Modi 3.0: A balancing act between BJP agenda and ‘gathbandhan dharm’

NEW DELHI: The BJP-led NDA govt is set to take oath on Sunday. However, unlike 2014 and 2019, Modi 3.0 will be a coalition government in the true sense. Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) will have the keys to the government and may impact several of its decisions.The two regional leaders are veterans of coalition politics. While they may have made public statements declaring unconditional support for Modi 3.0, the fact remains that they are likely to bargain hard on key issues. They have already floated their opinion on some flagship policy issues which were a trademark success of Modi 1.0 and Modi 2.0. Nitish Kumar already had the dubious track record of ditching alliances so much so that he has earned the reputation of ‘Paltimaar Kumar.’ Here is the look at some of the issues on which the regional leaders have already made their opinion known.’Vishesh rajya’ again on forefrontThe demand of providing special category status to Bihar has once again gained momentum as Nitish Kumar holds the key to forming the government.Senior JD(U) leader and Bihar minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said, “The JD(U) is part of the NDA and will remain with it. But there are certain demands of the JD(U) related to the financial condition and economy of Bihar that must be fulfilled by the Centre. Our demand for special category status for Bihar is fully justified and needs to be fulfilled. We stick to our demand for SCS for Bihar.”Meanwhile, another senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi piped the same tune, “There is no pre-condition, there is unconditional support. But it is in our mind and heart that Bihar should be given special status. After bifurcation, the situation Bihar has faced, it cannot be corrected without granting special status.”The Centre had previously said it would not entertain demands for ‘special category status’ from any state, given the 14th Finance Commission’s recommendation to abolish it. The SCS was introduced in 1969 to benefit certain backward states with hilly terrains, strategic international borders, and economic and infrastructural backwardness. 110806146BJP alone on ‘Agnipath’?JD(U) has also articulated its concern over the Agnipath scheme which was used by the opposition to attack the government over inadequate generation of jobs.”There is anger among voters on the (short-term army recruitment) Agniveer scheme. Our party wants those shortcomings to be removed, on which people have objections,” KC Tyagi said.Chirag Paswan’s LJP, another key ally of the BJP, has showcased its reservation on the scheme and also sought review.The Agnipath Scheme in the Indian Armed Forces is a scheme where selected candidates will be enrolled as Agniveers for a four-year period. Based on organisational requirements and policies promulgated by the Armed Forces, Agniveers after completing their engagement period will be offered an opportunity to apply for enrolment in the permanent cadre. Of these upto 25% of Agniveers will be selected to be enrolled in the Armed Forces as a regular cadre. 110762642TDP and BJP at loggerheads on Muslim reservationWhile PM Modi and several BJP candidates expressed opposition to a quota for Muslims during their campaign, TDP said they were committed to retaining a 4% reservation for the community in the state.TDP General Secretary Nara Lokesh, son of Chandrababu Naidu, reiterated the party’s support for the existing 4% reservation for Muslims under the Other Backward Castes (OBC) list.”A nation or a state cannot claim to be truly developed if a particular segment of its population remains mired in poverty,” Lokesh said.”As a government, we must enact policies that provide underrepresented communities with access to opportunities. The decision to grant a 4% reservation to Muslims was made with this perspective, not to appease any group or seek political advantage,” he saidHowever, BJP leaders including Modi and Amit Shah criticised reservation for Muslims in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana during their national election campaigns. They argued that the quota is unconstitutional and pledged to reallocate the reservation to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and OBCs, claiming it had been unjustly taken from these groups. 110817120Uniform Civil Code: JDU a advocates discussion, TDP walks a tightrope on Muslim sentimentsMeanwhile, JDU spokesperson KC Tyagi also commented on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), a prominent electoral promise of the BJP. Tyagi clarified that while the JDU is not opposed to the UCC, it advocates for a comprehensive discussion involving all relevant stakeholders.”We are not against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), but we believe it should be discussed with all stakeholders, including states, chief ministers, and political parties,” Tyagi stated.For the BJP, the UCC has been an emotive issue since the beginning. However, the low Muslim vote should be seen as an indication of the community’s lack of support towards the issue. The TDP, too, would not like to be seen as supporting the UCC given Chandrababu Naidu’s strong outreach to the Muslim community. In 2023, he had assured them that his party would not take any decision that goes against their interests. 110776554Modi labels caste census a ‘sin’, JD(U) sees it as a sign of the timesWhen other political parties, including the Congress, were demanding a caste-based census, PM Modi said that dividing the country in the name of caste is a ‘sin’. He also said that for him, the four biggest castes were the youth, women, poor and farmers, and his party would work toward their betterment.Meanwhile, The JD(U) has already conducted a caste census in Bihar, and the party wants to now extend it across the country.Asked if his party will push for a caste census, Tyagi said, “No party in the country has denied a caste census. Bihar has shown the way, the prime minister also did not oppose… It is the demand of the time, and we will pursue it.” 110768761As the Modi 3.0 government gears up to navigate the choppy waters of coalition politics, the balancing act between fulfilling regional allies’ demands and pursuing its own agenda promises to be a rollercoaster ride. With JD(U) and TDP already flexing their muscles over key policies, and Nitish Kumar’s knack for political maneuvering, it seems the BJP might need more than just the ‘sabka saath’ to keep the ‘sabka vishwas’.Both BJP and its regional partners will have a tough time in fine tuning between pushing their own agenda and maintaining ‘gathbandhan dharm’.