Weakened leaders of ideological parties are always vulnerable to those willing to be more extreme than them. It’s worth considering this idea to understand what is going on in Uttar Pradesh. Also to know what to expect in future from a minority government.

The BJP’s allies in Delhi have all opposed the idea that shopkeepers in UP be forced to advertise their names (and by extension their religion). Why? No demand was made that we know of; nor has this been an issue in the past. There is no apparent reason to ask shopkeepers to do this. The manner in which it has been done, at first without an official order and pretending that it is voluntary, further strengthens the impression that the action was taken only to stir the pot.

Consider, then, how the issue has become larger than the big news of just the day before — that UP’s chief minister was in trouble for delivering a defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. All the news channels were full of speculation about what would happen next. That is no longer the story, and the chief minister has managed with this one action to change the narrative. Observe too that few........

© National Herald