An analysis of how Maharashtra lawmakers were manipulated through 'resort politics' to topple state governments, revealing the darker strategies underpinning India's political landscape.**
**Kidnappings and Resort Politics: The Shadowy Tactics in Modi’s India**
**Kidnappings and Resort Politics: The Shadowy Tactics in Modi’s India**
**Explore how Prime Minister Modi's party leverages power dynamics and luxury hideouts to influence governance.**
In Maharashtra, India, the underbelly of political maneuvering has emerged as lawmakers like Nitin Deshmukh recounted harrowing experiences under the umbrella of "resort politics." After a standard assembly vote in June 2022, Deshmukh, who represents a district 350 miles away, was lured under the pretense of a dinner with a senior political official. However, what followed was a chilling abduction. As the car sped through darkened streets, he soon realized he was being transported to a hotel across state lines, effectively taken hostage.
This tactic, often employed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, utilizes the allure of luxury resorts to isolate dissenting lawmakers. Authorities orchestrate these events to diminish the strength of rival governments, the notion being to siphon off sufficient support to trigger a collapse in governance. Deshmukh and others faced threats and intimidation, describing how they were drugged, restrained, and manipulated into supporting a rebellion to dismantle the existing governmental structure in Maharashtra.
While "resort politics" has a storied history within India's tumultuous democracy, the BJP has increasingly embraced this strategy as a means of securing power, particularly in states where electoral victories remain elusive. As political tensions rise across the nation, the reliance on coercive tactics, such as holding lawmakers in luxurious seclusion, raises grave questions about the integrity of the democratic process in India.
This tactic, often employed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, utilizes the allure of luxury resorts to isolate dissenting lawmakers. Authorities orchestrate these events to diminish the strength of rival governments, the notion being to siphon off sufficient support to trigger a collapse in governance. Deshmukh and others faced threats and intimidation, describing how they were drugged, restrained, and manipulated into supporting a rebellion to dismantle the existing governmental structure in Maharashtra.
While "resort politics" has a storied history within India's tumultuous democracy, the BJP has increasingly embraced this strategy as a means of securing power, particularly in states where electoral victories remain elusive. As political tensions rise across the nation, the reliance on coercive tactics, such as holding lawmakers in luxurious seclusion, raises grave questions about the integrity of the democratic process in India.
