It is very hard for any political party to govern a country like India, given its size and complexities. Having a nationwide recognition is tough to build. Neither is it is easy to construct an agenda for the nation as a whole; justifying the obligations of its central subjects while balancing it with regional demands. So when you are looking for a party to lead at the centre, you must ideally go with a national or must we say a nation-wide party. Sadly, the dismal performance of both such parties in India has pushed its people to a corner and forced them into exploring other options.
BJP, who came into power with such pomp and show in 2014, carried by a wave of unprecedented expectations; have somehow managed to make a mess of the opportunity, even when they have the most popular PM the country has seen in a very long time. Given how their promises have fell flat on their face, they must definitely be made to pay a price. You just cannot get away from making a fool out of people’s sentiments.
Just imagine if they were to come in power despite their under-performance; it will create overconfident monsters out of some of their people. Our country can still continue to live with their uninspired handling of the economy, growing unemployment, distressed small businesses, strangle-holding of the judiciary and those overnight fiascos but India just cannot afford to take the risk of getting its most popular religion maligned by saffron-clad goons seeking political gains. When they voted BJP into power, most Hindus didn’t want it to give them any sort of social leverage; they just wanted them to do some good work. But sadly it seems BJP is incapable of coming out of its narrow mindset. Their saffron is increasingly getting mixed with red. There are a few promising ministers in their wings, but most of them however are straying away from governance. I wish Vajpayee jee still had enough voice to remind such sinister leaders of their ‘Raaj-Dharma’.
Another grave problem with them is that they are perennially in election mode. Looking at every event, either as an opportunity or as a threat for the next election, or the one after that; all the while dragging down the standard of politics with each passing election. A lot of vanity and disdain has crept in the way their ministers govern and their spokespersons react. BJP showed promise for a while but fizzled out too soon. They have become a story of disappointment; yet another example of ‘what could have been’. Their falling can be an apt lesson for all parties to never take power for granted.
As far as Congress goes, the lesser said the better. They still don’t deserve to be in the centre. They don’t have the right leadership or an agenda or even a sense of direction. Their protests come out as bland and inept. They are just the biggest gainers of somebody else’s faults. They do not seem to have learnt enough from their own mistakes, and if they should come to power, they would prove worse than the last time. Congressmen are like evil landlords who have had their hands full until recently. There can be nothing more dangerous than giving a country to people who treat it as their personal property.
Now turning to the communist parties; they are still licking their own wounds. In any case, they have long ‘left’ the central stage.
That leaves us with the regional parties. They have done well to remain relevant despite the Modi juggernaut. Some like Chandrababu Naidu, Naveen Pattnaik and Mamta Banerjee, have over the years lived up to the expectations. But they don’t make good national leaders, owing to their myopic views and non-collaborative attitude. Some like Kejriwal have tried earlier but failed miserably. Having learnt their lessons, if they can display their hunger and seriousness towards their own states, they can secure their vote bases. And if they come together they can be the best bet to build a majority in the lower house next year.
However, too many cooks do spoil the broth. I am quite sure that they will not be able to solve India’s problems. Even if they were to come together, their government may not even last for more than a couple of years, especially with their greed and egos playing its part. The only good thing that can come out during that period is that it will send a strong and stern message to the other two parties. Hopefully they will mend their ways and get their house in order. It is too much of a price to pay for a lesson, but you got to play the cards you are dealt with. Nobody wants a hung parliament. It may sound like a lose-lose now, but in the long run it may be better for the country.
The Window Seat 