Friday, April 10, 2009

WHY NDA LOST IN 2004

Much has been said and written about 2004 General Election. What was the actual reason for the lost of BJP no concrete answer has been given either by BJP or by congress party?
If you want to borrow the reason for defeat from congress, communist or other so called secular parties than answer is very simple; people of India were fed up with communal politics of NDA. Another reason given by so-called secularist is that people were enthusiastic and rejuvenated under the dynamic leadership of Sonia Gandhi.
I don't subscribe to either of these two ideas. I have a different view of whole scenario. If we really want to analyse the defeat of BJP let us go back by a few years and understand the internal dynamics of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
A decade ago, as BJP came close to power, Atal and Advani prepareded the party to acquire the power. The party, now, has widely three categories of people.
The first category is of stars. By definition, a star is one, who has mass appeal. Orators, rabble-rousers, film actors and actresses, cricket players, well-known journalists and authors, even politicians from other parties and retired bureaucrats and judicial officers - fall in this category. Stars help the party by drawing people towards the party. This give BJP huge advantage over other political party who are lacking of Stars, especially Congress party which has got stars entirely from one family.
The second category includes fulltime workers of the party. Most of them join the party (or some related maternal organization of Sangh Parivar) early in their youth. They possess great skills required for 'organizational work' of BJP. They never wanted be employed in any job or profession. Most of them come from middle class families and have full faith in party ideology. They do live in party offices round the clock and render all possible help.
Almost as a rule, party takes care that only such people are given responsibility as fulltime workers, who have full faith in ideology of Nationalism.
Then there is third category of party-men, which consists of ordinary party workers.
BJP through its act proved that it would never compromise with the corruption. The height of this discipline was seen when, after Tehelka scandal, Party asked Party President Bangaru Laxman to resign and Bangaru resigned. Needless to say that it is only BJP where even Party President can be asked to resign. If it would have been any other party I never think that Party president would have resigned.
When Uma Bharti showed indiscipline, she was suspended from the party. No tears need be shed for her. She was a BJP star, who helped the party rise to power in Madhya Pradesh. On the other hand, she was a disaster as a Chief Minister. In the present episode, she has acted in a manner for which she was always known. Uma Bharti has proved incapable of governance. She is like a spoilt brat, who deserves no sympathy for her tantrums.
RSS plays its role in the setup by supplying a steady stream of fulltime workers and also a significant portion of ordinary workers.
The challenge before the party is to re-engineer itself as a party of governance and nationalistic ideology. For too long, the party has not acted directly in direction of achieving goal of Nationalism. It is slowly driving away competent, qualified, educated people who earlier chose to knock on its doors.
On the other hand, some incompetent state level bosses of the party are treating talent and competence as threats. They, are encouraging flattery and sycophancy in the party hierarchy. But the party needs talented, competent, capable persons, who can stand up to the incompetent state level bosses of party and guide and tell him that he is wrong, whenever they are wrong. BJP must re-evolve to a party of governance with specific ideology. Bharat needs a party like that for her democracy to survive.
Now let us talk progress made by BJP since 1980. Under the liberal leadership of Shri A.B. Vajpayee BJP got 2 seats in 1984 Loksabha election. Than came change in the BJP. After Advani's arrival as BJP president BJP brought nationalistic agenda to its main ideological front in aggressive and convincing manner. There was Boforce Scandal and people were hungry for change and wanted to make Shri V.P. Singh Prime Minister. In 1989 election BJP increased its tally to approximately 90 seats.
In 1990 BJP started Ram Temple movement and increased its tally in Loksabha and touched the 117 seats mark. In 1996 BJP emerged as single largest party in the Loksabha. It seems that BJP was hungry for power. It was almost 5 decades BJP was sitting in opposition. BJP never wanted to give up this chance of forming the government. The Vajpayee government of 1996 only lasted for 13 days, as they could not muster support of any other political party except Shivsena, which was its pre pole partner.
In 1998 BJP again emerged as single largest party. This time they make nice pre pole alliance, and this paid dividend for the BJP. It succeeded in forming the government with support of all Anti-congress elements. It was well thought decision of BJP to form the government in 1998. National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was formed and under the dynamic leadership of Shri A.B. Vajpayee government started functioning well.
Though BJP thought that it would strengthen its position and ideology by remaining in government but it failed in achieving that goal otherwise the government was functioning well. BJP was bound to compromise its nationalistic ideology to keep the secular partner with him. But by exploding nuclear bomb in May 1998 Vajpayee tried to prove that they are still heading with their nationalist agenda.
When people were happy with the performance of BJP and were satisfied with the NDA, Sonia Gandhi with support of all so-called secular party toppled the Vajpayee government. Sonia thought that people and all secular party will support her in forming the central government but she proved wrong. This wrong decision of Congress party further provided chance to Pakistan to make incursion in Bharat occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Vajpayee government not only defended the land of Bharat Mata but also defeated the congress party in the general election.
During 1999 election a debate started all over country about Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin and her Anti-Bharat approach during Kargil war.
The core issue for which BJP was known to be different than other political parties were Ram Temple issue, uniform civil code and Article 370. It was possible for the leader of BJP to create mass awareness among masses about their ideology and strengthen their mass base but BJP failed substantially in this direction.
From 1999 to 2004 BJP made all endeavour to prove that it is not only congress but BJP can also provide a stable government. In this whole exercise BJP totally lost its nationalistic identity. It was common perception of BJP voters that BJP is trying to prove better than Congress.
If we want to compare the performance of BJP government in these five years with the performance of 50 year of congress party then it cannot be denied that NDA has done a great job. There was huge investment in infrastructure building and poverty alleviation programme.
There has been lot of talk about effect of FEEL GOOD and BHARAT UDAI. When advertisement of Bharat Udai was started it was heart touching. Mass of this country came to know about the achievement of NDA during these five-year. So many political leaders of other political parties crossed to BJP camp. There was definite feel good. But this slogan, which was in the heart of people, did not convert into vote for BJP due to other aspect of real politics.
If we read whatever mentioned above than there is nothing for which BJP could have lost the power. Actually, there were number of mistakes committed by BJP which resulted in its defeat.
The biggest reason for BJP's lost was its reluctant approach on foreign-born issue. Core voter of BJP expected that leaders of BJP would take firm stand against not only on foreign-born issue but related corruption charges against Sonia Gandhi. But at some level BJP got convinced that foreign-born issue will benefit congress party. BJP failed to oppose corruption charges levelled by Sonia Gandhi during course of election rallies and road shows, and BJP leaders knowing well various scandals in which Sonia Gandhi was involved did not even tried to raise those issues. This provided a false perception in the mind of masses that BJP was involved in corruption and Congress leader was an innocent lady, who has done a great sacrifice by marring to and Indian and she was able to emotionally blackmail Indian mass by calling herself Bahu, Beti and Vidhwa.Satya Mave Jayte (let the truth prevail) is the Mantra. When we are talking to the masses they except leaders to tell the truth. If it is perceived by the people that some thing is being hided from them than people do teach a lesson for it.
To see all articles of writer visit www.bharatsangh.com

1 comment: