OPINION

Communal riots in India emerged only towards the second decade of the 20th century. During their 100 years journey, the communal riots have largely remained an urban phenomenon. This has been attributable to the lack of cultural roots in the urban settlements and natural bonhomie in rural habitats.

They have rarely spread to rural areas but whenever they have, it has been an onerous task to control it. The last such riots was in western Uttar Pradesh, and when we have the ongoing strife in Manipur, where the centuries long bond between farming communities belonging to different religions snapped.

The riots in Nuh and Gurgaon districts of Haryana last week, though had all the potential to spread to the rural areas, it remained limited to the urban settlements. The violence which began in the backward district of Nuh, in fact, gained media prominence only after it spread to neighbouring millennium city of Gurgaon.

Faridabad and Nuh have large Gujjar population, which are spread across to both the Hindu and the Muslim communities. When one checked during the riots with an acquaintance, a Hindu, living in Nuh about his safety, he replied that he and his property were secure and that the riots were limited to the urban periphery.

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Romeo and Juliet (Act II, Scene 2)

Thus said the leading lady to the protagonist in William Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet. The subtle message from these famous lines is that the character of an object or person does not change  with the name. One is reminded of these famous lines whenever there is a controvery regarding the name of a place, and this time is no less than that of the country.

Every since the newly formed opposition conglomerate has given itself the acronym of INDIA, a few enthusiasts from the BJP have been asking for doing away the name of India for the country and just retain Bharat. This has been countered by the crusaders on the Opposition's side claiming that this country never ever had the name Bharat. They hand out the argument that the existence of the present country as a political unit is deed of the British, which called the land India.

The developments during the past week clearly show that the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) may break the bread together during the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The two parties, going by pure mathematics, as components of the new opposition coalition - Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), may win all the seven seats in Delhi.

Delhi has seven Lok Sabha seats and the BJP has been winning all the seven seats in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The AAP was placed second during the 2014 polls and the Congress pushed ahead and moved to the second position on five seats in the 2019 polls. Prior to that Congress had won all the seven in 2009 and six in 2004.

During the 2014 polls, the combined vote share of the Congress and the AAP was more than that of the BJP. However, in 2019, the BJP was far ahead of the combined vote share of AAP and Congress. Given such performances in the past, it could be difficult for the BJP to win all the seven seats in 2024 Lok Sabha polls with the AAP and the Congress fighting together.

However, the elections are not predicted alone on the basis of vote shares in the past polls but also the potential of the candidates in the poll fray. During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls both the Congress and the AAP failed to put up formidable candidates on all the seven seats against BJP’s sitting members of parliament on five seats.

The Lok Sabha on Monday in all likelihood would take up a discussion on the Delhi Services Bill. Given the huge majority which the treasury benches have in the house, the passage of the bill here would at best be of academic interest. This would also be possible only if there is a debate in the house, which again is suspect, given the prevailing attitude of the opposition benches.

The dramatics could be expected in the Rajya Sabha, where a united opposition under the banner of INDIA can cobble up the requisite strength to create a roadblock. Just a roadblock and not a wall, in the passage of the bill, as the more elaborate arithmetic favours NDA.

With the Supreme Court having more or less distanced itself from the debate on whom should the power to transfer bureaucrats rest in Delhi, it refused to stay the Ordinance brought by the Centre, Delhi chief minister’s office getting shorn of this power is now almost a fait accompli. Kejriwal himself has stated that under the new arrangement he enjoys no powers.

There were no anniversary felicitations for Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, Vinai Kumar Saxena on completing a year in the office last month. Probably it missed everyone’s attention because Delhi continues to be a ‘war zone’ with a bitter battle going on between the Raj Niwas and Delhi Secretariat, the office of Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The hot button political topic in living rooms across the capital today is exactly what will be the outcome of the ‘fight to finish’ which is going on between AAP Government led by Kejriwal and L-G Saxena. In the one year since Saxena took over as L-G, his forays into long-pending issues like clearing the garbage mounts and cleaning of Yamuna among other initiatives seem to have propelled him into the position of the ‘disruptor’, which Delhi desperately needed one.

The Kejriwal Government has been left flustered with the fact that National Green Tribunal (NGT) entrusted Saxena with the task of cleaning the Yamuna and flattening the garbage mounts through lawfully established panels. While as much the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership may resent the ‘disruption’, for a common resident of Delhi it’s now two authorities trying to develop the city in the place of one.