2G, Modi's Invincibility In Doubt

But the PM's electoral fortress of Gujarat did almost fall and it has certainly weakened him though the repercussions may not be visible for a while. The resignation of a BJP MP from Vidarbha during the Gujarat campaign presaged possible change within the party. 10 to 12 of the BJP's Gujarat MPs will have looked at the election result and come to the realization that even the PM may not be able to save them from defeat in 2019. And if MPs in Gujarat are insecure, you can rest assured other beneficiaries of the 2014 Modi Wave, especially in rural areas, will share those fears. Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha have already revolted against the Modi-Shah regime. They may find more fellow travllers in the days ahead, especially if the economy continues to be sluggish.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister is believed to have got emotional at the BJP parliamentary party meeting held to celebrate victories in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. It was a short respite, because the very next day, the 2G spectrum scam case judgement was delivered in a CBI special court and, to the surprise of just about everybody, the judge acquitted all the accused. Congress and DMK leaders were naturally overjoyed, though they overplayed their hand by demanding an apology from the BJP and claiming there was no scam altogether. I would advise them to refresh their memories by looking back at what happened on January 10, 2008, when applicants were given 45 minutes' notice to procure bank drafts for license application fees in the sum of hundreds of crores. How so many of them were able to complete this feat and meet the deadline is a mystery that still eludes most bankers to this day. If the Congress thinks they deserve an apology for such shenanigans, of which they were too many to count during its decade in power, they are living in cloud cuckoo land.