As per India’s Census 2011, youth (15-24 years) in India constitute one-fifth, that is 19.1 per cent of India’s total population. India is expected to have 34.33 per cent share of youth in its population by the end of this year. Gauging this statistics, Prime Minister Marendra Modi grabbed the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda which is being celebrated as Youth Day as an opportunity, in the times when country is undergoing heated debate on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).
Modi ensured that he was stationed at Belur Math, a 40-acre campus on the banks of River Hoogly in Kolkata, West Bengal not for a day but two days to give a message to his most vehement arch rival and critic – West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Narendra Nath Datta (Swami Vivekananda) was born in an affluent family in Kolkata on January 12, 1863 and taught at Belur Math before passing away at the early age of 39 and cremated in the same campus in 1902.
Trying to trace the footsteps of Swami Vivekananda and with an eye on millennials as voters, Prime Minister Modi while addressing the students of Ramkrishna Mission at Belur Math said in his speech that the opposition is spreading misinformation about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA. PM Modi said, “The citizenship law is not to snatch citizenship, but to give citizenship.”
Meanwhile, soon after meeting Prime Minister Modi at Raj Bhawan on Saturday, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and an ally of BJP during Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, participated in a demonstration being held by Trinamool Chhatra Parishad in Kolkata, against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and gave a message that, “yesterday I saw the notification of CAA and I tore it. I have even told Prime Minister that if he wants to do NRC & CAA, he will have to do it over my dead body.” Mamata Banerjee was seen amid a crowd in Kolkata with a huge banner reading “No NRC, No CAA” in the backdrop.
The animosity and political rivalry between the two leaders is not new and even last year when cyclone Fani had hit the state of West Bengal Mamta refused to talk to Modi who wanted to enquire from her about the extent of damage in her State. First, reports emerged that PM Modi had called the Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to discuss the cyclone situation, but had not rung up Banerjee. Later, the PMO clarified that it was Banerjee who had not received the PM’s calls; the prime minister had called her up twice.
With State Assembly elections approaching next year, the political cauldron is already simmering. This is Modi’s first visit to Bengal after the BJP’s impressive show in the last Lok Sabha election where it won 18 of the 42 seats in the State, giving a major setback to Mamata-led Trinamul Congress (TMC).
The battle is not only being fought between Modi and Mamata but the TMC leader is also facing the wrath of the Opposition like Congress and CPI (M) which are now calling her as “B team of BJP” as according to them, the political match-fixing has already begun. Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury and CPI (M) legislature leader Md Salim accused Banerjee of having a “secret understanding” with the BJP.
“It is unfortunate that she (Mamata) has time to meet Modi but doesn’t have time to meet Sonia Gandhi in Delhi for the Opposition meet,” Chowdhury said. Mamata has distanced herself from the campaign by an united opposition against the CAA and NRC and said her TMC will not participate in a meeting called by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Monday.
Backed by TMC the students took to the streets holding placards with — ‘Go Back Modi’ and ‘United Against Fascism.’ Protests have been happening across the country ever since the law received the Presidential assent last month. But BJP smells the coffee and would like to capitalise on its popularity as quickly as possible as the world’s largest political party also has a whiff that all is not well in the economic front and youth of India will test the government in terms of economy and jobs.
