A 2012 Political Wish List
This was a post I wrote, way back in 2012. A particularly nasty comment to BJP IT cell on Twitter, led to them asking what I think should be done - and I thought I will become part of something constructive. Hence, in all my starry eyed liberalism, I wrote this post in 2012. It is interesting to see how far I have moved in 6 years hence.
1. Define your core competency: Sorry guys, Hindutva as a core competency has lost its vote gathering value. I still remember when BJP attempted the rath yatra a few years ago (not the 1990's one) - and how it flopped. How I wished I could just bury my head in the sand and just forget your existence. Please, pretty please, don't repeat something like that. A Ram mandir at Ayodhya might matter to probably a few million people. But that would barely make up 1% of the population. Today, a good four lane road leading to a mandir / masjid / market is more appealing to an average Indian than the destination itself. Be the facilitator, but don't choose our destination for us. Above all, advertise your core competency to the whole country. Before you give a rebuttal: yes, we know NDA laid more roads in five years than all other governments put together, over all the years put together. However, how many common Indians know this? How many Indians actually perceived this reality, that better roads lead to better lives? Today, all these roads in golden quadrilateral have MMS and SoniaG's photos on them. It was and is a game of perception and BJP lost out. Then, the obvious question is "Why did BJP lose out?". The answer, at least in part, comes from managing perceptions - and that would mean managing the media, which is my second point.
4. Support your leaders: Narendra Modi was subjected a witch hunt for 10 long years, by the UPA government, by NGOs and even by perjurers like Teesta Setalvad. Until recently, no one from BJP spoke for him vociferously. When your central leadership speaks, it is in subdued tones - a tone that suggests you are hiding something. You start supporting him (whether out of desperation / inclination) after the SIT almost clears him of all charges. If you don't stand by your men when you know they are clean, don't expect your men to stand by you. Another leader that you have not supported properly is B.S. Yeddyurappa of Karnataka. It lead to a lot of unnecessary scenes on the media, that tarnished BJP image. This is despite the Lokayukta (Hegde) being patently partisan in that issue. BJP did not stand by him. When he was provisionally cleared by the court, you refused to reinstate him to the leadership position. Third example of messing it up was in Uttarakhand - where Major Khanduri should have been allowed naturally to be a leader. You lost in Uk - and you have reduced your chances of getting selected to form the government in 2014. Playing 'purer than thou' is a good idea when fighting with honourable adversaries. Now, all Congress needs to do to reduce your regional strength (it is your only strength) is to falsely accuse your regional leaders of some wrong doing or the other. BJP then naively asks them to step down, fomenting trouble. If you don't know what kind of person your regional leader is then you don't have a business being a central leader. If you don't trust a person to do the right thing by you, after you know him / her, then you have no business running any kind of a team - leave alone a national party. I am sure many such examples exist. And many more astute commentators have pointed out the same things to you. Which brings me to my final point of dissent - be decisive and bold.
5. Make your decisions and make them known to the country. - more precisely, who is your PM candidate? Given points 1 - 4, you need almost two years to galvanize the country for a electoral victory. Most of these two years will be needed to outsmart a openly hostile media. Having said that - announcing the leader under whose banner the elections will be fought will help the process. I personally root for Narendra Modi ji to be the PM candidate - though I believe it is the BJP leadership's call. All I can ask for is make the call NOW. So that, you can use the next two years to project them in the best light. It can be Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, anyone else, or even the party president himself. You cannot prepare for war, leave alone marching to one, under 20 generals. Make no mistake - this is war.
1. Define your core competency: Sorry guys, Hindutva as a core competency has lost its vote gathering value. I still remember when BJP attempted the rath yatra a few years ago (not the 1990's one) - and how it flopped. How I wished I could just bury my head in the sand and just forget your existence. Please, pretty please, don't repeat something like that. A Ram mandir at Ayodhya might matter to probably a few million people. But that would barely make up 1% of the population. Today, a good four lane road leading to a mandir / masjid / market is more appealing to an average Indian than the destination itself. Be the facilitator, but don't choose our destination for us. Above all, advertise your core competency to the whole country. Before you give a rebuttal: yes, we know NDA laid more roads in five years than all other governments put together, over all the years put together. However, how many common Indians know this? How many Indians actually perceived this reality, that better roads lead to better lives? Today, all these roads in golden quadrilateral have MMS and SoniaG's photos on them. It was and is a game of perception and BJP lost out. Then, the obvious question is "Why did BJP lose out?". The answer, at least in part, comes from managing perceptions - and that would mean managing the media, which is my second point.
2. Manage the Media: Today India Media is biased. Everyone and their grandmother knows this. Many, if not most, realize that the media dances to the tune of the first family. There is natural skepticism over the way our media delivers news - any news. Having said that, why is that everyone except BJP benefits from the distrust of the media? I believe it is because your media management is abysmal. Whenever you go to a media articulated circus (the debates on TV are just that), you are playing a game of Chinese checkers with rules made for chess. The media loads the interviews against you, they bring in vociferous barbarians (including the anchor sometimes) that shout you down. Basically, they play the act of a bully while you play nice. In public perception, you come out being the sissy. Aided by the media hit jobs, the public thinks you are no different from the Congress. At least, the Congress knows how to keep themselves in power. Why doesn't BJP treat the media as they deserve. Agreed, of late your media management is much better than before. In particular, Meenakshi Lekhi has been quite adept at playing the media game. However, more of this needs to be done. Just managing the media doesn't produce electoral success; if it did, Rahul Gandhi would have won the election for Congress in UP (2012). It also take conviction to do what is right when presented with what is easy. That is my third grouse.
3. Stick to your ideals - those are what made you. If you are a Hindu party say so (that doesn't mean you have to harp on the mandir issue). Being a Hindu party doesn't preclude you from being inclusive or secular. Particularly, if Owais Abdullah and Muslim League claim to be secular - what stops you from being Hindu and secular? If BJP tries to pander to minority sentiment by disowning its own Hindu roots, two things happen: Hindus, who are your core electoral support group will desert you; and the minorities won't anyway believe you. Briefly, you will lose what you have, having gambled on nothing. It is not just minority pandering - it is your stance on anything that is populist that saddens me. For instance, why not ask for gradual removal of reservations? What is BJP's stance on NREGA? On Food Security Bill? Why not ask for a Uniform Civil Code? Are you afraid being unpopular will lose you elections? Wrong - being boring loses you elections. Be different - be purposeful. Similarly, what happened to your voice for integration of Kashmir into India? What happened to all the promised support to Kashmiri Pandits? Why not give them place to stay in BJP ruled states? Why not offer the students from KP community reservations in BJP rules state colleges / universities? On the foreign front: What will happen to PoK? We are not asking for a hawkish stance - but am sure a 1000 bloody cuts to Pakistan would get us PoK. Also, when are you going to remove Article 370 from the Constitution? Why is the BJP not speaking anything about it at all.
Most importantly: what happened to all the cases of alleged corruption by the Congress party president and her ilk? Why was the Bofors scandal left to wither away even while NDA was in power? If Subramanyam Swamy can cause so much legal discomfort to the UPA government and its luminaries, why haven't the eminent lawyers of BJP in the parliament done anything - a la - P. Chidambaram case. Why is that we don't see BJP in the forefront of the war against Congress - it is always some third person fighting your wars.
Most importantly: what happened to all the cases of alleged corruption by the Congress party president and her ilk? Why was the Bofors scandal left to wither away even while NDA was in power? If Subramanyam Swamy can cause so much legal discomfort to the UPA government and its luminaries, why haven't the eminent lawyers of BJP in the parliament done anything - a la - P. Chidambaram case. Why is that we don't see BJP in the forefront of the war against Congress - it is always some third person fighting your wars.
4. Support your leaders: Narendra Modi was subjected a witch hunt for 10 long years, by the UPA government, by NGOs and even by perjurers like Teesta Setalvad. Until recently, no one from BJP spoke for him vociferously. When your central leadership speaks, it is in subdued tones - a tone that suggests you are hiding something. You start supporting him (whether out of desperation / inclination) after the SIT almost clears him of all charges. If you don't stand by your men when you know they are clean, don't expect your men to stand by you. Another leader that you have not supported properly is B.S. Yeddyurappa of Karnataka. It lead to a lot of unnecessary scenes on the media, that tarnished BJP image. This is despite the Lokayukta (Hegde) being patently partisan in that issue. BJP did not stand by him. When he was provisionally cleared by the court, you refused to reinstate him to the leadership position. Third example of messing it up was in Uttarakhand - where Major Khanduri should have been allowed naturally to be a leader. You lost in Uk - and you have reduced your chances of getting selected to form the government in 2014. Playing 'purer than thou' is a good idea when fighting with honourable adversaries. Now, all Congress needs to do to reduce your regional strength (it is your only strength) is to falsely accuse your regional leaders of some wrong doing or the other. BJP then naively asks them to step down, fomenting trouble. If you don't know what kind of person your regional leader is then you don't have a business being a central leader. If you don't trust a person to do the right thing by you, after you know him / her, then you have no business running any kind of a team - leave alone a national party. I am sure many such examples exist. And many more astute commentators have pointed out the same things to you. Which brings me to my final point of dissent - be decisive and bold.
5. Make your decisions and make them known to the country. - more precisely, who is your PM candidate? Given points 1 - 4, you need almost two years to galvanize the country for a electoral victory. Most of these two years will be needed to outsmart a openly hostile media. Having said that - announcing the leader under whose banner the elections will be fought will help the process. I personally root for Narendra Modi ji to be the PM candidate - though I believe it is the BJP leadership's call. All I can ask for is make the call NOW. So that, you can use the next two years to project them in the best light. It can be Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, anyone else, or even the party president himself. You cannot prepare for war, leave alone marching to one, under 20 generals. Make no mistake - this is war.
Finally (5): it may be that you are working all of the shortcomings listed above and more. However, politics, like justice, is all about perception. If many (this is not just me) BJP supporters feel that BJP is losing its way, if they do not perceive the party's strength and cohesion, then all the internal works done to strengthen the party will come to naught. What you do, you need to make it perceptible.
Right now, people need a ray of hope desperately in India. Give them that - they will remember it two years down the line. Give them that, you can bring your forces to bear upon UPA. Give them that, you will ride to a war in 2014 which you will at least have a chance to win.
Right now, people need a ray of hope desperately in India. Give them that - they will remember it two years down the line. Give them that, you can bring your forces to bear upon UPA. Give them that, you will ride to a war in 2014 which you will at least have a chance to win.
Do none of these, please rest assured that my opening comment "you guys are just the same as Congress" will be heard from many others. Worse, the country would reel under another UPA or UPA supported government until 2019. -- // and ended with customary salutations //
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