Prof. M. K. Bhat
The recent election in five states has not only given a befitting answer to Modi baiters by establishing him as a mass leader pan India but also came out with certain lessons for opposition parties which the latter must accept not only for their survival but also for democracy to work in a smooth manner. In my previous article titled’ Three mistakes of opposition’ in this newspaper Dec 29, 2016, I had mentioned that intolerance drama , proof for surgical strike and opposition to demonetization has not gone well with the thinking of people in general. The mood of people was quite clear by their patience to sit in long queues for hours together in a disciplined manner for their benefit in future (A rare thing to see in India). I had mentioned that people have taken the allegations of opposition on these issues in a bad taste and it will add to the strength of the government and it did. The opposition had failed to realise that Indians cannot hear against the security interests of their country when other countries had confirmed the surgical strikes. They also could not estimate the pain of corruption in the heart of people .They underestimated people and lived in the disbelief that the memory of people is too short . They could not realise that people were seriously noting the steps taken by the Government to contain corruption in the country. This talks of disconnect between people and the opposition parties of the country which is bad for the smooth functioning of Government. The people saw in Modi a person who wants to do something good for the country without any self interest.
The elections in 2017 can be termed as a referendum on demonetization and Modi’s good governance. His appeal in masses after taking the reins of country in his hands has not diminished, which generally has not been the case since independence. The verdict of the electorate in five states makes clear that people want opportunities not appeasement. Modi desisted from the misuse of minorities as a vote bank rather made roads for their equal development. The elections have also said goodbye to the Mandal politics by denouncing caste appeals of certain political parties. People want development and inclusiveness Sab Ka Sath Sab ka Vikas clicked with the voter. The Governments Jan Dhan Yojana, Ujwala Yojana, Mudra Yojana, Insurance cover to name a few are support to all and appeasement to none . Modi knows the importance of dialogue with people in democracy and he has applied it through different Media on a continuous bases, this developed his alignment with his constituency. The opposition’s old techniques of caste and religious calculations have proved obsolete in the Modi Tsunami.
The first lesson which the opposition must derive after these elections is that Negative politics has no place in the current scenario. People realise that voting for those who waste the time of Parliament for nothing are not worth to be voted. Media these days is quite active and no one can take things for granted and if media plays partial role anywhere, the social media overtakes and creates an opinion among the people. People interpret things as per their understanding without dependence on regular journalists who may be biased. The negative politics also means taking the interests of a few into consideration and neglecting the rest. You may have to give due credit to the Government where ever its steps are good and may have to criticize it wherever it is wrong. In order to build your tarnished image you cannot be an opponent for the sake of being in opposition rather you may have to convince people because they too are judging the things from their own angles.
Secondly, the problem of corruption haunts every Indian and people want a sincere solution to this menace. They were bluffed by the anti corruption stunts of Arvind Kejriwal and voted him to power with a brute majority in a place like Delhi but got disappointed after he took the reins of government. They saw a fighter against corruption in Narender Modi and felt his seriousness to address this issue when he took the risk of demonetization. The opposition underestimates India of 2017 and still believes that people can be deluded by a false propaganda.
Thirdly, the verdict of people in the assembly elections in UP, Uttrakhand and other places broke all the previously conceived notions of religion based voting. People are desperate for development and they are ready to vote anyone who provides them a good life in the form of jobs to youth, good education to children, and social security to old, good law and order etc. The calculation of certain so called secular politicians that Muslims will not vote for Modi proved wrong. The oppositions arithmetic based on religious appeal has got little significance as people understand that the middleman by propagating about a particular party seek their own interests rather than the interests of the community
Fourthly, the elections have proved that there is a little scope for caste politics in the country. Propagation without anything practical at the ground level carries no meaning. The caste politics was confined to Government jobs people nowadays understand that there are few jobs with government but there is need for creating new avenues of income and that only can lead to social upliftment. They want development and good governance rather than their own henchman fleecing them.
The last lesson for Modi baiters is; do not pounce on every chance to demean a democratically elected prime minister simply because he does not belong to your elite club. People elected the chaiwala not because of his lineage but for his worth so respect the verdict of people and stop coming out with flimsy phrases to create a bad breath in people. Your actions have made elections at present Modi versus rest. The double standards on various issues adopted by people of your ilk, is hardly appreciated by the public. You started with intolerance, love jehad and now freedom of expression and kept silence on Sikh riots, emergency, Kashmiri pundits migration etc This attitude not only exposes your stand but also radicalizes people against all those who support your opinion.
It is clear that the road to Delhi goes via UP, people have given their verdict and expect development of their state, better law and order, employment opportunities and social security, the same is the expectation from the other four governments taking their oath quite soon. People will seriously watch the outcome of their land slide victory to BJP, it definitely shall make latter more responsible. BJP has to prove itself otherwise, it may have to face consequences after five years. P.M. rightly pointed to his party men in thanks giving address at Ashoka road (New Delhi) that “a tree laden with fruit has to bow down”.
It is the power of democracy and do not blame others for your inefficiency is the mantra.
(The author is Director (MAIMS) Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi)
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