Captain Takes the Team to Finals

And the semi-finals threw up results along expected lines. Congress was decimated in all four states of the Indian heartland. The total rout is sure to shake the foundations of its weak government in the Centre to the core. It is once again clear that dynastic policies are no more relevant in India than some of the burning day-to-day issues. And Rahul Gandhi is not equal to the caliber of his grandmother or great-grandfather, though it may be comparable to his father!

A dangerous trend seen in Delhi is the phenomenal rise of the Aam Admi Party (AAP – Common Man’s Party). Formed barely a year ago, the party cornered 40% of the Assembly seats there, advocating the slogans of transparency and corruption-free polity. Both these concepts are worthy to be enshrined in a society, then why the rise of AAP is construed as dangerous? It seems that being a baby among political parties, AAP is not yet mature enough to chart out a pragmatic course of action. Corruption must be rooted out, but the party’s suggested modus operandi is childish. If you follow it, governance will grind to a halt as you can’t put all the officers under the cloud of suspicion. Also, its militant posture towards increase in commodity tariffs like power that is warranted for the sustainability of the power companies belies the party’s claim to be a responsible partner in the nation’s politics. And it is indeed lucky for them not to have won power this time. If such was the case, people would’ve immediately got disillusioned with them and thrown them out at the next available opportunity. Now that they are sitting in opposition, they may have a better longevity to have a go at the next election. It is easy to sit in opposition and blame the government for all troubles. The toughest thing is to rule and be accountable. Any society gets the government they deserve. Corruption is rampant in India only because people tolerated it since recorded history. Even now, the only grouse most people harbour against corrupt officials is that they themselves are not able to indulge in making some extra bucks. Ask any parent about his plans for their children, and the invariable answer is to make them government officials. What for? Isn’t it naïve to assume that these people strive to enter public service only to ‘diligently’ serve the people? So, in a country where parents are rearing their children to have a share of the booty, corruption is the natural thing. The attitude of the society need to change.

Many people go far too much away from the mainstream to deny Narendra Modi any credit in BJP’s spectacular win. The victory, according to them, rests with the state leadership of the party and not to Modi. Notwithstanding the stature of leaders like Shivrajsingh Chouhan, what kind of reasoning is this? Everybody understood and anticipated this contest to be the semi-final of the final match, which is the General Elections in 2014. Everyone was anxious about the impact Modi could obtain on the populace. The team made a brilliant victory and the critics say the captain had no role in it! Suppose the BJP had lost the elections, would these same critics have trumpeted from their rooftops that the Modi factor failed to take off? This Lose-Lose argument exposes the prejudice of these observers.

But Narendra Modi should not get carried away by the results. True, he had credited teamwork for the success, but should not lose sight of the fact that the finals are yet to come and it would take much stamina to reach all the way to the Lok Sabha. Nobody should overlook the realistic fact that the NDA has not much clout in the three states of Odisha, Seemandhra (when AP is divided) and Tamil Nadu. With a total of 91 seats among them (21 in Odisha, 31 in Seemandhra and 39 in TN) these states may decide who would rule from Delhi in 2014. And all the three states are so winnable for the NDA! Who would doubt that the Congress will be trounced in Seemandhra this time? They may sweep Telengana, but that’s only 11 seats! The BJP doesn’t have any partner in these states, even though the AIADMK, BJD and Telugu Desom may not be averse to have an understanding with them. Chandrababu Naidu may strike the pose of a principled leader who would have no truck with BJP, but having been out of power for more than a decade must have chastised his enthusiasm a bit. Jayalalitha would be friends with anyone who would oppose Karunanidhi. A little nudge may prompt Navin Patnaik to come back to the NDA. There is a very good chance for the BJP to ensure the support of up to 75 – 80 seats in these three states, if it plays its cards right. The party should not overlook this crucial aspect if it is to win the finals.