Lok Satta’s alliance with BJP: Gandhi and Ali Brothers?
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
BJP supporters are proud to tell the fact that BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a coalition of 30 parties. Consider the fact that most of these coalition members have do not have a seat in the Parliament and majority have joined this coalition only this year, this is a coalition of opportunity but not of principle.
Latest entrant to this coalition is Lok Satta party. Lok Satta was formed in 2006 by former IAS officer Jayprakash Narayan or JP as he is known by his supporters. Lok Satta’s major issue is corruption before Arvind Kejriwal hijacked it. Lok Satta is a minor player in state politics with just one MLA in Andhra Pradesh Assembly (the party president was elected from Kukatpally)
Yesterday in a tweet, JP announced his meeting Narendra Modi. In a series of four tweets he endorsed Modi as “the best choice for India” and to stay relevant adding “and Loksatta is the best choice locally.” How important this alliance for the BJP can be gauged by the fact that Modi made no mention of his meeting JP in his tweets.
The alliance was in the works for a while and in fact a document issued on March 18th JP makes his case for future alliance. In the document titled “The Cruel Dilemma of Political Reform” , JP setting up his supporters for impending alliance with BJP gives the example of Gandhi’s alliance with Ali Brothers of Khilafat Movement.
“Even Gandhi collaborated with the Ali brothers and their Khilafat movement. Is he judged by that radical dalliance or by the freedom he helped win?” argues JP a month before joining the NDA. It is not clear to me if he think himself of Gandhi and Narendra Modi as Ali Brothers or vice versa, either way it is highly offensive and wrong reading of history.
It was Ali Brothers led Khilafat Movement that showed Indians and rest of the world that it is possible to challenge the mightiest empire of the time. They taught Gandhi how to lead non-violent civic movements against the colonial government. It was this movement that made Gandhi a household name. It was Khilafat movement that helped launch the independence movement. It was the Ali Brothers who taught us to dream of the freedom and independence.
If you want to learn anything from the Ali Brothers then learn to show the courage against the mighty power of this time and that will be saying no to Narendra Modi.