BJP juggernaut rolls on

There seems to be no stopping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), nor its undisputed leader – and the Prime Minister of India – Narendra Modi. The recent General Election was a triumph for the BJP, but more particularly for Modi. His stamp was everywhere. The erstwhile ruling Congress Party-dominated alliance was simply annihilated, its main leaders, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, swept away by the BJP hurricane, though they managed to hold on to their parliamentary seats. They could not match the oratory and immense drawing power of Modi.

The Congress hoped that in the first major test of strength after the General Election, the just-concluded State elections in Haryana and Maharashtra, it would do better and that the Modi wave would subside. No such luck.

In the northern, agriculturally-rich State of Haryana, where the BJP had only a small presence earlier, it is now entirely dominant, with the Congress, earlier in power, in tatters, reduced to just the third largest party. The dubious land deals of Robert Vadra, Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law and husband of Priyanka, clearly cost the Congress dearly.

In Maharashtra, though an outright majority eluded the BJP, it came out very much on top, needing only a little outside support, to form a workable administration. That support could come either from the Sharad Pawar-led National Congress Party (NCP), which had broken away from the Congress just before the state election, or from the Shiv Sena, which similarly had parted ways with the BJP. The only problem is that Modi had characterised the NCP as the “naturally corrupt party” during a campaign rally. But in politics, particularly Indian politics, such remarks, even insults, are quickly forgotten and forgiven. Opportunism rules.

There is one sobering note however, which the triumphant BJP needs to ponder over. It did not give a single ticket to a Muslim candidate, hence Muslim representation in the legislative assemblies of Haryana and Maharashtra is extremely low, perhaps the lowest ever, even though almost 20 per cent of Indians are Muslims. The BJP due to the anti-Muslim 2002 Gujarat riots and his alleged role in them has not been able to shake off its image as a fundamentalist organisation, inimical to Muslims. Correcting that image should be one of its main priorities. But to its credit, it has got other priorities right, at least till now.

Inflation has been brought down, labour laws are being changed to make India more business-friendly, not only for Indian businesses but for foreign ones as well. Hence, India Inc. is, by and large, happy, and this is reflected in the surge in the stock market. A recent trip by Modi to Japan and the visit of the China’s leader to India has brought promises of investments from these two countries, totaling over $50 billion.

Modi has had less success with Pakistan. When he turns his attention to foreign policy, improving ties with Pakistan should be at the top of Modi’s list.

A gesture that seems to have caught the Indian imagination is Modi’s “Swachha Bharat”, or Clean India, campaign. He inaugurated this on October 2, Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. It was a masterstroke. He appropriated Gandhi for the BJP, while drawing much needed attention to the lack of cleanliness and poor sanitation in Indian public places. The BJP has been ambivalent towards the Mahatma, ever since he was assassinated by a member of an organisation with links to the earlier avatar of the BJP. Modi evidently wants to put the past behind him, at least in this respect.

How has the Congress Party responded to the Modi challenge? Very poorly. Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi hardly did any campaigning for the Maharashtra and Haryana elections, almost as if both states were already lost causes for the Congress. Outside the Delhi Congress Party headquarters there have been cries of “Desh Bachao, Priyanka lao” (save the country, bring in Priyanka). In other words, replace Rahul with his sister, Priyanka, as the main mascot and crowd-puller of the Congress Party. There is little doubt that she has more charisma than Rahul. She also bears a striking resemblance to her grandmother, the imperious Indira Gandhi.

However, the current Indian mood is distinctly against dynastic rule and the Nehru/Gandhi family. Modi has no such family dynasty and comes from a humble background, major assets in the eyes of the Indian public. Priyanka also has the baggage of her land-hungry husband to carry. Could we be seeing the end of the political ambitions of a family that has either ruled or dominated India for its 67 years as an independent nation?

Rahul Singh is the former editor of the Reader’s Digest, Indian Express and Khaleej Times

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