long after the blame-game, soul searching and introspection within the BJP is over, the echo of the stunning Delhi debacle will continue to haunt the party and the NDA Government at the Centre. The BJP’s victory march that started with the lok Sabha polls and rolled uninterrupted across Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand has finally come to a grinding halt. Delhi voters have busted the myth of the new leadership’s invincibility and shown how smugness and disconnect with the cadre, coupled with arrogance of power could overnight change the narrative of politics.
The verdict will have lasting ramifications both for the Government and the party. The Opposition, which was on the mat after the lok Sabha rout, is now charged for future combats. This time the battleground will first shift to Parliament and then to Bihar and West Bengal Assembly polls. The hostility that marred the better part of the Winter Session could spill over into the Budget Session, as the Opposition would use the Delhi verdict to question the Government’s policy and programmes and go all out to stop it from converting contentious Ordinances like those on land acquisition and the insurance sector into laws.
The changed situation will demand a more reconciliatory approach and that is where the BJP would do well to use the services of its veterans who have worked with Opposition leaders over a period of time. The Delhi verdict has shown that disconnect with the party cadre and marginalization of long-serving leaders could have disastrous consequences for the BJP. But in the larger perspective, it could also impact the functioning of the Government, especially if the veterans take a backseat and the over-enthusiastic new crop of leaders continues to think the overwhelming bench strength in lok Sabha alone will be enough to translate Modi’s vision into reality.
Few would question Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to place the Indian economy back on track and his developmental agenda, but to achieve that task, the slogan of “cooperative federalism” will have to become a reality. The Modi Government will have to ensure that anti-BJPism does not become the leitmotif of Indian politics, and for that it will have to shun the type of negative and hostile campaign its strategists carried out in the Delhi polls.
Watching the sort of shrill noises some of the BJP’s spokespersons make in daily Press briefings, made one wonder how the party’s main strategist could have failed to realize that Indian voters have never endorsed mud-slinging and negative agenda. In the days ahead, as the party braces for electoral battle in Bihar and Bengal, they must realize that instead of the slogan of “Jungle Raj” in Bihar and “Bhag Mamata bhag” in Bengal, they must place Modi’s vision of a vibrant and prosperous India before the electorate.
The Delhi verdict has another clear message for the party. The country voted for the BJP for “acche din”, development and revival of the economy. The jarring noises of the “fringe” outfits who forcibly want to marry off couples celebrating Valentine’s Day or plan to build a temple for Nathuram Godse have no synergy with Modi’s core agenda of transformation of India into a global superpower. A constructive dialogue within the entire “parivar” is essential to restrain the “fringe” from becoming the centre of attention.
Somewhere between May 16 and February 10, the BJP leadership has also failed to carry the cadre together. The decisive loss of Kiran Bedi in Krishna Nagar, a BJP bastion, is a clear example of this disconnect. The party’s membership drive could swell its cadre strength, but as long as they are not emotionally connected with the party, they cannot be expected to dedicate themselves in electoral battles.
The Delhi verdict has also another unmistakable message for the party, that it needs to correct the perception that “acche din” have come only for the “haves” and corporates. A return to inclusive politics and inclusive growth that Modi talked about all along could redeem the mistakes of the past nine months and help the BJP and Government recover from the setback of the Delhi debacle.