- US midterms inspire Indian opposition against Modi government.
- Opposition leaders draw parallels for upcoming UP elections.
- Jairam Ramesh criticizes ONOE, Owaisi revives 'Abdul' pitch.
The United States Midterm elections have dealt a major blow to President Donald Trump as his Republican Party lost the majority in Congress, limiting his administration's legislative powers. After the setback to Trump, voices from the political opposition in India have started to echo against the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The opposition leaders are drawing comparisons to argue that a similar scenario is set to unfold in India, hinting at the ouster of the government. From One Nation, One Election to UP and Punjab Assembly polls and an Abdul mention, critical domestic aspects were seen by the opposition through the lenses of midterm polls.
Congress general secretary in-charge (communication), Jairam Ramesh, argued that the US midterms played a role in institutional balance. He argued that the ONOE is designed to blunt accountability for a complete 5 years.
"Personalities aside, the results demonstrate the power of midterm polls to enforce accountability. In our own country, the ONOE (One Nation, One Election) idea that is being advocated by the Modi government will significantly blunt that instrument," Ramesh added.
Congress leader Priyanka Kakkar drew parallels to claim change in the coming future. In a post on X, she said, "Today POTUS, Tomorrow Lotus." POTUS stands for President of the United States while Lotus is the poll symbol of the BJP.
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Congress's Venugopal too lauded the US midterm verdict, calling it people's collective strength that defeated "authoritarian tendencies". His reaction carries significance as the grand old party and its leader Rahul Gandhi have persistently accused the PM of being authoritarian in his approach towards the people and the Opposition.
He added that "change is in the air". On the other hand, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi invoked his Abdul pitch again after Abdul El-Sayed won the Michigan Senate election to become the first Muslim to reach the upper chamber of the US Congress.
He said, "Abdul has become a senator; Abdul will also become an MLA. In recent days, Owaisi has raised his 'Abdul' pitch to emphasise the political status of Muslims in India. While he has accused the BJP of keeping Muslims at bay, he has targeted the Samajwadi Party and Congress for using them as political workers. Owaisi reiterated his 'Abdul daree nahi bichhayega' (Abdul will not lay carpets) remark after Michigan results.
In a post on X, the Hyderabad MP said, "Earlier, BJP people used to say Abdul repairs punctures. Samajwadi Party people say Abdul will lay out carpets. We are telling them that in a democracy, Abdul has become a senator. Now, in Uttar Pradesh, Abdul will not bow his head before anyone. He will become an MLA, a leader. He will not lay out carpets."
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Notably, assembly elections are due in major states, including Uttar Pradesh, where Yogi Adityanath has been leading the BJP government for the past two terms. The 2027 elections are crucial as they come just two years before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Besides, the state is significant in that regard as it has 80 Lok Sabha seats, the highest of any state.
The political pundits often term it as 'Satta Ka Semifinal' (the semifinals before the Lok Sabha polls). In the last Lok Sabha elections in 2024, PM Modi failed to get a clear majority for the BJP for the first time since he started his stint in Delhi. Meanwhile, the past couple of months have been politically intense as the opposition has come out as a more aggressive front on issues like alleged irregularities in the electoral process, SIR, NEET paper leak, etc.