So, what was the giveaway from yesterday's poll results; in short, Lalu-Nitish won, BJP lost.
However, dig deeper and you realize that the biggest loser of these polls were
the people of Bihar. It is a shame that they have to choose a person like Lalu.
Perhaps they thought that Nitish would be able to rein in and keep Lalu and RJD
in control. Nevertheless, with RJD being the bigger partner in the alliance,
only time will tell how easy will that be. The fact that Congress won 75% of
the seats they fought, is another worrying factor. Wasn't 2014 election
supposed to be the beginning of an end of these parties? This is why it is a
shame, a shame for us who are governed, and a missed opportunity for the BJP
and to large extent, BJP (and it's think-tank) are to be blamed as well.
When BJP came to
power in 2014, there was much promise of development and country finally moving
in right direction, after the corruption filled times of previous govt. 'Sabke
saath, sabka vikas' proclaimed BJP (actually Modi) and people believed. Even the
skeptics like me were willing to sit, wait and watch. Moreover, people like me
wwere looking forward to be proven wrong. It will not be wrong to say that Modi
had everything going for him. Yet, for all the talks of development before
election, what one got instead was Adityanaths, Girirajs, Sakshi Maharajs and
saadhvis. It was not Dinanath Batra, ghar wapsi, beef ban, lynching, hindutva
and polarization that people have voted for, it was something else that was
promised. As time went, doubts became real. When a statesman like Atal Bihari
Vajpayee was not able to control the thugs within BJP, how much of a chance
Modi had, given that he seemed to align with them anyways. Bhakts might not
agree to this, but Modi is no Vajpayee and it will be long before he can become
one. Vajpayee could carry the government and the country despite the rouges in
BJP and the constraints that he faced. Modi, on the other hand, had a much
clear verdict after 2014 elections and held a (seemingly) much firmer grasp,
and effect, on BJP cadre, and despite all that, his record of accomplishment is
average to say the least.
It is not that Modi
govt has not done anything. I, for one, do not mind his foreign trips. I think
it has instilled confidence in Indians in general and for a country claiming to
be next superpower, it is important that its leaders act like one. Modi has
that persona and it does not harm if he projects that at the world level. He is
a good orator and has a charismatic personality that he uses to good effects in
general, when on foreign tours. Nothing wrong with that. There are several
other things worth noting. His govt's response to evacuating people from middle
east, Naga accord and operations in Myanmar are all noteworthy and so are his
symbolic gestures/efforts, be it Jan Dhan yojna or swacch bharat. No sane
Indian will criticize these efforts. However, amidst all this, elements of RSS
and hindutva brigade made sure that they remain the talking point
(unfortunately). One can argue, "But look Modi has done some good work and
he can't check everyone" or "he needs time". But that just goes
against the very image PM Modi has been projecting. Wasn't he supposed to be
the one who does not keep mum, unlike MMS. Wasn't he supposed to the strong
one, the one who is control and get things done his way (be it marginalization
of the likes of Advani and Joshi or keeping RSS brigade in check during his Guj
CM time). Therefore, when such a person decides to keep quiet and takes no
action against the likes of Giriraj and Adityanath, it sends the wrong message.
It shows him as either weak or most likely as someone who is a party to these
affairs. In our country, though, it doesn't take much for fortunes to change
(take Lalu for example) and images to break. Nobody will mind Modi taking time
to fix the ills of this country, be it finances or infrastructure or health and
education. But Modi need to understand that what his brigade seem to
concentrate their energies on (hindutva, polarization, unnecessary arrogance
and chauvinism, communalisation), are also the ills that we want to get rid of.
Pushing agenda on these lines has never reaped benefits and it is not going to
in future either.
After Bihar results,
I was having a whatsapp conversation with my friends and a friend said that
Bihar has always voted along caste lines and it is not different this time
either. At this moment, another friend, who hails from Bihar, corrected us. He
said that all elections were fought along caste lines except the 2010 election.
Perhaps, there lied the key and I am amazed that our so-called seasoned
politicians failed to see it. The 2010 Bihar assembly elections were fought on
the issue of development and these were the elections where BJP registered its
only success in Bihar. BJP had won 91 seats in these elections. They fought
2014 elections in the name of development and got a thumping majority. The
pattern is clear and has always existed. So why did they fought this election
on bogus issues that are seemingly more RSS promoted. Why did they indulge in
negativity (patakha in Pakistan etc.), when negativity has seldom paid back (be
it BJP losing 2004 elections when they campaigned negatively against Sonia or
2014, when congress campaigned negatively against Modi).
I hope BJP top brass
realizes that Bihar is no aberration, just as Delhi was not. There is still
time for BJP and Modi to get their act together and start focusing on
development agenda, for that is the only factor that guarantees success. If
Modi wants to be the proactive, progressive leader that he aspires for, and
hopes that people will remember him as, then he needs to rein in the
unnecessary elements within his party (and affiliates). Else, writing is
already on the wall. Choice is for BJP/Modi to make, whether they want to win
the polls only on social media or win hearts of people by doing the real work
instead of indulging in foolish one-upmanship that most bhakts indulge in on
Social media. Unfortunately, until that time arrives, it is a pity for our
country and its citizens, that all the messiahs that spring time and again
giving us hope and expectation, ultimately they all turn out to be Lalus, in
one form or the other.
