Mudda (debate show)
“The Focus should be on development”
Mudda panellists feel that political parties should leave aside caste and religion, and talk and work more on development issues
Of late, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has compelled other parties to take a relook at their strategies. The impact was more than visible in the Gujarat polls where Congress president Rahul Gandhi was seen visiting temples in the state during poll campaigning. The impression gained ground that he was flirting with soft Hindutva to cater to the Hindu vote bank. The same was seen on the issue of banning triple talaq, where all parties came together.
APN’s popular debate-show, Mudda, took up the subject, with anchorperson Anant seeking views on the issue from the panellists, consisting of Ajay Verma of the Congress; Atul Chandra, a political expert; Chandrabhushan Pandey of the BJP; Ajmal Khan, an Islamic scholar; and Govind Pant Raju, consultant editor, APN.
Govind Pant Raju said that the 2014 Lok Sabha poll results was a mandate for change as people were fed up and disappointed with the UPA rule of ten years. Modi tried to bring in the much-needed change and his style of functioning and overall governance has now forced the Congress to revise its strategy, he said.
He further added that in the UP polls and in Goa, it was the gross mismanagement that affected the Congress. So, the party has had the time to re-assess the situation as to why people are not voting for it. BJP’s call for Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas helped the party, he explained.
Chandrabhushan Pandey said that the Congress’s soft Hindutva plank is not new and the party has neither been able to woo the Muslims nor the Hindus. He added that in UP, the Dalits have been with the BSP while the Muslims have supported Mulayam. In 2014, the BJP wooed Dalits/OBCs with a powerful campaign and made Ambedkar its icon. So OBCs went for the BJP. The Congress needs to re-assess its vote bank, he said.
Ajmal Khan pointed out that Rajiv Gandhi played at the hands of an incompetent coterie when he was the prime minister. According to him, it was the motive to woo the Hindus that made Advani embark on the famous Rath Yatra in 1990. He said that the BJP has always played the Hindu card and, as a result, the Hindu-Muslim divide has been created. India’s 80 percent voters are Hindu, so Rahul started going to temples, and this amply shows that the Congress is eyeing the Hindu vote bank, he added.
Ajay Verma said that the Congress believes in all faiths, and favours all. It’s not like the BJP that is trying to outrightly woo the Hindus alone.
Pandey said that the BJP always looks at what people want and believes in keeping the common man happy. “After all, didn’t we take up the triple talaq issue? It is just a false perception that we only look at the Hindu vote bank. In fact, the BJP’s policies address all,” he said.
Raju pointed out that certain perceptions have build up as a result of the manner in which issues have been handled by political leaders. He pointed out that in the UP elections, Rahul visited temples but avoided the Ram Mandir because Congress still eyed the Muslim vote bank. However, in Gujarat, the party had to perforce rethink on this strategy as more than 80 percent voters are Hindus, he said.
Verma said that whether it’s the Congress or the BJP, poll strategies are decided in a particular context. The BJP is not the only one that looks out for the Hindus, he said.
Khan said that the BJP went from village to village with its propaganda videos. The Congress is losing confidence of both the sides as it is caught in a dilemma trying to attract both the Muslim and Hindu voters, which is why it’s losing turf.
Chandra said that the BJP is dictating strategies of other political parties in a way. However, the Congress should know that driving two horses is not possible. It can take up other issues, like development for instance, instead of focusing only on communal issues.
Pandey said that for the BJP development has been the main issue. To this, Verma said that the entire country has seen how the BJP has fared on issues such as defence, women’s security, small businesses, foreign investments and black money. On all these fronts, the BJP has failed miserably, he pointed out.
Raju said that the easiest way to woo voters is along religious or caste lines. Notebandi, GST, etc are important issues that the Congress or other parties can pick up.
—Compiled by Niti Singh Bhandari
Mudda (debate show)
“Too much politics happening over corona in Delhi”
The Delhi chief minister’s decision was irresponsible, so it was overturned by the Lt Governor. Delhi belongs to everyone and such discrimination as Kejriwal proposed will not work. People know Kejriwal more for his wrong decisions than for any good work done by him
Even as Covid-19 cases in the country have crossed over 2.5 lakh, a petty spat has erupted over the issue of hospital beds. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriewal said non-Delhi residents will not be able to access Delhi government healthcare for Covid-19, and Lt Governor Anil Baijal overruled the decision and ordered Delhi government hospitals to treat all patients. APN’s popular debate Mudda discussed the issue with BJP’s Anand Sahu, Congress’s Ajay Arora, AAP’s Vanshraj Dubey, political expert Niranjan Poddar and APN Editor Ajay Kaul.
Sahu said: “The Delhi chief minister’s decision was irresponsible, so it was overturned by the Lt Governor. Delhi belongs to everyone and such discrimination as Kejriwal proposed will not work. People know Kejriwal more for his wrong decisions than for any good work done by him.”
Vanshraj Dubey: “It was an expert team that had advised the Delhi CM in view of the likelihood of cases rising in the capital. Kejriwal has not taken any decision against the Centre’s orders.”
Arora said: “We are fighting a pandemic, the biggest battle-ever. These people are not bothered about Covid, they are looking at their vote-banks. They only want to enjoy power. BJP and AAP have turned Delhi into a football match, and the common man is getting ignored.”
Poddar said: “People get to see everything, and this petty politics has upset the people. All people want is safety and that their livelihoods and health should remain protected. Covid is spreading more in urban areas and not so much in rural areas. Delhi has around 2 crore people and therefore the number of Covid positive patients are rising. I don’t see anything wrong in Kejriwal’s decision to protect facilities for the people of Delhi. Politics is happening over Covid.”
Kaul said: “Discrimination of any kind is not good at all. Will a patient get his Aadhaar card, or should he look for relief when he comes to hospital?”
Dubey said: “Healthcare is free for the people of Delhi. In case there’s a serious case, the CM had already said he/she will not be denied government healthcare. Private hospitals are getting into black marketing of hospital beds.”
Kaul said: “Then Kejriwal should have made it all clear.”
Dubey said: “See if Delhi people do not get healthcare in Delhi, will they run to Ghaziabad? And will the UP government take such patients?”
Sahu said: “People will drive out AAP from Delhi.”
Arora said: “I agree with Kaul that the issue is why should people get discriminated for treatment. What if the child is a Delhi resident and parents are from Bihar? How will such a child get treatment for his patents in Delhi? Too much politics is happening over corona in Delhi.”
Dubey said: “See if patients want to take treatment in Delhi, there is nothing wrong in that. We have not challenged the Lt Governor’s decision. Problems arise when beds are scarce. Delhi will have its own budget, just like Haryana and UP also have.”
Poddar said: “Delhi has Delhi government hospitals, private hospitals and central government hospitals. Right now, inter-state traffic is limited. There are central government hospitals also where people can reach for healthcare. I am of the opinion there is nothing wrong in Delhi saving its facilities for its own people. Ambulances know where to take people.”
Mudda (debate show)
“Economy should be opened only gradually”
Economy will repair itself in time. But once lives are lost, they will not come back. Labour has gone back, so what good will we achieve by unlocking?”
On the one hand, coronavirus cases are rising and on the other, the country is now on unclock mode. After 75 days, temples, restaurants and malls have opened at various places. APN’s popular debate Mudda discussed the issue with medical experts Dr Rahul Bharadwaj, Dr Yash Gulati, Dr AK Shukla and Dr Ankit Kumar Sinha, economist Dr Ashok Kaithal and APN Editor, Ajay Kaul.
Bharadwaj said: “Every day, corona cases are rising. We shall soon overtake the US. We need to ensure strict discipline at containment zones. What’s the rationale behind opening of temples and gurudwaras? Economy will repair itself in time. But once lives are lost, they will not come back. Labour has gone back, so what good will we achieve by unlocking?”
Dr Kaithal said: “We have not seen the desired result of the lockdown. Once lives are saved, economy will be saved. World economy is in bad shape, and can be opened only gradually, and slowly. Economy will be revived only after the manufacturing sector is opened.”
Dr Sinha said: “We have unlocked when the cases are rising. Over 50 to 70 percent patients are unable to access healthcare. We cannot stop corona. The government is more concerned about concealing the correct picture.”
Kaul said: “Economic activity has to be resumed. By having a further lockdown, corona will vanish. Till when can we suspend economic activity? Lockdown was supposed to put infrastructure in place, like PPEs, masks, hospital beds and so on. Opening of religious places is irrelevant, as that will not impact economy. Healthcare has failed India. Private hospitals are admitting patients selectively.”
Dr Bhargava said: “Lockdown was meant to ensure that the facilities match the demand, that we had enough beds and ventilators for the patients, because in the eventuality of an outburst, we cannot match the kind of healthcare strength that is needed. Lockdown was meant to flatten the curve. Corona is a pandemic. See, cancer patients will die if we do not have sufficient beds. Why was testing stopped in private labs? Did we visualize this kind of life that we will leave our old to die? Is this what we want? Where will middle-class people go?”
Dr Gulati said: “We are a poor country, and it’s important to focus our economy now. Corona cases are bound to rise. Luckily, our mortality rate is controlled. We cannot be left to die of hunger.”
Dr Kaithal said: “Cases are going up and the situation is frightening. We should revive the economy only gradually. Social distancing should be strictly enforced. Purchasing power of people needs to go up.”
Dr Sinha said: “I agree that we need to look into the economy now, but we should also focus on testing and contact tracing.”
Kaul said: “Lockdown was meant to strengthen the infrastructure. AIIMS chief Dr Guleria had said that in June cases are expected to peak, then why were we not prepared for that?”
Dr Shukla said: “It’s a respiratory virus. All will be affected in some way or the other. Use of masks and hand hygiene is important. It’s good that the economy has been opened but we must not take the precautionary measures lightly.”
Mudda (debate show)
“We need to focus on survival and revival”
The government has approved the road map for implementing the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), farmer and street vendor package that was announced earlier as part of the Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus to restart the economy. APN’s popular debate Mudda discussed the issue with economic experts Mukesh Mohan Gupta and Ajay Prakash, and UP Industrial Development Minister Satish Mahana.
Gupta said: “Challenges are being faced by all sectors, the reason being the global coronavirus pandemic. The new definition of MSME has broadened its scope. Moody’s has downgraded India’s rating, but that’s the same story with many other countries. In the US, there is unprecedented rioting happening, so that;’s no better. Manufacturing has been impacted here, so the rating will go down.”
Mahana said: “The Rs 20 lakh crore package is geared to instill confidence among the labour and industry stakeholders. See, the world is in the grip of an economic crisis, but PM Modi has been taking decisive steps. Unlock 1 will help to revive economic activities, and for that the consumer has to come in the market. No one can say how long Coronavirus will last. Under MNREGA, help has been reached out to the vulnerable sections… the effort is to go in for strong handholding. We have to focus on survival and revival. You just can’t look at industry for revival, agriculture also needs to be boosted, cash inflow has to be looked into. We are mapping the skills of the labour, and helping in matchmaking skills with needs. We will not leave any stone unturned in the interest of industry and the workers. Modi has been forward-looking and transparent, there is no room for corruption. We are looking at the opportunity behind the challenge. US is in the grip of a crisis. But a dialogue has been started with other countries. “Advantage UP” is being looked into in the fields of milk production, surface water, infrastructure, etc. We are focusing on Advantage UP and UP will be preferred state for investing in the country with ease of doing business. See, we are in a strong position, but the economic crisis is being faced globally, so how can we talk about our country alone? We have to focus on how to get out of the crisis.”
Prakash said: “India has huge numbers, but with no earning, demand has been low. We have been told 80 percent units have started work, but they are on 25 percent capacity. We are unable to utilize the capacity to the fullest because labour is away.”
Gupta said: “When sick, we can’t run, so how can we expect our economy to be normal. Demand is low, rating will be down. Cases are going up.”
Prakash said: “The Five Is pointed out by the PM– Intent, Inclusion, Investment, Infrastructure and Innovation are very important. Only the top 1 percent has been getting richer, now we need to broaden the base.”
Gupta said: “We need to think of local products to remain healthy.”
Prakash said: “We have the opportunity, but we need to act fast, we need labour reforms, tax systems, satisfaction has to be provided to the foreign investor. The desire is there to attract foreign investment but we have not been as fast as we should have been. At first, we need to get labour back, and restore the supply chain and value system, and check out competitor countries like Korea and some other south east Asian countries, we need to strengthen the base.”
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