The most significant political story of 2014 is the swinging fortunes, though in diametrically opposition directions, of the BJP and the Congress. The former on the upswing despite bitter taste left in the mouth of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his man Friday the BJP president Amit Shah by the happenings in Jammu and Kashmir and to some extent in Jharkhand as well. The Congress nose diving, still confused and groping in dark, despite a ray of hope shown by J&K where it performed much better than expected despite suicidal tendencies of its leaders. But the most important story has expectedly folded in Jammu and Kashmir focused, as expectedly, on BJP under the banner of its mascot and missionary Modi. Falling dismally short of the much touted Mission 44+, the Lakshaman Rekha for any party to form government on its own in the state, the BJP is still not averse to form the government no matter if that entails sleeping with strange bedfellows which equally applies to some of the local fellows who are almost ready to play a ball with the saffron party. The story is still unfolding with BJP and its likely alliance partner the Peoples Democratic Party, having gained foothold in Jammu and Kashmir regions respectively riding a communally polarised wave, trying to discover a common ground to sew an alliance. At the moment the sole criterion for both the parties seems to be wearing the crown to govern the state than anything else. If the goal is common so is the reason. For BJP it is now or never and for the PDP chief patron Mufti Muhammed Sayeed the clock is speedily clicking. First an overview of the BJP’s journey that began with historic victory in Lok Sabha elections under the mesmeric effect of Modi that got further fillip with his close confidant Shah firmly holding the reigns of the party. The two have since moved on discovering mission after mission for themselves and setting targets for electoral victories. The juggernaut did slightly slowdown as the year 2015 dawned and the reasons for which might not look alarming but make an interesting study. The underlying principle behind Modi-Shah strategy seems to be to win every election no matter what strategy has to be adopted even if entails letting the loose cannons fire at will to cause a communal smoulder in the society. There lies the danger for the number one political party of the country in new-year. On broader scale it is immaterial whether BJP could achieve Mission 44+ in Jammu and Kashmir or not but the party leaders need to mull over the divide which this missionary zeal has further deepened between Jammu and Kashmir with third and equally important region Ladakh going its own way. Every political party has the right to plan electoral victories even in hitherto unexplored territories. More the merrier is a welcome principle in any democracy and by this yardstick BJP’s entry into unknown territories of Kashmir and Ladakh is a positive sign. But what matters most is the route adopted to achieve such victories. The BJP’s best ever show in Jammu and Kashmir has come at a great cost and which could prove to be even costlier if certain tendencies are allowed to go unchecked. How much popular the leaders of any political party may be, it should be borne in mind by them that power at the cost of the country and society is meaningless. A victory in Hindu dominated areas of Jammu and a debacle in Muslim majority Kashmir Valley despite all efforts, has a lesson for the BJP leadership to learn and follow in the New Year. At the beginning of the 2015 BJP president Shah during the course of his visit to Odisha pronounced that the next government in the state will be that of his party. Fair enough, as the party chief he is expected to set these goals to energise his cadre. But in the new-year both Modi and the party chief will have to think beyond “capturing” territories as most of their partymen describe electoral victories particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. For a longer run they will have to give a broader vision of the government and the party and an account of themselves or else mere electoral victories can prove to be a bubble that can burst any moment. Jammu and Kashmir and even Jharkhand poll outcomes have a lesson too for the Congress which has been facing one disaster after other. The election results in the two states have offered a window of hope to the fast eroding century old political party provided its house is set in order. This window has the potential to fill the vacuum that is ultimately created if the Modi-Shah duo stick to the same path. The party was expected to be decimated in J&K but managed to cross double figure and lost at least half a dozen seats particularly in Kashmir Valley by a whisker. This result came despite the machinations of senior Congress leaders who failed to present a united face and instead worked at cross purposes. The year 2015 beckons both as a strong ruling and an equally tough opposition party are must for any democracy to survive. The year can decide as to which party will assume what role in future that would primarily depend how their leaders conduct themselves and what people perceive.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 05:40:45 +0000
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