The
results of elections for the 16th
Parliament are out. The BJP has scored an outstanding victory. The BJP led by
Shri Atal Bihariji had won 182 seats in the 1998 and 1999 elections. Additional
90 seats required to form a stable Government were managed with support from
friendly parties which were as diverse as the Shiv Sena from Maharashtra
and the National Conference of J&K. The BJP had its own independent
manifesto for the 1998 elections but had to work out a ‘Common Minimum Program
(CMP)’ with some friendly parties to form a Government. The Government fell
after only 13 months due to uncooperative attitude of one supporting party and
necessitated fresh elections in 1999. The BJP fought the elections with the CMP
(worked out earlier) as its manifesto with its partners but could not increase
its tally beyond 182 seats. However, with the support from friendly parties,
Atal Bihari Bajpayeeji ran an effective stable Government for the next 5 years.
INCOMPARABLE VICTORY
This
time the BJP has secured 284 seats on its own, 12 more than necessary to form a
stable Government – this is indeed an outstanding historic achievement. The
distinctive feature has been that the BJP fought these elections on its own independent
manifesto. It included the issues of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, Common Civil Code
and Article 370 which had to be left out of the 1999 manifesto (CMP) earlier.
Apart from BJP allies the Akali Dal and the Shiv Sena, Paswan’s Lok Janshakti
Party, Chandrababu Naidu led TDP and some other parties in the south were also
part of the NDA. Development and Transparency in Governance were the core
issues in these elections – there can be no two opinions about their
importance. And though everyone may not agree with the above mentioned three
issues included in the BJP manifesto, the very fact that these other parties
joined the NDA umbrella indicates that they are not likely to have direct
opposition if steps are taken to resolve these concerns within the constitutional
and judicial framework.. The BJP led NDA has secured 334 seats, more than 60%,
a record breaking triumph, which no other Party or Group can boast of over the
last seven elections – almost 30 years, since Rajiv Gandhi won in 1984.
MODI’S ACCOMPLISHMENT
The
credit for this exceptional and glorious success of BJP, beyond doubt, goes to
Shri Narendrabhai Modi. His relentless hard work, untiring efforts in
establishing communication with people – addressing their aspirations and
concerns specially his direct connect with the younger generation, has resulted
in superb victory for the BJP. This is not to downplay the role of the party
organisation or its workers. These existed in 2004 and 2009 too. But the party
had suffered reverses nevertheless. That leadership of Narendrabhai Modi
infused new life into the party and enthused unbound fresh energy into the
workers is now accepted by all.
CONTRIBUTION OF SANGH SWAYAMSEWAKS
The
contribution of RSS to this victory also needs to be recognized. The RSS
remains away from politics as a rule and is an organisation committed to the
good of the entire Society. Politics is one sphere of the social life, but not
the only one. Therefore, RSS also has its views on various issues in politics
also. In other areas of social life like, education, health & hygiene,
religion, industry, agriculture etc, the RSS swayamsewaks also work. Shri
Mohanji Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak, had exhorted all workers and citizens in his
Vijaya Dashmi address last October to exercise their right to vote and ensure
100% voting in elections. In follow up the RSS swayamsevaks visited millions of
homes creating awareness, motivating and urging people to come out for voting.
They did not have to influence the people to vote for someone particular. The people
know RSS very well and have faith in its work. These efforts proved very
fruitful resulting in extraordinary voting percentages which recorded an
exceptional growth [beyond 66%] in these 2014 elections. The swayamsevaks were
also driven by the anti “RSS” propaganda let loose by the non-NDA parties,
especially the Congress, who propagated that their fight is with the RSS and
not with the BJP. Their misguided attempts were always aimed at capturing the
Muslim vote en-masse by spreading the imagined fear of RSS amongst them.
Therefore, the spiteful role and contribution of such anti BJP parties and the
Congress in badmouthing RSS should also not be discounted in this eye-catching
success achieved by the BJP.
DEFEAT OF CASTEIST POLITICS
Another
distinctive feature of these elections has been the defeat of casteist
politics. Hindu society is the majority community in our nation. “People are
the Nation” is a universally accepted concept. Similarities in cultural and
social values, customs and more importantly “roots” of the people are the true
benchmarks for defining the homogeneousness, unity and nationality of a people.
Therefore we consider ‘Hindu’ a Nation – a ‘Rashtra’. The Hindu society is made
up of many castes, sub-castes, creeds etc having many common features among
their practices and beliefs with their distinctive lifestyles. However many
narrow minded politicians and groups with lofty sounding names have been trying
to achieve ungainly power through dubious means. They actively engage in
magnifying the differences and inciting injudicious feelings of injustice. This
results in creating wedges and spread hatred amongst the people rather than
strengthening the common features that bind the society. These elections have
been a resounding slap in the face of such casteist political parties and
leaders which they will remember a lifetime. Mayawati’s BSP, a front runner in
politics of the Dalits, had won 20 seats in UP alone during the 2009 elections.
In this election BSP has been totally wiped out, whereas the BJP has won all
the 17 seats reserved in Scheduled Caste category, in U.P. The Samajwadi Party
of Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav, which had won maximum parliamentary seats in UP in
2009 has been restricted to just five seats [Mulayam & family members only]
out of 80 this time. The SP had not only won the assembly elections in 2009
with a vast majority but is also in power in UP today The voters of UP have
totally rejected politicians engaged in castereligion based politics as also
the politics of equation of votebanks like “Muslim-Dalit” or ‘Yadav-Muslim’
etc. The outstanding success achieved by the BJP in winning 71 out of 80 seats
in UP the credit goes to Amit Shah who has worked himself into the hearts of
people making UP almost his home.
CONGRESS DECIMATED
The
Congress party has been thoroughly decimated in these elections. A party
boasting a tradition of 125 years, which had won 206 seats on its own in the
previous election 5 years back, could not even secure 50 seats – it got just
46. What could be more shameful that it has been completely wiped out in 12
states – J&K, HIMACHAL PRADESH, UTTARAKHAND, RAJASTHAN, DELHI ,
GUJARAT, GOA , TAMILNADU, ODISHA, JHARKHAND and
TRIPURA. In fact, in some of these states the Congress is the ruling party.
There could have been no greater disgrace for the party than this shocking
debacle.
WORRYING THOUGHTS
In
my opinion this is matter of great concern and worry. Not only for the Congress
party, but also in terms of the democratic system we follow. There are a large
number of smaller parties. But they are restricted more or less to a region or
a state or two. Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, BJD in Odisha, JD(S) in
Karnataka, Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, SP/BSP in UP, AIDMK/DMK in Tamilnadu,
Akalis in Punjab etc. They have neither the all India Sri Lanka USA
has the Democrats and the Republicans, UK
REVIVING THE CONGRESS
The
Congress party is presently fully dependent on the Gandhi Family, Sonia – Rahul
– Priyanka Vadra and has no other leaders willing to stand up and be counted.
This will not help in its revival. The younger generation is fed up and set
against family fiefdoms in politics. What, if any, are the political
achievements of either Sonia or Rahul that show up their leadership or acumen?
Nothing, Other than being the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi and wife of
Rajiv Gandhi what does she have to her credit? After spending ten years in
Parliament has she ever spoken effectively on any important issue? Same is the
case with Rahul. It is time to put aside claims of over-sixty generation and
the likes of Digvijay, Chidambaram, Antony, Gehlot etc and give charge in the
hands of Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Ajay Maken, Dipendra Huda, Milind
Deora, Rajendra Mulak, Mukul Wasnik, Meenakshi Natarajan etc. Even Rahul and
Priyanka could be part of such new formation. They should chalk out a complete
plan for revival and form organizational policies anew, taking care that
meaning of secularism is not limited to being “anti-Hindu” and pro-others.
Appeasement of none and progress to all should become the core factors of
revival. Approach should be towards positivity, climbing above the politics of
caste, creed, religion etc and move towards redefining the fundamental
philosophy of the party.
Of
course there is no fault in treating elder leaders with due respect,
recognizing their contributions and giving them due honour, but the leadership
should remain now with the young generation. Now is the time for the younger lot
to come together and do some brainstorming in the right direction – I feel that
is the only way forward for the Congress.
M G VAIDYA
18 MAY 2014
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