The results are no surprise. They confirm that The Indian National Congress is on an irreversible decline. Has it reached the terminal stage? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But, right now its free-fall looks inexorable unless the incorrigible optimists see signs of rejuvenation in its performance in the MCD polls! If that is what the Grand Old Party is getting reduced to then it would be dignified for it to liquidate voluntarily. Another fact that gets unequivocal confirmation is the rise of the BJP as the new national party. Its current status gets reinforced with its performance in Assam – where its seat count has risen from zilch to absolute majority to form the first ever BJP government in the state – to improved performances in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. This practically covers all parts, if not all the states, of India.
Before we go into the reasons behind this phenomenon which looked so improbable at the beginning of this century, let us look the slow and steady decline of the Congress.
The Indian National Congress had started shedding its core values that guided it during the Independence Movement with the advent of Indira Gandhi as the country’s prime minister. Intolerance of dissent and humiliating of the independent minded party members had become a hallmark of her tenure. Party stalwarts in several states were either forced out of the party or isolated and reduced to non-entities. This may have made her the supreme leader but of a party populated by spineless midgets. The party’s disciplined and patriotic cadre was replaced with criminal and corrupt elements that specialized in sycophancy. To make matters worse, she not only harmed national and democratic institutions but also endangered the country’s unity thanks to her politics of communal polarisation in Assam, Punjab and elsewhere; and her economic policies did far more harm than good to the country. Later, Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure would be known more for the cynical appeasement of regressive elements among minorities than for any progressive reforms. Consequently, today its politics of encashing the pre-independence era Congress Party’s sacrifices is no more a paying proposition. All that talk of secularism, socialism etc. had been proven classic doublespeak long back. Bereft of quality leadership, relevant ideology and a vision that could prove acceptable if not mesmeric to the masses, the INC is fast declining to the level where a victory in odd municipal election would be a cause for celebration.
Today, it appears a bit unbelievable, but post-independence, the Congress Party had started its innings with a huge capital of goodwill and positivity. There were leaders of substance, many of them quite capable of replacing Nehru as the country’s prime minister on sheer merit and stature. There was hope despite all-round poverty, illiteracy and chaos. It took time for the chaos to be brought under control. The separatist tendencies in various parts of the country were negotiated and tamped down to manageable levels. War against illiteracy, daunting though it was, started looking winnable. However, poverty seemed to be an intricate conundrum. Unfortunately, gradually the party, in tandem with leftists, started developing a vested interest in perpetuating poverty. In the name of socialism a whole new system was fabricated that allowed a few to fatten themselves at the cost of the teeming millions. Corruption, nepotism and other attendant evils gripped the country. If this damaged the India of the dreams of Indian Constitution’s founding parents, the ultimate destruction was wrought by cynical vote bank politics. Today, such empowered and well off castes as Jats, Patels, Meenas etc. hold the government to ransom with impunity and the state and central governments do not have the guts to refuse their highly unjust demands.
The decline in the Congress Party’s fortunes began to create a dangerous power vacuum in the nation’s political space. Various splinter groups, caste-based and regional in nature, began to claim that space by posing as secular and socialist, which they were/are not. Among these BSP, SP, JD (U), RJD and TMC are prominent. With the likes of Nitish Kumar harbouring pretensions of being national leaders, things had started looking bleak. If no alternative had emerged at the national level these splinter groups would have eventually balkanized the country with active support from parties like the SAD, DMK, AIADMK, NC, PDP etc. One wonders what would have been today's political scenario had not the Modi phenomenon happened at the right time.
Narendra Modi, an unlikely candidate for the mantle of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, is proving to be an able heir to our first Prime Minister. His desire and skills at connecting with the children and youth is reminiscent of the Nehru era. But there the comparison should end. Modi is proving to be far more muscular in his approach towards resolving the problems facing the country. Whether it is the Make in India project or cleaning up the rivers, he is showing appreciable commitment and vision. No, there are no immediate results, but somehow the hope abides that his vision of a modern self-reliant India, a global power to boot, would fructify. It is Modi who has led from the front in making BJP the effective national party. If, today, the BJP is being looked upon as the Pan-Indian party, capable of reinforcing India’s political and geographical unity and integrity, then much credit should go to him. Others are from his team, especially Amit Shah, who are doing a great job of attending to the nitty gritty of quotidian politics.
Finally, let us say kudos to the much maligned RSS – the one organization that has stuck to the arduous task of nation building with vigour and a sense of commitment.
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