The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 95

The International News Weekly INDIA
May 24, 2019 | Toronto 10
The 2014 wave just got
bigger, bjp manages to
increase vote share
Rahul Chases Chowkidar,
Loses His Way
Continued from page 01
Riding on state victories, the Congress
leader prematurely concluded that he could
take on the PM in his own presidential style,
with Rafale and chowkidar as the war cry.
As many had suggested, focusing on “governance
failures” like rural distress, notebandi,
economy and unemployment would have
made Rahul look like he had an alternative
plan rather than just seeking Modi’s ouster.
Post-results, the challenges appear fundamental.
The no-holds barred, round-the-year Hindutva
campaign by BJP and its sister outfits
has made the ground fertile for polarisation.
And there is little doubt that the Pulwama
outrage and the Balakot air strikes helped
BJP bring its nationalistic discourse to centre
stage. Anti-Pakistan nationalism ties in
well with the Hindutva messaging, especially
since the rival had promised to review AF-
PSA and repeal the sedition law. Using these
openings, Modi has consistently ripped into
Congress, sidestepping any effort to put his
tenure under the lens.
So, how does Congress or the opposition
take on BJP in future? The task is compounded
by the possibility that the saffron leadership
would be tempted to see nationalism
and Hindutva as a shortcut to success.
It poses a dire threat to Congress and the
“secular” opposition, given the way they are
wired socially and politically. Not just Congress
but regional parties like Trinamool
and BJD in the east, out of the BJP’s arc of
influence, are also facing the heat.
Given the sweep of defeat, Rahul will face
queries about focusing so much on Modi and
Rafale that it eclipsed the basic message the
party went into the polls with.
When he first began to take an active interest
in Congress organisation, Rahul came
to be described by insiders as less tolerant
of dissenting views. That, many felt, denied
him from gaining from the experience of veterans.
He has since changed. But leaders say
he still needs to be more sensitive to the ideas
and opinions of others.
If in the final analysis the BJP leader
turned out to be more popular, then the feedback
Congress gathered on public mood, a
crucial input in designing the campaign,
would be under scrutiny —it was a team
handpicked by Rahul.
For Congress, the ‘dynasty’ is the mantra
of continuity as it keeps the leadership above
the fray. But then its strength is also dependent
on the ability of its leader. That puts
the onus of its revival on Rahul’s shoulders.
Will he be able to shake off the tag of being a
dynast and come into his own as an agent of
change?
The most demoralising for Congress is
its complete collapse in seven states where it
was in a direct contest with BJP. Together,
they account for 128 seats of which Congress
may win around four.
After losing a string of states post-2014,
Congress appeared to have turned the page
with its December victories. The Lok Sabha
cave-in reverses the gains and poses a big
question mark for the near future, starting
with as early as September when Haryana
and Maharashtra go to polls.
With thanks from times of India