THE
TIDE IS TURNING
I am both, happy as
well as sad at the UP and Bihar bye-poll results. Close on the heels of
Rajasthan and MP bye-polls; it is a clear signal that the tide is beginning to
turn. I am happy because these results hopefully would dissipate BJP’s hubris, deflate
its arrogance, and drive it towards introspection and course-correction.
Its rant that this
was due to an unholy alliance between SP and BSP is ludicrous; given that it
itself is allied with the brazenly anti-national PDP in J&K, and with
regional parties in Nagaland and Tripura, which have had a track-record of separatist
demands.
At the same time I am sad too because
BJP has been a terrible let-down, given that it was given a massive mandate. With
its absolute majority it was not encumbered with coalition constraints as the UPA
was. It boasted of being a ‘party with a difference’ and was expected to
deliver. Not only has it failed miserably to meet peoples’ expectations, it even
shot itself in the foot with its hare-brained demonetization fiasco and shoddy implementation
of GST.
Its biggest mistake
has been its Hindutva agenda. Most people are alarmed at its divisive politics
and hyper-Nationalism, due to which the Nation was let aghast with crisis-a-day
headlines; such as lynching, moral-policing, love-jihad, Padmavat
drama, polarizing and shameful utterances (e.g. against Jawans) as well as
uncouth and arrogant behavior of its leaders.
Brazen contravention
of democratic norms and weakening of institutions too have shocked people. Spate
of recent scandals and signs of palace intrigues have been marring its
credibility. The sense of optimism among the people after its victory has
given way to despondency, despair and foreboding.
I am
also unhappy because the alternative too does not seem promising, given the
lack of a strong, credible opposition. BJP takes refuge behind the TINA (there
is no alternative) factor, but that only leads to arrogance and
complacency, as has been the Nation’s experience in the past. If it unequivocally sheds
the Hindutva plank, and focuses only on an inclusive, pluralist and
developmental agenda, it might retrieve some lost ground.