The Feel Good Fiasco
The people in the Delhi Durbar combating the torrid climate of April- May had to bear the heat from one more quarter- the Elections 2004, the most stunning and decisive battle fought to appoint the raucously irreverent ones to the polyglot colossus (Lok Sabah ). The two big fighters (NDA and UPA) were neck-n- neck in this race to conquer the throne of India. After a lot of gambling when the curtain was slowly raised, shattering all the BJP dreams, it was clear that democracy had outlasted every-one and everything.
The election 2004 to the world’s largest democracy was the only other election akin to the one in 1977 that upset party leaders and poll predictions. The apocryphal stories of a ‘shining India’,- when the poor remained poor, the assurances to feel good-even while the rates of suicide skyrocketed, and an elusive picture (or otherwise) of a redeemed relation with our neighboring country were the specialties of the election. A star studded ambience along with the entry of a slew of affluent and educated GenX faces- with a name plate bearing their father’s name- was a treat to the tired eyes (ears, as well) which were accustomed to an army of indecorous politicians with pan stained clothes, and with sprigs of black hair sticking out of their ears. The personal vendettas waged by the NDA leaders also found their share of space in the media columns. The TV channels, the major ancillary to the BJP’s whims, found their TRP ratings shooting up, as each rivaled to get the major players to their studio. So what was the reason for such an ignominious defeat of the party even after a lot of micro level planning?
The verdict signified not only a fundamental change in the democracy but also a radical shift in the social basis of political power. The personal issues and not the prospects of a shinning India were paramount to the voters. The failure in providing basic education, sanitation, irrigation facilities and employment opportunities resulted in the failure of voting back the much touted protectors of democracy. The verdict was in fact a strong resentment against the local government’s inefficiency, which resulted in the termination of the power of the central government. In fact, there was a total disconnection between the ground reality and the houses of power. In this process of maneuvering votes, the outspoken BJP top guns made a foray into mobilizing the Indian minorities- disowning the Hindutva ideal- as a pre-text for showing that they are secularists. One also witnessed the Advanis and the other Hindu extremists shaking hands with Muslim clerics in the hope of removing discontent. That too did not work. Finally, along with the three a’s-Atal, Allure and Acceptability- they managed to add another towards the end: Arrogance. The arrogance factor placed them in an ivory tower from where they kept on regurgitating their old cacophony.
Now that everything is over, it’s time to do some homework and find out where they went wrong. In retrospect, their Hindutva ideology paid electoral dividends by propelling them to the centre stage. Not anymore! Instead of finding out scapegoats-already the RSS ideologues have begun their rant against BJP for departing from the Parivaar’s ideals- the post- Vajpayee, post-Advani leadership must begin attending to the task of revamping the party to a normal, conservative and right-wing political party. In future they should remember that a majority of voters in India is constituted by the rural section and not the middle class and strive to make an all pervasive feel good factor. For the time being, they have at least made one section of the people feel good-the Congress.
Article by : S. Gopika Gopakumar St Teresa's College
The election 2004 to the world’s largest democracy was the only other election akin to the one in 1977 that upset party leaders and poll predictions. The apocryphal stories of a ‘shining India’,- when the poor remained poor, the assurances to feel good-even while the rates of suicide skyrocketed, and an elusive picture (or otherwise) of a redeemed relation with our neighboring country were the specialties of the election. A star studded ambience along with the entry of a slew of affluent and educated GenX faces- with a name plate bearing their father’s name- was a treat to the tired eyes (ears, as well) which were accustomed to an army of indecorous politicians with pan stained clothes, and with sprigs of black hair sticking out of their ears. The personal vendettas waged by the NDA leaders also found their share of space in the media columns. The TV channels, the major ancillary to the BJP’s whims, found their TRP ratings shooting up, as each rivaled to get the major players to their studio. So what was the reason for such an ignominious defeat of the party even after a lot of micro level planning?
The verdict signified not only a fundamental change in the democracy but also a radical shift in the social basis of political power. The personal issues and not the prospects of a shinning India were paramount to the voters. The failure in providing basic education, sanitation, irrigation facilities and employment opportunities resulted in the failure of voting back the much touted protectors of democracy. The verdict was in fact a strong resentment against the local government’s inefficiency, which resulted in the termination of the power of the central government. In fact, there was a total disconnection between the ground reality and the houses of power. In this process of maneuvering votes, the outspoken BJP top guns made a foray into mobilizing the Indian minorities- disowning the Hindutva ideal- as a pre-text for showing that they are secularists. One also witnessed the Advanis and the other Hindu extremists shaking hands with Muslim clerics in the hope of removing discontent. That too did not work. Finally, along with the three a’s-Atal, Allure and Acceptability- they managed to add another towards the end: Arrogance. The arrogance factor placed them in an ivory tower from where they kept on regurgitating their old cacophony.
Now that everything is over, it’s time to do some homework and find out where they went wrong. In retrospect, their Hindutva ideology paid electoral dividends by propelling them to the centre stage. Not anymore! Instead of finding out scapegoats-already the RSS ideologues have begun their rant against BJP for departing from the Parivaar’s ideals- the post- Vajpayee, post-Advani leadership must begin attending to the task of revamping the party to a normal, conservative and right-wing political party. In future they should remember that a majority of voters in India is constituted by the rural section and not the middle class and strive to make an all pervasive feel good factor. For the time being, they have at least made one section of the people feel good-the Congress.
Article by : S. Gopika Gopakumar St Teresa's College
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