Sir — This refers to the article, “No Modi magic wand for electoral victories” (September 19) by Kalyani Shankar. Why is the BJP on the back-foot so soonIJ While the party claimed that the by-poll reflected local issues, some believe that the Bharatiya Janata Party has come to depend on the ‘Modi magic’ a little too much. It had also become complacent and arrogant.
let’s take the defence sector: A popular website recently posted a sharp analysis of the BJP’s dysfunctionality in the sector. As the Union Minister for Defence, Mr Arun Jaitley is generally missing from action.
According to insiders, he spends at least an hour or so in the Defence Ministry, examines files and departs. India’s defence establishment cannot be governed in this manner; it is shameful for the world’s fourth-ranking military power and a rising State which ipso facto attracts powerful enemies. The military constituency of serving retired servicemen is fast becoming disillusioned, and this issue needs to be fixed