As the race for political supremacy ramps up ahead of the elections, the BJP-led NDA and Congress-led INDIA alliance are pulling out all the stops to win over voters and grab power in Delhi. The contest has turned out to be a Clash of "ideologies", if at all both rivals adhere to.
The first phase of voting for 102 Lok Seats was over on April 19.
The voters have kept the main rivals guessing in the first phase, though rivals are making claims and counter-claims.
The Leaders have set their eyes on the second phase across India on April 26 when the voters will vote for 89 Lok Sabah seats spreading in 13 states across India amid the sweltering heat catching up in the plains.
But this time, the battleground isn't just about promises and pledges; it's about two starkly different ideologies clashing head-on.
On one side, you've got the BJP, rallying behind their belief in the wisdom of "Kautilya's Arthashastra and Chanakya's strategic principles". They're all about stability, order, and sticking to the cultural roots, chanting the mantra of Ram Rajya that has evolved from ancient Sanatana cultural roots and ethos over the millenia.
BJP PM Face Modi is eying NDA-III and has been fanning about talking of India as a leading Trillion economy of Viksit Bharat that will shine among world's top five economies.
On the other extreme, the Congress camp seems to have taken a detour, cozying up to leftist advisors and flirting with Marxist communism rooted in what many Congress analysts say "Pt Nehru Socialism in new Marxist avatar".
Marx was the product of half-baked Industrial revolution of Europe of the day. He saw only two kinds of worlds: one that of oppressor and that of the oppressed. Marx advocated for totalitarianism of the proliteranians to overthrow the oppressors for redistribution of wealth and termed religion as an opium of the masses.
Indian civilization has been tradition- centric that takes its cultural ethos as much from evolved oral, Shrutis and Smriti traditions, giving every Hindu a liberty to pursue any idea. Upnishads are the best examples. There is a thin line dividing Dharam and Culture in the Hindu worldview.
Hence Marx does not fit into the Sansara of the Hindu society and Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs are as much its inalienable offshoots and have been subsumed within its liberal worldview.
His view of the "world order" diametrically resembles to that of Islam. Islam sees two kinds of worlds: Dar-ul Islam, the world of believers and Dar-ul Zuha, the world non-believers or Kafirs. It is duty of Muslims to convert Dar-ul Zuha into Dar-ul Islam.
It's like they've taken a sharp Left turn, leaving many scratching their heads and wondering where their centrist values went. Right to equal opportunity and fair play, Right to Property...madya marg, analysts say.
The heart of the matter is how to tackle inequality and boost economic growth in India, world's most populous country with its number surpassing 140 crore people.
We have extreme poverty and inequality on the one hand, and concentration of wealth into the hands of few wealth creators on the other. 
The BJP claims they are all about "meritocracy, empowerment, and letting the market do its thing".
But the Congress and INDIA lean towards "redistribution, wanting to level the playing field and give a leg up to the underdogs".
And in the midst of this political showdown, we've got Prime Minister Modi and Rahul Gandhi slinging words at each other like verbal javelins.
Modi is warning voters and folks about Congress eyeing their "hard-earned cash and property, including women's Stri-dhan Mangalsutra. while Rahul is talking about "X-rays and surveys to uncover who's got what and who deserves what".
So as the election frenzy kicks into high gear, it's not just about who promises what anymore.
It's a clash of visions. It is a battle between the pro-Ram Rajya Kautilya-Chanakya BJP and the Marx-leaning Congress, shaping up to be one heck of a showdown at the polls.
Both are making claims to promoting and protecting "Ambedkar and Indian Constitution". Modi claims even if Ambedkar seeks to change the Constitution, he will not be allowed to do it", rebutting Congress charges.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi charges that BJP wants to destroy the Constitution and is talking about "Ab ki Bar, 400 Paar' slogan, which will be a pipedream only.
At a series of rallies in UP and other places, Prime Minister Modi cautioned the crowd about Congress' alleged intentions, stating, "Congress wants to beat its claw on your property, wants to rob your rites, the mangalsutra of mothers and sisters will no longer be safe and Congress wants to give to minority (Muslims)."
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, addressing a gathering in Hyderabad, declared, "We will do a nationwide 'X-Ray', we will then know how much is owed to 'Minorities'.
Then we will do 'Survey' of Individuals Financials and Institutions. We will find who has the 'Wealth' and to which Caste they belong. After all this we will 'Revolutionary' work of Re-distribution of wealth."
Social media erupted in response to these statements.
One user commented, "Modi's right, Congress seems eyeing our hard-earned money!" Another remarked, "Rahul's plan sounds like socialism gone mad! They want to seize wealth based on caste?"
Still other users retorted, "Modi's 15 Lakh in each bank account promise was a fiasco, Rahul Gandhi and INDIA's promise to redistribute wealth taking out from Adani... to poor may meet the same fate".
As the political discourse intensifies, netizens are divided over which vision for the country's future is the right path forward.
