HOW THE BJP WAS ROUTED-
And why the Congress party will bide its time
By Ajay Singh and Ritu Sarin / New Delhi
[Source:Asia Week]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANITA SHARMA, A NEWLY married resident of a Delhi slum, eagerly gobbled up the namkeen she was offered on the morning of Nov. 25. The deep-fried, salty snack was a free gift from a political party that was to contest elections to the Delhi assembly later that day. Within minutes, however, Anita, 19, felt nauseous and fainted in her hut. Her husband Harish, 21, picked her up in his arms and ran outside for help - to find himself in the midst of a horrifying scene: Pouring out of every hut in sight were victims of food poisoning.
Harish nervously rushed his wife to a hospital for treatment. But her plight did not prevent him from hurrying back to cast his vote. He says he voted for the Congress party because the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had failed, among other things, to keep its promise of bringing down the prices of essential commodities. "We gave the BJP a chance to rule in Delhi," says Harish. "Now it's time for them to go."
Similar sentiments were echoed across the three key "Hindi heartland" states of Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP suffered crushing defeat at the hands of Congress. Though the Hindu nationalist party was expected to lose in both the Delhi region and Rajasthan, where it was in power, nobody thought it would fare as poorly as it did. BJP candidates, including dozens of ministers, were trounced not just in each of the three states but in virtually every district.
"This was nothing short of a mini-general election," said former Congress minister Rajesh Pilot, who helped the party sweep three-fourths of the seats in Rajasthan for the first time. "The BJP has no moral authority to continue in power."
Though the results have no direct bearing on national politics, they are important because the polls were the first the BJP has faced since it came to power nine months ago at the head of a shaky, multi-party coalition. Moreover, the issues that led to the BJP's humiliating performance have a national appeal: The party was punished for misgovernance in economic and social policies, particularly its failure to control the sharp increase in the prices of onions, a staple vegetable in India that affected the cost of many other goods.
The BJP's alleged harassment of minorities, its efforts to introduce elements of Hindu nationalism in school curriculums and rising urban violence also contributed to the debacle.
The verdict has shocked the BJP, not least because just six months ago it earned kudos from across the nation for making India the world's sixth nuclear power. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, whose charisma in the Hindi-speaking states is considered to be unparalleled, sought to play down the defeat. He blamed the anti-incumbency factor, or the well-known penchant of voters to throw out governments every five years. "There is no question of despair," the PM told his coalition lawmakers in Parliament when the house reconvened on Nov. 30. And then, as if to confirm his sense of desperation if not outright despair, Vajpayee added: "I request everyone to display unity."
The unexpected turn of events left Congress, which has ruled India for all but five of the 51 years since Independence, in a state of euphoric resurgence. This wasn't just due to the BJP's poor showing but also because the elections were the first test of the Congress's popularity since Sonia Gandhi, the 52-year-old widow of assassinated premier Rajiv Gandhi, took over as party president earlier this year. Rather than make a bid for power, Congress has adopted a wait-and-watch attitude. "We will not rush into any situation," Sonia told reporters after the elections. "But [we] are ready to face mid-term elections if the situation arises."
This strategy is nothing new for Congress - the party has been following it since the BJP formed a government in March. Indeed, Congress's restraint under Sonia's guidance was a significant factor in its victories. Voters seem to have rewarded the party for not making a grab for power - and Congress seems determined to exploit the strategy further. It makes political sense. Congress cannot come to power without outside support - and the aim of many of its would-be allies would be not so much to help Congress but to kick out Vajpayee's party.
Harkishen Singh Surjeet, general secretary of the Communist Party of India, a strong anti-BJP block in the house, put it this way: "While we may be prepared to give issue-based support to Congress, this is a vote against the BJP, not one in favor of Congress."
So over the next few months, Congress is likely to test the winds in Parliament, where it has 141 out of 543 seats - far below the 279 that the BJP and its allies occupy. It will also be sniffing the popular mood outside in anticipation of a possible mid-term poll should the BJP-led coalition disintegrate. For its part, the BJP will be working feverishly to ensure that does not happen. And just about every party will be analyzing the lessons of the latest verdict, whose biggest message was aptly summed up by The Times of India: "It is not that Congress has emerged as the new white hope," the daily said in an editorial, "but that the increasingly vigilant voter has put politicians as a whole on notice." It has happened before, but this time around the politicians seem to be paying attention.
pathfinder.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
