An In-depth Analyses Of BJP’s Astounding Triumph
By Shahina Mulk
The historic landslide victory of BJP under the
powerful undisputed leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the recent
Assembly elections has changed the complexion of Indian Polity. The haze,
behind the emergence of BJP as a major force to reckon with, clears up once we
analyze the footprints of the parties that were the major contenders in this
fight to assert hegemony over the largest democratic set up in the world.
PM Narendra Modi, The One Man Behind BJP Historic Victory |
The major parties that had been ruling for decades
have crumbled like a house of cards under the weight of their own sloppy governance,
chaos, corruption and folly. The Indian voters have asserted through their
mandate that they can no longer be cajoled just by antiquated decrepit election
planks based on caste, religion and unfulfilled promises, rather they need
solution to their long-standing grievances related to security, good
governance, development, and generation of employment.
The Congress Its Rise & Fall
The Congress, which had the major stakes in Indian
Politics since Independence, saw its heydays under the strong leadership of
Indira Gandhi and continued to score fairly even in Rajiv Gandhi’s regime. However,
the real danger started lurking over the party after his assassination. Following
the death of her husband, surfing the sympathy wave, though, Sonia Gandhi was
swift enough to take over the reins of the party, the sword of her foreign
roots kept dangling over her head every now and then, giving the opposition
enough fodder to undermine her political authority in India.
Then, started the period of puppet governance, with
Manmohan Singh getting elevated to the highest post of authority sans power,
with complete authority vested in Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The
arrangement drew flak from all quarters, kicking off a national debate on the
relevance of such a setup. The Prime Minister of any country is its pride and
people look forward to him for certain qualities. The weak Manmohan Singh,
despite being an erudite, failed to garner respect for himself as a Prime
Minister. History is replete with examples where puppet government is followed
by revolutionary changes.
Despite this, the Congress continued to hold on to its position for a considerable time as people’s sentimental association with the Congress also fueled its tenure. It continued to garner support even under Rajeev Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi’s leadership as memories of the Congress’ glory were afresh amongst the masses and stories of the Gandhi’s sacrifice added fuel to the Congress fire thus keeping its burning.
Rahul Gandhi, Preposterous Behaviour Has Lead Congress Onto The Path To Extinction. |
Despite this, the Congress continued to hold on to its position for a considerable time as people’s sentimental association with the Congress also fueled its tenure. It continued to garner support even under Rajeev Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi’s leadership as memories of the Congress’ glory were afresh amongst the masses and stories of the Gandhi’s sacrifice added fuel to the Congress fire thus keeping its burning.
Sonia Gandhi was seen by most as a temporary
arrangement till the time her daughter, Priyanka Gandhi, was ripe enough to
take over the reins of the Congress. Hopes of Congressmen and Congress
loyalists were pinned largely on Priyanka Gandhi, with many asserting that her fiery
speeches and appearance bore a close resemblance to her grandmother, Indira
Gandhi. It was widely speculated that Priyanka would bring back the lost glory
of the Congress.
But, Priyanka Gandhi’s decision of marrying in a
murky family, with news of their personal enmity leaking out every now and
then, worked as a catalyst in degrading her political image. It is a
self-evident truth that for a successful politician the basic constitutes a
strong image building exercise. It is mandatory for them to steer clear of
controversies and keep political goals ahead of personal preferences. Probably,
Priyanka Gandhi’s decision of prioritizing family over politics left the
Gandhis with no other option rather than to give Congress Rahul Gandhi’s face.
This was a catastrophic decision that proved fatal for the Congress in the long
run and initiated the process of quietly fading it into the oblivion.
Priyanka Gandhi’s Decision Of Prioritizing Family Over Politics Left The Gandhis With No Other Option Rather Than To Give Congress, Rahul Gandhi’s Face |
The dynastic rule appealed till the time powerful
leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi wielded power, but once the
vacuum of capable leadership became evident, it proved suicidal for the
Congress. Rahul Gandhi, with poor political acumen and bad
rhetoric gave a death blow to the Congress, already counting its last days in
the Intensive Care Unit. Rahul is a live example, which emphasizes that
politics is not linked to genes. A simple tea vendor can emerge as a great
politician, while a scion of a political family can lack even in basics of
Polity.
Rahul Gandhi, by his preposterous behaviour has lead
Congress onto the path to extinction. Can people ever believe that the royal Gandhi
scion is so poor that he wears a torn kurta? Does he assume the public to be so
gullible as to get caught within the web of his meaningless drivel? Or instead
of pursuing some serious politics he is just fooling around with unpalatable hyperbolical
speeches? He certainly got a befitting reply to his speech on torn kurta, when
somebody sent him Rs 100 demand draft to sew his torn pocket!
Under his leadership, even the decades old Nehru-Gandhi
bastion of Amethi has been stormed by the BJP, pointing to the steadily
plummeting popularity graph of the Congress. It is an open fact that Rahul
Gandhi has failed miserably in leading the Congress. It is high time that
Congress should move on from its dynastic rule policy and pave path for new competent
leadership.
The Samajwadi Party
The news of internal feud within the family kept on spilling
every now and then and just before the elections it blew into a full-fledged
battle over gaining ascendancy, with father and son falling on the opposite
sides. This internal feud destroyed the party’s image in the eyes of voters. It
was deemed that how a party, which had failed to keep its own house in order, could
keep the state intact. Akhilesh Yadav’s greatest mistake was to undermine the
political affiliations of his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, under whose
leadership the party had grown by leaps and bounds. A son’s open revolt with
his father did not go well with many of older generation Mulayam loyalists who
chose to reject a rebellious son.
Akhilesh Yadav's Miscalculations Badly Retaliated Upon Him |
On the other hand, his decision to join hands with
Congress that was already aboard a sinking ship gave the final blow to his
party and his miscalculations badly retaliated upon him. Had he listened to his
father Mulayam Singh’s directives of not joining forces with the Congress, he
might have fared better. Experience is a vital ingredient that fuels politics
and Akhilesh Yadav’s overconfidence in his youth power misfired and fell back
upon him.
The Samajwadi party for decades has been marred by charges
of bad governance, nepotism, cronyism, reneging on electoral promises along
with aiding antisocial elements. This time, Modi’s rising popularity made these
accusations even more glaring and the voters thought it prudent to shift
loyalty.
The Bahujan Samaj Party
The Party that won 206 seats on its own in the 2007
Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections got a mere share of 19 seats in the 2017 polls.
After being over-exploited for decades, Mayawati’s Dalit plank failed to work
this time, sending across the message that voters’ interest in retrogressive caste-based
politics had met its end.
Mayawati Spend Crores Of Tax Payers' Money Over Constructing Colossal Statues |
The entire regime of Mayawati witnessed the
hard-earned tax payers’ money siphoning off to erect colossal statues extolling
her and the party. On the development front, there is hardly anything to talk
about albeit Mayawati’s grand lifestyle became talk of the town, striking awe
in the hearts of many.
The Phenomenal Rise Of BJP
Whereas the Congress suppressed budding talents
within its rank and file to safeguard dynastic politics, BJP left enough scope
for its capable leaders to rise and exhibit dynamism.
While, lack of strong leadership and baseless
strategies were eroding the wide base of Congress, BJP was slowly fortifying
its stronghold in all states of India and inching towards making itself a
formidable force for its foes to reckon with.
The one man who has led BJP to an astounding victory
in the 2017 Assembly elections is undisputedly PM Narendra Modi. His sharp
political acumen has made him one of the world’s greatest leaders.
The opponents of BJP failed to keep pace with the
swift strategic moves of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and got caught within the
web of their own disorder and dwindling popularity catalyzed by interest-based
politics.
Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is an excellent platform that
catapulted him to popularity. It connected him instantly with the people
especially in the tier II & III cities, where radio finds wide base. What
Rahul Gandhi could not achieve even after having lunch and dinners with the
rural populace, Modi accomplished sitting at a single place. His excellent
rhetoric skills instantly struck a chord with the people.
Modi's Mann Ki Baat Connected Him To The Masses |
Modi’s frequent jibes at his opponents silently reduced
them to mere ridiculous figures and callow opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi
and Arvind Kejriwal by their repeated immature statements and unsubstantiated
allegations prove him right. Allegation, even if it comprises truth should be
corroborated with sufficient proof before it is made public, otherwise it loses
significant and is hardly heeded to.
The demonetization was also a political tool that
Modi deployed to paralyze his opponents. He chose the right time, just before
the elections, to implement the demonetization policy in order to cripple his
opponents, who remain in hibernation for the entire period of their tenure and
wake just before the elections to plan strategies to gain voters through
unlimited money power.
Modi’s prodigious political expertise is his forte
that led to BJP’s landslide victory in the 2017 Assembly polls. BJP’s triumph
is a gentle prelude to the bigger waters that lie ahead. To resurge, the
opposition needs to bring their houses back in order and plan strategically as
the current political situation spells out more difficult terrain ahead for
them.
2 Comments
Very well-written article indeed!
ReplyDeleteThe team from Loyola College, Chennai, predicted a hung assembly in the state of Karnataka, with 75-to 80 seats to BJP overall, 55 seats to the Congress I and some 25 seats to the Janata Dal (S) and some 20 seats undecided.guarantor loans
ReplyDelete