Fresh Challenges for BJP
by Sudipto Das
As days pass by the challenges for BJP to strike back are getting tougher. Fresh challenges are cropping up as the UPA government is taking newer steps in desirable direction. But that’s indeed a healthy scenario because now the opposition has a higher goal in front of them. Like it’s always more challenging, and satisfying too, to become the first boy in a class of all bright students, it can be a really cherishing coming back to power for the BJP because of the competition from a rejuvenated Congress after the decisive victory in 2009 elections.
Coming to power in the 1990s for BJP against a decaying Congress and coming back to power now against a fresh Congress are not the same thing. Nevertheless, it’s indeed a positive sign. At the end of it the country would be benefitted with a better and stronger opposition and alternative in future. It’s same as that of a fiercely competitive market where the consumer is finally benefitted by the constant improvement of the quality of the products from competing companies.
In the 1990s both the bottom and the middle of the pyramid of Indian population were equally frustrated with the complacence, misgovernance and corruption of successive Congress governments. The emergency, the anti Sikh riots and the Bofors scam were still not things of distant past. The constant and brazen appeasement of the minority community for years by the Congress had also alienated them from the majority class, who by no way were communal. At that point of time BJP came up with fresh hopes for everything better not only for the educated people, but also for the ‘Aam Aadmi’.
Very ironically this very section of the voters turned their back to BJP in the recent election. But the reason is little different. Over the decade the aspirations of the people have changed.
People had already tasted prosperity since the days of NDA rule. Buoyed by the strong wind of the global economic boom the subsequent UPA government had limited chances to stop India’s growth. One had to be really dumb to stop the natural growth and prosperity that India was enjoying out if inertia of the high-speed global economy.
It’s no longer a mystery how Lalu Prasad Yadav turned around the fortunes of Indian Railways. Driven by the initial ground work done by Nitish Kumar, the previous Railway Minister, and the buoyant economy, anyone else also might have turned the Indian Railways around.
The perception of the UPA government being in favour of ‘Aam Aadmi’ was also created without much of effort. The ‘Aam Aadmi’ saw prosperity not because of the fact that the UPA government did something extra ordinary. The natural growth of Indian GDP, in lines with the flourishing world economy, bore the fruits of development for the ‘Aam Aadmi’ too. On top of that a few further gimmicks like loan waiving and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme added more to the perception. Hence, surprisingly, the anti incumbency wave was quite low against the ruling government.
All this itself had made the task for BJP to come back quite challenging. To add more to the challenge, UPA has started taking some steps that can’t be ruled out as just gimmicks.
The recent induction of Nandan Nilekani into the cabinet as the overall boss of the National ID project is one such act. It’s a very well thought plan.
The UPA government could have inducted any one of the Ambanis, or a Godrej or the Tata or someone else for the same job and still it would have worked out quite well. But no one else, than Nandan Nilekani, is looked upon as an ideal by anyone who is educated and hails from the middle class and who is young - someone who represents, or would be representing, India in the very near future. In Nandan Nilekani’s own words, India’s best asset at this point of time is her ‘demographic dividend’ coming from this huge chunk of educated, urbanized, middle class people. A few years back also this ‘dividend’ was not considered that big a thing either in business of politics.
Nandan Nilekani’s story, along with that of Narayan Murthy’s, is something that anyone with limited means but unlimited vision and ambition and passion can associate with. He comes from a middle class family without any golden connection as is the case with majority of Indians. He achieved everything in life by his sheer credibility and the favourable economic conditions of India - something that majority of Indians would also aspire of. His is an inspiring story that can raise hopes among the majority of Indians - but not the stories of the Tata or an Ambani or a Godrej.
Narayan Murthy has described this event as important as Sam Pitrada’s telecom revolution and Swaminathan’s Green Revolution. Inducting someone like Nandan Nilekani into the cabinet is a master stroke that can endear the UPA government to the majority of educated, urban, middle-class Indians, who are going to be the main driving force of our country over the next few decades.
I see this as a fresh challenge to the opposition. BJP has to come up with strategies that will align with the future class that would yield ‘demographic dividend’ to our country. This class no longer would be ‘Aam Aami’ staying in the hinterland of India waiting for a ‘White Tiger’ to become a ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. This class, again in Nandan Nilekani’s own words, would be the one that would change the way politics is looked at and the way our country has been functioning. This class can’t be ignored or crushed. The system has to change as per their aspirations. Anyone who is not aligned with this new system would perish and anyone who goes with them will cherish the fruits of ‘demographic dividends’. So it’s high time that BJP gets aligned with this new ‘White Tiger’.
Sudipto blogs at http://sudiptounplugged.blogspot.com
Comments
19 Responses to “Fresh Challenges for BJP”
i suppose MNIC incharge is no longer a person belonging to middle class, FYI
Fresh Challenges for BJP…
As days pass by the challenges for BJP to strike back are getting tougher. Fresh challenges are cropping up as the UPA government is taking newer steps in desirable direction. But that’s indeed a healthy scenario because now the opposition has a high…
The author seems to be overawed by the appointment of Nilakeni. How many of the ‘aam admi’ know him is a moot point. The government has been formed only now and we are yet to see how far they walk the talk. Only statements of good intentions/policies cannot be equated with action. In any case any newly formed government enjoys honeymoon at least for the first six months and there is no option for the opposition except to watch and catch the government committing some blunder. It is thus too early to say that the grounds are slipping from under the feet of BJP. Let us wait, there are five long years.
After UP elections I had written on my blog that BJP is making a huge mistake by taking the UP verdict lightly. No attempt was made to find out why BJP did so badly in the elections instead amusing excuses were given. One of the excuses was that people wanted to vote out Mulayam so even the die hard BJP supporter voted for Mayawati.
By saying so they willfully ignored the significance of this verdict. With the press of a button a baggage of thousand years was removed. It has been the rule that dalits vote for Brahmans to keep them in power not the other way round. Think about all the prejudice that have to be overcome. To explain this paradigm shift BJP leaders gave a self-fooling explanation. If Brahmans had voted for BSP than it was not just that they wanted to vote out Mulayam but something else. I think it was because of lack of alternative. I think Brahmans have left BJP for good and lot of work is needed to be done to find out why? Brahmans were angry with BJP and they did not see any other viable alternative so they voted for BSP. But during these LS elections they saw a resurgent congress. They could feel that a chunk of Muslim vote was shifting towards it so the congress became that alternative that they were looking for. I feel that this Brahman vote will consolidate further with Congress and more Muslims will join it and Congress might emerge the single largest party in next UP assembly elections with BSP coming close second.
The BJP will get marginalized and might come distant fourth in that elections. As far as SP is concerned lot has been said in the media about Muslims deserting SP because of Kalyan Singh. I don’t agree with this. Last time when Kalyan Singh had joined Mulayam, the latter had kept a comfortable distance from him. But this time there was no such prudence. On the contrary Kalyan Singh openly campaigned for SP. Mulayam is a very experienced and cunning politician he would not make that mistake. He might take tactical help from Kalyan but will not risk his biggest support group(after Yadavs) for him. I have a hunch that Mulayam already knew that Muslims are drifting away from him and Kalyan was brought to compensate those drifters with the lodh votes. It is due to this vote bank SP was able to prevent a disaster. Actually SP did pretty well and ended up being single largest party.
The reason why I am writing in this forum is not to dishearten supporters of BJP, for I am one of them, but to shake the party out of denial mood. The same foolish excuses are being forwarded again. Some of the excuses are that people voted for national parties or people voted for stability and thought UPA can provide that or caste is increasingly becoming meaningless. I do not think any of this is correct.
How can you explain that Mayawati got highest percentage of vote in UP followed by SP, both thrives on caste based politics. RJD was only 5% behind JD(U). BSP and SP have retained their caste based vote bank the only votes that seems to have shifted are that of Muslims, upper caste and urban voters and all these have shifted towards congress. I agree with Mr Jashwant Singh that an honest introspection is needed.
The biggest problem with BJP today is that no one seems to have any authority. There are three ways of effectively running the party, as far as I can think. 1st and the worst form is hierarchical where only one family has right to lead congress is the most appropriate example of this form of leadership. The 2nd is a dictatorial type where one person has dictatorial power and decides every thing for the party, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, Lalu Yadav represent this type of leadership. The 3rd and the best form is the democratic party where the leader of party is selected by the party workers verdict. In all these form there is a leader who can take decision and his decisions are respected by everyone. Unfortunately, BJP represent none of these systems. It is democratic enough to allow top leaders to question and fight among themselves but there is no democracy in selection of these big leaders. Most of the BJP’s top leadership is miles away from common man and common party worker. These leaders are not elected by workers so they are not answerable to them. A democratically elected leader commands authority but because there is no real democracy so no one commands that authority. That’s why we have so many leaders fighting among themselves and working as individuals and fulfilling their own individual ambitions.
I hope BJP will wake up from this denial mode and do what should be done to make it a party with a difference and not the party with lot of differences.
Sudipto has really got carried away by UPA govt appointing Nandan in a key role.
Sudipto is an idiot
Nandan Nilekeni, NRN and Mohandas Pai run around carrying the banner of Middle-Class…it sounds so hypocrite-like. How can these peoplewith assets above Rs 10 crores atleast claim to be middle-class?
All these appointments are being made in consultation and under advise of Indian English Language Media. Specifically Rajdeep Sardesai whose stamp seems clearly all over the place in the current UPA government. He and his wife run a 24/7 news channel for Congress Propaganda and they just can’t stand the “genuine” middle class in urban India voting time and again for BJP. They have been gloating over the fact that BJP has not won any LS seat in Mumbai or Delhi and that is their greatest achievement. But they are not able to tolerate Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Raipur, Indore, Gwalior, Amritsar, Lucknow, Patna et al voting the BJP.
Good luck to them! and their feeling that Middle India will be excited about Nandan’s appointment.But sorry to say, one part of middle India does not even know Nandan and the other part which knows, does not believe he is one among them or his appointment is a great step to improve their cause.
rainman, that is indeed some good analysis about UP and how BJP lost the elections there. BJP should stop living in denial now and elect democractically a leader.
“His is an inspiring story that can raise hopes among the majority of Indians - but not the stories of the Tata or an Ambani or a Godrej.” — what the hell are u talking abt? he was accused of sexual molestation by a female colleague not too long ago and u think we are inspired by him? hell no!! Adanis’ Ambanis’ Tanti, Tata they are the real heroes of the corporate world, they are the ones who create a lot of jobs unlike these over-rated geeks.
Its pathetic to see how people like u cud get carried away with the media and parrot on this forum whatever u r fed by the ELM — I mean haven’t got ur own opinion r wht? Please dont copy paste the reasons of failure for BJP from ELM as we too hav got TV at home and I don’t surf this site to read what sardesai said abt BJP the other day ! for god sake this trend is making me sick, can i puke?
Mind ur boddy language. Nilekeni was never accused on anything and get ur facts right first.
BTW i have heard that sushma swaraj has been sleeping with everyone in BJP and that was the reason she was left
Suresh, do you have the proof of the comments you made against Sushma . Can you share your proof with the fellow bloggers ?. Why are you making such a low-level cheap comments on Sushma ?.
Nilekani accused of molestation??? now thats news.. when did it happen.. count bhai.. i think we should stop reading news papers and come to you for news from now onwards.. hehe
Infosys sacked a female american employee in the late ninties, and she went to the media alleging that blah blah…. all I meant to say was that most people in India wudn’t even know him, how wud they get inspired by him then?-as stupidto is “alleging”.
I just saw a congress MP hit a banker, I wish Nandan wears a helmet through his assignment.
What Ambanis have done to mobiles, Sam couldnt have imagined also. Not that I support Ambanis, but the revolution of mobile started there
Swaminathan is an intelectual but he has still not broken the productivity code of India, compared to Japan or Israel. We have a long way to go.
Though I hope Nandan is succesful, have my questions on it
1) People will lynch him if Infosys gets a huge order
2) Normally these projects take a few decades, and when it works it would have become outdated.
3) Who will take care of identifying the illegal immigrants
4)What about the dozens of projects with smart cards at state level
BJP will never ever come to power and has no accountability to the nation. they are frustrated lot, dont know how to react the new situation and never learned anything.
there are plenty of issues in India to be taken, students in Australia is attacked, BJP just issue token statement, instead ABVP or some wing of bjp take it to the street to attract the youth ? stupids
langsam , Just because BJP lost you are making this kind of statements. Every party goes through UPs and DOWNs. The situation of BJP is now similar to what Congress went through in 1999. It doesn’t have a good leader . You never know if the party seriously thinks about the problem and fixes it , it has a very good chance of reviving . Don’t just rule it off.
Guys,
One Mr Phaneesh Murthy of Infosys was accused of sexual harassment by an American girl while working in California - not Nandan Nilekani. Mr Nilekani is an IIT Mumbai graduate and one of the earliest employees of Infosys hired by NRN. Please check the facts before making wild accusations.
I love Michael Jackson and I love Narendra Modi & the BJP. The media has killed Jackson and is trying to destory Modi and the BJP.
We need to destroy the media before it’s too late.
Media is arrogant and biased towards Congress. Infact the whole Indian media is carrying favourable articles towards Congress making Sonia,Priyanka and Rahul demigod and demigoddess. They want to demonize BJP , Modi, Joshi, Advani, Varun Gandhi, RSS. Every piece of article carried by media is always negatively toned. For some reasons, media doesn’t like Hindus. When it comes to Minorities they will go to any length to bring the National commission for Minorities, Teesta Selvad, Nandita Das, Human Rights commission, to support them.
BJP should completely take a cautious approach towards Media.