General Elections 2019: TINA trounces NYAY

Modi cleverly presented himself as the leader who is irreplaceable. He strengthened the TINA factor by cashing in on the surgical and Balakot air strikes. He repeatedly painted the UPA regimes as feckless and cowardly, without being convincingly challenged by Rahul. Modi’s perceived muscularity and ability to deliver on promised welfare schemes backed with ‘Modi hai toh mumkin hai’ slogans proved too much for his rivals to handle.

The results, unexpected and feared by some and predictable for most, are out. PM Narendra Damodardas Modi-led NDA retains the mandate to govern the Republic of India—earned in 2014 first—for another five years. The fact that it has improved its tally is no mean achievement, considering that anti-incumbency has been the norm in our electoral scene for quite a while now. What could the reasons be? Several, one would say.

The Congress gravely misread the mandates in the three state assembly elections it had won earlier in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh as endorsement of Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. This prompted the party to assume the tide turning in its favour in the Hindi heartland, which has now proved to be false. Secondly, replacing the youthful leaders who were supported by the youth and party cadres in their respective states, viz., Jyotiraditya Scindia of Madhya Pradesh and Sachin Pilot of Rajasthan, with the not-so-popular Old Guard Kamal Nath and Ashok Gehlot respectively was like pressing the self-destruct button. The states’ youth turned their backs on the INC in the 2019 General Elections with a vengeance.

If Captain Amarinder Singh did far better in Punjab, it is certainly not because of Rahul Gandhi—whose preference for Navjot Sidhu seemed manifest—but because the Captain shone brightly in contrast to the preceding Badal-led NDA regime.

The Congress misread the mood of the people.

Over the last five years, Congress spokespersons had been claiming that Modi had nothing original to offer and was renaming their policies and programmes and appropriating them. Such claims have not cut much ice with the voters. The reason is clear. The common people, especially the poor, are not interested in the progenitors of a welfare scheme, nor are they interested in the ideological colour of the provider. For them, it is vital that the promised benefit is either reaching them or there is tangible proof of the honest efforts in this direction, which apparently has been the case—be it the delivery of gas cylinders, DBT, housing and other such schemes throughout the country. Consequently, the voters have clearly ignored the discomforts caused by demonetisation, which was definitely Tughlaqian in character, and GST that has irked the business community.

Modi cleverly presented himself as the leader who is irreplaceable. He strengthened the TINA factor by cashing in on the surgical and Balakot air strikes. He repeatedly painted the UPA regimes as feckless and cowardly, without being convincingly challenged by Rahul. Modi’s perceived muscularity and ability to deliver on promised welfare schemes backed with ‘Modi hai toh mumkin hai’ slogans proved too much for his rivals to handle.

On the other hand, the Congress campaign management lacked thought, direction and vision. Essentially, it ignored the culture, vision and principles which formed the very lifeline of the Indian National Congress. Rahul Gandhi’s ill-advised soft-Hindutva line went against the very grain of the party. All it had to do was rectify its pro-minorities slant (which was more rhetoric than substance in practice and nothing but a cynical vote-harvesting device). After all, BJP has a substantial number of Muslim leaders in its ranks, too. But these leaders have been supportive of the party’s progressive and reformist policies vis-à-vis minorities, viz., the Triple Talaq issue and women’s right to perform namaz in mosques. On the other hand, the Congress has been repeatedly succumbing to, if not actively promoting, regressive Muslim leaders who played the role of vote-contractors for the Congress and other so-called secular parties.

The Chowkidar Chor campaign has boomeranged badly on the party. The allegations against PM Modi and Anil Ambani in the Rafale case did not get much traction among the people. In fact, the issue remained confined to the noisy TV debates. Similarly, the resurfacing of Aiyar’s 2014 invective against Modi did no good to the Congress Party’s chances at the hustings. Its only catchy scheme, the NYAY, came into play too late with too little to offer; the message simply did not reach the potential beneficiaries.

One really wonders why the Congress did not present a credible alternative vision of reforms in the fields of education, infrastructure, health, general welfare, governance and economy. Why did it walk into the trap of Rahul versus Modi duel of rhetoric and invective?

It is time for the Grand Old Party to get rid of the legion of albatrosses hanging around its aging neck. All those leaders who have been tainted with scandals of all sorts, and not just corruption, must be shown the door. All those who cannot perform any role other than that of kitchen cabinet lackeys must be sacked. Get rid of the coterie system. It is time to restructure the party on modern lines which would be more in tandem with the requirements of the 21st Century Indian Democracy where tolerance, pluralism and progressive culture are vital for the nation’s prosperity. Let young, well-educated and genuine leaders rise from among the party’s cadre, which is possible if the current feudal mai-baap culture is replaced with a hard-nosed professional and performance-oriented political values. Let young men and women of vision take over from the doddering, regressive and rent-seeking Old Guard.

Will the powers that be ever listen?

 In my May, 2017 blogpost, “Fifteen Years for Prime Minister Modi” (https://randeep-wadehra.blogspot.com/2017/05/fifteen-years-for-prime-minister-modi.html) I had observed, “Economic reforms have been set in motion, as epitomised by the implementation of GST. Surface transport infrastructure is being upgraded at a never before pace. FDIs are flowing in. New industrial projects are on the anvil. Power generation capacities are being enhanced. There are also reports of providing quality medicare and education for all. But these are long gestation projects. We will have to be patient for the results – which will show up provided the government takes on the challenges that remain on several fronts. Unemployment is rising. Agricultural growth is disheartening. If these are not serious enough, the nation is witnessing the rise of a new class that feels entitled to play with the country’s law and order. Unprovoked and uncontrolled violence against defenceless citizens can be dangerous to the country’s stability. It can also hurt our international profile as an attractive destination for investment. The last thing we want is the rule of mobs.”

This remains valid even today.