So it’s done. Or that is what we have been manipulated into thinking – the game is over for the BJP! I say no. Not because of my political ideology but because I see things which others failed to, or the BJP failed to show them.
However, it will be arrogant to believe that the recent assembly election results do not ring a warning bell for the BJP. It’s definitely a setback for a party which, until a few weeks ago, looked good enough to paint the country saffron. A lot of things did not go right for them in the elections but since I do not come from a political analyst point of view here, I would refrain from commenting much on what the BJP did wrong.
But there are certain things that they need to do going forward. Unfortunately, they don’t have enough time to do it. However, the hallmark of a champion party is to seal the round when it’s least expected of it.
Acceptance of beliefs
Let’s be honest about it, Ram Mandir has been an agenda since before I was born and it continues to be. However, we are yet to see, at least in the current regime, a firm approach from the top brasses of the party. Why not be vocal about it. Don’t let the fringe talk loose on the subject. It’s a sensitive matter and needs a more serious and pragmatic approach, rather than those mindless TV debates. What is the immediate remedy? The government needs to tell people about it and that too with a strict deadline. Set it and win back the people you have miffed by dillydallying the subject.
Brag about your achievements
It’s the easiest yet a tricky skill to execute. Unverified accounts going overboard with Whatsapp forwards is not the way to go about serious subjects dealing with defence, science & technology and social welfare projects. Have saner voices counter the false narrative through logical arguments. The youth of this country is delusional, and changes allegiances at the drop of a hat. Gone are the days when opinions were formed after researches and long hours in the library. Ideologies today change through a tweet, a YouTube video, a stand-up act. Sad but true. Find a logical counter. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that this government has curbed corruption – both at the primary and the tertiary level, internal security is better than ever before, armed-forces feel emboldened and some of the strict economic measures have been introduced. How difficult it must be to tell people about these?
Data over rhetoric
We know the left thrives on rhetoric, useless arguments that are good for debates but can never introduce a positive change on the ground. Publish comparative analysis on a regular basis. Use the government machinery, the local bodies to create awareness about the positive changes. India is a number obsessed country. And the same youth which I talked about earlier prefers a 40-word tweet over a long-form boring article in one of the leftist newspapers. Be upfront about things which are out of control. Fuel prices go up. Tell people why is it going up and what is the government doing to bring it down. Manage the media and not through shows like those ones telling people about Ram’s existence. That issue will be taken care of once you show the will to make the Mandir.
Handle the protests with utmost care
It’s easy to fuel discontent against the incumbents. Left does that with ease, because of their perceived image of being the saviour of the not-so-fortunate. You can’t create a society bereft of discontent. There will always be groups, sections which will feel the policies are against them. Thus it is imperative to have checks and balances which counter any ploy to fuel the discontent into protests of larger proportions. The government, if it has the will, can lay down certain ground rules which keep the option of freebies out of the window. That it is an agriculture-based economy is given. But the fact that India cannot always continue to be an agrarian economy and the centre needs to keep in mind other sectors as well should be conveyed in a subtle yet firm manner. There are think tanks working for the government and it is thus for the centre to ensure that the message is loud and clear without appearing as an anti-farmer establishment. Because those which are perceived as farmer-friendly have ensured that the condition of farmers has remained so deplorable that farming continues to be a menial job more than 70 years after the independence.
All these suggestions should have been implemented way before, soon after the government was formed or maybe a year or two into it. But the opposition rendered inconsequential by the 2014 never appeared a threat, making BJP a little complacent as far as the election planning was concerned. While the focus was on the governance – and it did a fairly decent job at that – the BJP failed to realize that in democracy it’s the power that is paramount. It’s only when you have the power, with all such loopholes plugged, your will to work is noticed and appreciated.
But as they say, it’s never too late!