BJP just taught the most important election lesson to Congress – pro-incumbency

(GURU PRAKASH PASWAN)

The decisive victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the three crucial states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh is an indication of the further maturing of Indian democracy. A difference of more than 100 seats in MP, 45 in Rajasthan and 20 in Chhattisgarh shows that people in these states have assuredly walked toward stable polity. The absolute decimation of the Congress in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan is telling, as the leaders were supposedly planning a victory celebration even before the results were announced. The complicated yet indicative exit polls offered initial euphoria to the party. This election verdict, however, highlights two important things: the limitations that arise with the perversion of political discourse and the role that politics of performance and pro-incumbency play.

• Perversion of discourse

Let us start with the perversion of political discourse that more or less shaped the elections this season. As the counting day ended, the narrative paraphernalia of the greater Congress ecosystem became active. Posts of North vs South started to appear on social media, TV debates took a manipulative turn in the direction of further intensification of this regional cleavage, and senior commentators also started to write things to fuel discord between states.

Maybe they were unmindful of the fact that the Union Finance Minister and External Affairs Minister come from Tamil Nadu. Maybe they were not aware of the fact that a BJP candidate in Telangana defeated both the sitting and the potential chief minister. Maybe they ignored the number of BJP MPs from Karnataka and Telangana. Maybe they conveniently forgot that the BJP is running a coalition government in Puducherry. Congress is not designed to handle victories and losses. It requires humility and sheer conviction to face reality. Rahul Gandhi, instead of putting out a tweet (probably drafted by poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu), could have addressed his party workers. From calling PM Narendra Modi panauti to commenting on his humble origins, caste and family, Congress and its leadership are in a perpetual quest to dampen political discourse in the country.

The politics of brinkmanship and sloganeering come with a certain set of limitations. It has a shelf life and attracts an inconsequential level of attention if not backed by hard facts and logic. Rahul and the political think tank around him are either refusing to accept this or have strategically decided to mislead him for reasons best left unsaid. We are living in a digital age where claim obfuscations are no longer tough to identify. Trust and transparency have increasingly become relevant to gain public faith in the political discourse.

• Politics of performance, pro-incumbency

The second and most significant factor is the politics of performance and pro-incumbency. PM Modi has confidently asserted that “poor, youth, women and farmers are the new castes” – an assertion rooted in his conviction, dedication and, most importantly, lived experience. Analysis of his campaign speeches across the four states reveals that he not only articulated his vision but also presented a performance audit of his government. The resonance of “MP ke mann me Modi, Modi ke mann me MP” and the PM’s open letter to the people of the state generated popular appeal for the BJP.

The remarkable hypocrisy of the Congress was also exposed with its demagoguery around the caste census. A party that opposed the recommendations of the Mandal Commission on the floor of the Parliament and insulted OBC leader Sitaram Kesari on official Congress premises has nothing concrete to offer the OBC community.

Congress came out with a list of observers for the four states just a day before counting. It had one Dalit, one woman and one OBC on this list. It simply refuses to accept the fact that the country has evolved. People want concrete answers from their leaders; casual waiving from the stage won’t do. The MP government’s single-minded focus on women can educate other states about policy innovation. Beneficiaries of the ‘Ladli Behna Yojana’ – which focuses on empowering women from economically weaker sections – were recently entitled to higher financial aid. MP government has increased the monthly allowance for women from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,250. And this decision has benefitted about 1.25 crore women in the state.

The last time an incumbent Congress government was able to retain power was more than a decade ago – in 2011, when Tarun Gogoi managed to retain his government in Assam. In-your-face selectivity in leading assaults on the integrity of public institutions has become normal for some key opposition parties in the country. Judicial bodies, investigative agencies and authorities are being put under the scanner by parties like the Congress. If it doesn’t introspect now, it is doomed to fail.

(Guru Prakash is the national spokesperson of BJP and Assistant Professor at Patna University)