When Modi/ BJP government won the popular mandate in 2014, the opposition did not accept their defeat lightly. Neither did those intellectuals who enjoyed acche din under Congress. Having lost at the hustings, the strategy of Congress, turned to one of disruption of legislative work by BJP. Parliamentary proceedings were disrupted on ridiculous grounds with shouting and screaming to prevent any one’s voice being heard. If bills were pushed through, despite the din in LS, there was RS to block the progress and frustrate the BJP government. All this drama was enacted daily in camera, to impress its followers, with the majority of citizens as mute spectators, wondering if law makers are elected to play silly personal games or are they elected to ensure that legislation is properly scrutinised, debated and then only allowed to pass after suitable amendments in the larger interest of the nation?
When disruption in parliament was not enough and legislative work was able to be pushed through despite the din, disruption was taken to the streets. For this to succeed the strategy evolved as follows. It was necessary to fabricate issues that could be sold to the public convincingly. BJP promoted itself as above corruption with Modi a reputation of being an anti-corruption crusader. So the first strategy was to damage this very image. At the same time, it was necessary to convince the public by engineering a fear factor that all is not well under BJP rule. Fear had to be instilled in the minds of minorities and the chest thumping ‘hindutva’ brigade helped provide much ammunition with their anti Romeo squades, gau-rakshak brigades who started lynching alleged ‘cow thieves’
A lot of time and money was spent gathering crowds, planting stories in media even foreign press was used. Stories were scripted by those not keen on the BJP’s ascendance. The award wapsi gang got activated. Open letters of concern were sent to the PM, reproduced in the media. The more people that gathered around this ideology of disruption, the more TV debates and media stories planted, the more influenced the public and fence sitters became – that there must be substance in the barrage of fake news delivered with such conviction. This had a multiplier effect. Since the BJP lacks convincing orators, government response is repeatedly weak and late, the followers of the fake propaganda become more and more convinced of its veracity. ‘If there are so many people out there shouting, there must be substance in the argument’ This strategy has succeeded and was thus repeated on multiple occasions using different storylines. It is more than likely that this type of disruption will keep on gathering traction, until the main perpetrators are exposed. Unprovoked errors by BJP leaders make matters worse, helping the fake news brigade.
The Rafale ‘scam’ plaid out for months and became the main plank of the Congress attack on Modi/ BJP government in the months leading up to the 2019 election. It did not produce the desired electoral results for Lok Sabha. Even the Courts were not convinced by the scam angle (this has evoked the argument that even the judges are pro BJP). Interestingly Rafale was a UPA baby in the making but nursed into delivery by BJP due to the urgency of replacing our aging squadrons. Allegedly some procedures were cut short and hasty decisions taken, by the PM. It is this ‘hurried action by the PM’ allegedly bypassing procedures, that provided the plank for the corruption charge. No convincing facts have been produced to substantiate the ‘corruption’ charge, in the Rafale purchase. But since such a huge following was created for the chowkidar chor argument, the matter still lingers on somewhere in the mental archives of many citizens. They are ready to believe that something remains hidden, and wrongs were done by the ‘angelic’ PM.
After 2019, the second convincing defeat at the ballot, life became unbearable for the Lutyens gang. How frustrating that despite so much traction the results were so contrary to what they believed would happen. To make matters worse, an empowered and energised Modi/Shah combine set about rubbing salt on the wound by correcting the serious fault lines bothering the very idea of a progressive and peaceful nation, for all its citizens and not biased towards a small aggressive vote bank. Settlement of Triple Talaq law, settlement of the Babri Majid issue and green light for a Ram temple, followed by revocation of 370 and bifurcation of J&K are all seen as direct assault on the Muslim population, by keepers of that faith. But how were the Congress and others smarting from defeat by the BJP behemoth, to bind the Muslim vote bank together against Modi/Shah juggernaut? The opportunity came (after the recently botched-up NRC exercise in Assam), with the passage of CAB in LS and the bold proclamation on the floor of the house by Amit Shah, that this CAA is a prelude to NRC to weed out all illegal immigrants. CAA excludes Muslim migrants and is widely seen as violative of the secularity of the Constitution.
It is worth remembering that Chidambaram had devised the NRP/NRC parameters for Assam and even started the roll out of the NRP linked to NRC just about the time Aadhaar was being rolled out. There are several videos on You-Tube in testimony to show how Chidambaram pushed the NRP and NRC formula. There was no hue and cry at that time. Pratibha Patil the then President was the first to enrol in NRP in a widely televised program. This only goes to prove the hypocrisy of the argument being bandied around to brain wash vulnerable minds, to disturb peace, only for snatching away governance from a group that legitimately won the popular mandate.
Congress in Assam had over the decades encouraged migrants, particularly, Muslim migrants form Bangladesh to bolster its vote bank. Their increasing numbers had caused a lot of consternation amongst Assamese who saw an alien community diluting their culture, taking away jobs. This cause a revolt in the province.
Seeing how the botched-up exercise went in Assam, the announcement by Amit Shah about NRC when CAA was passed provided the trigger that Congress needed and immediately latched on to spread canards that BJP is getting ready to throw out not only illegal Muslims, but even the legitimate citizens. Muslim faith leaders also saw this as an opportunity to get even with BJP and re-establish their credentials as keepers of the faith. They began a mission to convincing their communities that what Congress is saying is indeed the case. As this ball gathered pace, other regional parties and AAP joined the band wagon. Communists started taking the lead in demonstrations and through their extensive presence in many premier universities. The fear and anger filtered down to students and what followed is the massive disruption throughout the country that we witness even today. Each time there is action by a Police whose behaviour is always suspect, it provides ammunition to those gunning for BJP saying here is another instance of police action by a biased BJP who is intolerant of dissent, even peaceful protest. Indeed this traction is gathering pace each day, as more and more provocative confrontations take place during ‘peaceful’ protests. Leaders of all regional parties have joined in increasing numbers because no one wants to give up on a solid vote bank or be seen as intolerant like BJP. Also because with every state and local election loss BJP is seen as vulnerable against a united opposition. So gradually every party is beginning to believe that BJP is on a losing plank with this issue.. BJP has been slow to react and has not even made enough effort to hold its allies together. They should not have allowed Maharashtra and then Jharkhand to slip away as a result of refusal to accommodate its allies. There is clear indication of over confidence and even arrogance in the ability of their main canvasser the PM to sale through the next election, and until then they have a majority in LS.
The Muslim community has over the years been used and misused by every politician since partition. They have been made to believe, by every politician that their interest is being fully protected by only them only. In reality the stance of open bias against the Hindu community with discriminatory benefits policies has been the main catalyst of division and alienation between the communities. As per the Constitution all citizens are to be treated as equal. Help of weak and downtrodden should have been based on economic criteria not religion as propagated over the years by Congress and then other regional parties. Only the pretenders and keepers of the faith have gained in this game, acquiring wealth and following. They have become rich but the masses whose interest they claim to protect or enhance, have continued to languish in poverty. The same is true of Dalits and perhaps every marginalised community. This fact needs to be recognised by every concerned Indian, to unify this nation for harmony and to realise its full potential. Kashmir has also seen wealth accumulated by a handful of leaders who wanted to retain the unjustifiable status quo of protection under 370 and 35.
In the game of thrones, the nature of political discourse has reached the pits. How worse can it get? For securing the vote of the vulnerable mind today’s politician will stoop to any degree of deception, instigate riots, unconcerned about the damage to property or even loss of life. They are immune from prosecution even though their fiery speeches and deliberately deceptive falsehoods will have caused the vulnerable to act illegally out of fear of what in reality does not exist. Law of tort does not work in India.
The bedrock of niche politics lies in stirring up mob hysteria for personal gain at the hustings, for securing one’s own seat, knowing full well that the ability of success in the mainstream politics is missing.. Such is the politics of Owaisi and his ilk. Why bother with mainstream if you can carve out a secure prosperous future in a niche area?
The average joe or even the ‘educated class’ readily align with a political ideology with blinkers on. This provides fodder needed by the vote hungry/ power hungry politician. Our political or ideological alignment is determined by the company we keep, media we follow, writings we are influenced by, and sometimes our own life experience. Man is a social animal and so cannot stray far from friends/ family whose common opinion binds us. Those of us who are blessed with a degree of literacy also depend upon print and electronic media for information – we hardly ever verify the content or research fact ourselves. We allow ourselves to be influenced by social media – this is a great time pass for the average person. We accept the utterances of our favourite politician as gospel and react to it in the way they wish, without questioning the consequences of our action. A large number of politicians around the world, thrive on niche politics of fake news and disruptive utterances. This gives them relevance in a community of idle and vulnerable minds. Such politicians are unable to succeed in mainstream politics. They are content to have their ego massaged daily by a small group of dedicated followers and gathering illegal wealth through extortion.
We elect our representative law makers. But when we cast our vote, it is for a party symbol, placing absolute faith in the hero or heroine leading the party not for the candidate, who in any event is most likely air dropped onto our area for winnability quotient i.e. muscle/ money or ability to pay for the ticket, do the leaders bidding and then fill the leader’s coffers. Beyond the election, the trust is 100% on the leadership of the party of choice. Never questioning the failures in delivery on promises (with no right of recall this is only a nuisance albeit necessary).. Each election this process is repeated. It is a never-ending cycle of trust with an umbilical cord that tying us to the various political fiefdoms ruling the nation. Pre-independence fiefdoms have been replaced by a fewer political ones. We worship dynasties like deities, and this is certainly more evident in the South. The tragedy of our democratic system is that the poor majority, struggling to keep body and soul together, are exploited because of their subservience to the political leaders.
Whenever an ‘outsider’ has reached the highest office, their term is short lived. The fiefdoms do their utmost to ensure this by instigating its followers.
India is a complex web of religions, casts, languages. This diversity is what holds the country together inspite of endless exploitation, deception and literally dacoity by the dynastic rulers who acquire enormous wealth by syphoning off taxpayers’ money. They are the landlords elected by us through the ballot box, and empowered to act as they wish due to our DNA of worshiping leaders like deities with unquestioned faith. India is by no means unique in this. Just look at examples in the African, South American, Middle Eastern countries, where leaders have exploited their followers gathering enormous wealth in the process. If India’s ‘diverse’ citizen groupss were to somehow come together s they did in the events leading upto 1947, in times of common stress it would result in a massive shakedown in our polity as has happened in every country where such diversity did not exist. It is this tolerant ‘un-togetherness’ and mistrust of the ‘others’ that has held this country together and uprisings on a disruptive scale have not happened. Nor are likely to despite efforts by politicians. Gandhi was able to mobilise masses against an oppressive outsider. Today’s politicians are trying to achieve just this in order to uproot the ruling incumbent, by binding together the regional fiefdoms with a common aim – that BJP with its Hindu following, is damaging to the secular fabric of the Constitution. This effort will quite likely lead to a churning at the hustings, and it will satisfy political ambitions, but the larger population will not be a gainer in this game of thrones in which the gainers will be only a select few belonging to and closely aligned with fiefdoms, whilst our subjugation to fiefdoms remains.
2019, was a bumpy year. The last LS session has seen disruption on petty issues like ‘restore SPG for my leaders” rather than a healthy debate on the economy or the CAB on which they are so successfully indoctrinating so much fear amongst vulnerable minorities and students. As a result, so many are suffering in the cold with prolonged protests against an NRC which does not yet exist (remember Congress baby!). So many young have been brutally beaten up by an out of control Police force. Why mislead innocents when what has been done is what our founding fathers and Congress leaders had asked for?
Politicians remain unaccountable for their deeds or misdeeds.
But will 2020 be any better?