As 2024 comes to a close, what continues to dominate the news is the political slugfest between the ruling BJP and the splintered opposition parties over various issues mainly as the ruling BJP continues to be aggressive in order to tire the opposition parties.
Some of the major events making the headlines included the verdict of the Lok Sabha elections where the BJP, buoyed by its 2019 success of having won 303 seats, confidently vowed to win 400+, a clear two-thirds majority required to enact constitutional amendments.
However, the election results told a different story. The BJP secured 240 seats, a significant drop from its previous tally of 303. Meanwhile, the Congress staged an impressive comeback, claiming 100 seats, up from the 52 it won in 2019 marking a notable shift in the political landscape.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Supongmeren Jamir, of the Congress was among the surprise winners when he wrested the seat from the ruling NDPP.
Elsewhere, the Congress also notched shocking wins in Manipur from the ruling alliance comprising of BJP and NPF. Both -Inner and Outer Manipur constituencies were won by Congress candidates.
In one of the most disappointing development the Supreme Court in September ordered the closure of FIRs against all 30 army personnel of the Special Unit of the 21 Paras responsible for the cold blooded murder of a total of 13 civilians of Oting village in Mon district on December 4, 2021.
The court ruling was based on the premise that the central government has refused to sanction prosecution against the guilty personnel in response to a petition filed by some wives of the personnel involved. It was indeed a big blow to the family and victims of the Oting massacre.
Another development was the striking down of the BJP-government’s Electoral Bond Scheme (EBS) which insulated and protected corporate or individuals giving donations to political parties. The apex court ordered the SBI to reveal the names of donors and recipients.
The other development that made news was the alleged Adani Group bribery scam in November in addition to the January 2023 Hindenburg report against the same corporate house.
In January 2023, Hindenburg alleged that the Adani group manipulated stocks and also engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades. The opposition parties demanded a statement from the prime minister and JPC probe both of which the government did not oblige.
In November this year, Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and seven of their associates were accused of alleged bribery attempt to Indian government officials for cornering power supply contracts. The SEBI chairperson Madhuri Buch supposed to monitor such offences was also at the centre of the controversy.
Hindenburg alleged she had a conflict of interest in the Adani matter because of a previous investment in an offshore fund used by the Adani Group. The controversy surrounding the Adani group continues to draw widespread attention, both nationally and internationally.
As the demand for a debate on the alleged Adani bribery scam was scuttled the government logged on to the debate on the constitution for ‘One Nation, One Election’. However, the proposal could not pass the test in parliament as the government could not muster the required 2/3rd majority vote.
Other headlines included poll victory of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress alliance retaining power in Jharkhand. In Maharashtra, the ruling Mahauti alliance of the BJP-NCP (Ajit Pawar) and Shiv Sena (Eknath) won a landslide against the MVA alliance comprising of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena (Uddhav).
The Maharashtra win was a brilliant achievement by the BJP in halting the opposition march. Another scam that shocked the nation was the NEET-UG scam over allegations of question paper leak.
The scam sparked controversy due to a significant increase in the number of top rankers. Many students received scores deemed mathematically impossible, leading to complaints and legal challenges.
Another significant development was the impeachment of veteran Naga national political leader N. Kitovi Zhimomi as ‘ato kilonser’ of the GPRN/NSCN(U) in April.
Another headline was the ultimatum issued by NSCN (I-M) supremo Th. Muivah threatening to break the cease fire unless the government of India agrees to a third party intervention over the Framework Agreement due to ‘betrayal’ by the government of India.
The assault of four persons by a Naga group and later, extortion demand of Rs.50 lakh from another Naga entrepreneur has revived the decision among various organisations for strict adherence to the Cease Fire Ground Rules and also to maintain the principle of ‘One Government, One Tax’.