Monday, March 11, 2019

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Indians prefer whom – BJP, Congress or some other party?' that was published in Newsband


Indians prefer whom – BJP, Congress or some other party?
The Congress faces an uphill task. After the terrorist attack in Pulwama, it is playing it safe as usual — it has no narrative and is simply buying time for the hysteria to fade out. The party looks confused. The Congress is worried about a Hindu consolidation. The Congress continues with secularism as a social policy, which sections of the majority Hindu community began to perceive more and more as an appeasement to Muslims rather than as legitimate citizenship benefits.
The Congress’s ‘politics of accommodation’ took a beating when the Other Backward Classes first moved to regional parties and later to the BJP. In due course, the Congress became more and more dependent on Muslim and Dalit votes to win elections.
Prime Minister Modi built his credibility both by highlighting the failures of the Congress as well as appropriating the liberal-progressive critique of those failures and packaging within that an aggressive majoritarian politics. Dynasty became a symbol of old patronage politics and Muslim appeasement.  
Modi’s campaign style and rhetoric reflect this deep trust that people have invested in him. There may be contradictions in his speeches, but people continue to justify all of this in the name of nation and religion.
Congress might now focus on various small struggles for basic survival, including the struggles of safai karamcharis, Dalits, Adivasis, those displaced by development projects, internal migrants, students, and others. These are unheard voices on the fringes of society, and the Congress might try to make them heard.
Social consensus has shifted to the right, across castes and classes in India. The RSS has made this possible in a diverse society such as India through its rugged survival in the margins for almost a century. What we are witnessing today are the fruits of that labour. It is through such sustained work that it has captured the public imagination.
Congress is nothing but a family business held up by immoral and unworthy individuals, pretending to be "seasoned and senior" politicians. They are just pawns at the court of the corrupt relics of the dynasty.
Congress has to STOP thinking about the dynasty and imposition of some ignorant princeling as its head. He has to go as people do not trust him do not relate with him. Moreover, he seems to be happily ignorant about the country, its culture, people, their sufferings. First this has to be changed. There are better people Congress can find to appoint as its head.
India has about 550 million BoP working class who need sustainable Jobs (with Salary/PF/ESI etc) and are struggling with average annual earnings @ less than Rs.15,000. Congress and BJP will try to compete to win elections by fully supporting this working class, for minimum decent living
The fundamental change that needs to happen with non BJP Parties is they need to stop equating secularism with Minority appeasement and Hindu Bashing. Until this change happens BJP will be a force to reckon with.
Congress has failed India time and again and has been left in the past. People want a strong assertive and progressive party to lead India into the future.

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