only this, eight more NCP MLAs join the BJP government as Ministers. So, isn’t there a contradiction on part of the Mr Clean PM in his talks of fighting and exposing corruption and what his party does in public life?

Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have latched on to the CAG reports of overshooting budgeted expenditure by leaps and bounds in the execution of highway projects.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shinate uploaded a satirical comment on Youtube calling for disbanding the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India as the latter reported several irregularities in the Govt projects, thus exposing the ‘hollowness’ of the PM’s claims of zero tolerance for corruption:

Bharatmala Rs 7.5 lkcr, Dwarka Expressway (cost per km goes up to Rs 250 cr against sanctioned Rs 18 cr) Ayushman Bharat (7.5 lakh registrations under one phone number and sanction of compensation in the names of dead persons), Ayodhya Development Project (Rs 20 crgibbled by contractors who were not even scrutinised), NHAI (collection of Rs 154 cr by way of wrong toll charges for unfinished roads), HAL (Rs 159 cr loss due to design-production issues) and Rural development department (diversion of pension funds for publicity).

Here is a sample of CAG report on the financial disconnect in Bharatmala:

“Upto 31 March 2023, when only 75.62 per cent of CCEA approved length has been awarded, 158.24 per cent of CCEA approved financial outlay has already been sanctioned. Significant changes made in the scope of projects and cost estimates as well as richer project specifications adopted have pushed up the sanctioned cost of projects awarded under BPP-I.

“This has resulted in sanctioned civil cost being Rs 23.89 crore per km as against the CCEA approved cost of Rs13.98 crore per km and sanctioned pre-construction cost being Rs 8.28 crore per km as against the CCEA approved cost of Rs 1.39 crore per km. “There was variation from the approved modal mix of NHAI, as out of total national highways length of 23,268 km awarded, a meagre national highways length of 1.75 per cent was being developed under BOT (Toll) mode (as against 10 per cent approved for this mode of construction) whereas 48.35 per cent and 49.90 per cent of national highways length were being constructed under EPC and HAM mode respectively (as against 30 per cent and 60 per cent approved respectively for these mode of construction).

“Apart from increase in requirement of BPP-I funds, the funds approved for other schemes (i.e., `Rs 1,57,324 crore) were being utilised to report BPP-I achievement, as observed in NHIDCL whereby 78 such projects (1,752 km) approved in other schemes, were being reported as achievements of BPP-I as on 31 March 2023. NHAI alone projected, in May 2019, financial outlay of Rs10,55,268 crore for meeting its BPP-I targets against CCEA approved financial outlay of ` 5,35,000 crore for BPP-I as a whole.

“The total borrowings realised by NHAI for BPP-I, up to 2021-22, was Rs 3,00,349 crore as against the borrowing approved by CCEA of Rs 2,09,279 crore as source of funding for BPP-I as a whole.

“The excess borrowing of Rs 91,070 crore was being utilised for meeting the higher fund requirements due to time and cost overrun in development of BPP-I projects.

“Thus, there was a disconnect among the financial outlay approved by CCEA, financial plans for BPP-I approved by MoRTH &its implementing agencies and realisation of the plans thereof.

At least on the Dwarka Expressway, the MoRTH has denied any wrongdoing and said the CAG report is based on wrong calculations. That was exactly what was stated by the UPA government on Coal and 2G reports. The INDIA alliance thus appears to be collecting ammunition to counter the corruption charges being levelled by the BJP.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said in his tweet: PM Modi’s failures in the last 9 years can be categorised under durniti (bad policies), anyay (injustice) and badniyat (ill intention). Rhetoric and bluster can no longer cover up this truth which is now evident to the entire country.

Meanwhile, the Congress has described Rahul Gandhi as unstoppable as he took a motorcycle ride in Ladakh. Brushing aside the flying kiss episode, Rahul appears to be focusing his people's connect drive. With Modi snatching the initiative to declare the BJP’s victory in the 2024 elections, Congress and INDIA alliance are apparently under pressure to project their PM face. It’s going to be a tough call as they get set for the next stop in Mumbai on August 31.

The Congress, though declared for consumption that it is not in the race for the PM’s post, the party would not like to give up its claim. Will other constituents of INDIA declare their intentions? This is a million-dollar question. Even if they say that it’s too early and that the alliance will take a collective decision post the poll results, they will need a common face and one voice to face the elections. An INDIA coordinator can play that role. What is also needed is a common vision rather than a common minimum programme and a select team of spokespersons, not definitely everybody and anybody talking different lines of thought. Only then, they will be able to project a semblance of opposition to the BJP onslaught. This is where our much-discussed shadow cabinet for at least key departments comes into play.

The immediate task is to agree on a common strategy and manifestos for the forthcoming elections to legislative assemblies in Rajasthan, MP, Chattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based independent media veteran, running websites and a youtube channel known for his thought-provoking messaging.)