The Context
Post election results of UP, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur it was clear that the results in Goa were looking sour. Just after getting the results, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) the ruling party in the centre did something which I found surprising. They applied Brute Force! Now, as an observer of politics I have seen BJP grow since my childhood. It was believed that Atal Bihari Vajpayi ji was the most popular leader across India. There is no doubt Atal ji was a very popular leader but I can’t say with certainty that he was popular across the board. BJP is actually political extension of RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) a sociopolitical organization. Hence since the beginning BJP was considered a hard core ‘Right Wing Hindu Nationalist Party’. So, it was evident that minorities especially Muslims of India were not so impressed by it. Because of its affiliation with RSS, it was always considered an ‘Urban Upper Caste Middle Class Part’. Hence, it was not popular amongst rural population of India. Even though Atal ji, Adavani ji were the tallest leaders, I honestly believe they were not successful in making BJP popular across all regions, classes and societies. At its peak during 1999 BJP established itself to be an honest nationalist party but still it did not have pan India support. Then after 2002’s defeat there was a silent period till around 2010.
Today’s BJP
Today’s BJP is exactly what it was 10 years ago. The Modi and Amit Shah duo is doing wonders. Today not only it is popular amongst urban middle class but also amongst rural low income classes. Muslims are not afraid of openly supporting BJP and they are voting for BJP (even though percentage is less still anything is more than almost 0% !). The strategy of BJP and its vision towards their own politics has totally changed. In old days the strategy of the party was to agitate against Congress and others because it was never envisioned that they will ever get into power. But since the duo of Modi and Shah is at work BJP as we are talking today rules over approx 60% population of India on state level. An overwhelming quantity of local bodies is ruled by BJP. Wherever it is not in clear majority it takes help of others but manages to form the government. I think this is the biggest shift in philosophy of the party ‘Acquire the Power First!‘
Recently the results of Goa state assembly gave some clear pointers. Goa was supposed to be a stronghold of BJP but they did not get majority of votes. So, something had to be done and it was an indication that something is not right. Congress emerged as single largest party, which in itself is a big alarm. Manohar Parrikar left Goa to go to central government to become Defense Minister. Parsekar became the CM of Goa after Parrikar. It was evident from the beginning that Parsekar is not a good administrator, he couldn’t handle local RSS cadre well and neither the people of Goa liked him. Hence I think BJP must have assessed that this time in state assembly polls it is not going to perform well. Hence, after the results the HQ of BJP immediately started contacting those who ere not happy with Parsekar and who fought against BJP. There was only one message from all the BJP workers, RSS and other supporting parties ‘Bring Parrikar Back‘ and we will support him!
The Brute Force
To my surprise Parrikar left his post as Defense Minister and was sent back to Goa. This was something I never saw happened in BJP anytime. A cabinet minister in the central government was sent back to state to be a CM just because the local people are demanding it. Think about it, I was expecting a conventional reply that, we are talking with people and we will come up with a solution to this situation etc etc. But no, decision was taken and next day Parrikar took oath as the CM of Goa again. Many critics call this desperation. I also believe there is some desperation but not of forming the government. Congress went to Supreme Court against this oath and Governor of Goa but their petition got dismissed immediately.
Supreme Court referred directly to the core of democracy, the Constitution. India’s constitution does not recognize Political Party. All it says in nutshell that people elect their representatives and representatives choose their leader i.e. leader of the house. Parrikar has majority of elected representatives supporting him so it does not matter if his party is not single largest party.
This is what I call the Brute Force. In many dimensions of life brute force is usually forbidden. It is supposed to be an uncouth, authoritarian and forceful solution to any problem. Being a Software Developer, I know that brute force methods are implied by the dumb. Smart people choose smart solutions which use lesser energy and resource and give results.
But, whenever there is a crunch situation and time is running out. You do have all the resources at your disposal but don’t have time to apply them to come up with a fancy solution. The best solution at that time is a Brute Force solution. Even though it is harsh, rude, forceful and uses a lot of energy and resources, it gives correct results every single time! This is exactly what happened in Goa.
Parrikar was made CM again by Brute Force. There could have been fancy and lengthy solutions but BJP did not have time. As I mentioned above, BJP is working with a totally different mindset. It has Acquire Power First policy in place. So, acquiring the power in Goa and making house in order is more important than anything else. Modi and Shah do not want to lose momentum gained in UP and Uttarakhand election at any cost. So everything is fair in love and war! That’s why BJP is ready to sacrifice Parrikar as Defense Minister to make him CM of Goa back again just to get the people, RSS rebels and the hard core cadre together. Amit Shah just can’t take any chances anymore because Congressmukt Bharat is not just a slogan but a goal for him. Anyone can see the aggression of Modi and Amit Shah when it comes to Congress. Punjab was a separate case altogether. I will write about it in coming days.I have never seen BJP in this mode anytime in the past. In the time of Atal ji there was aggression but it never had the zest to rule.
Modi’s and Amit Shah’s BJP has aggression, popular support and now it has the capability and will to apply Brute Force wherever it can! BJP is no longer an Urban Upper Caste Middle Class political party.
Disclaimer:
The views presented in this article are absolutely my personal views and my the opinions and views must not connected to my Employer, Autodesk in any manner.
Main Photo source: Delhi January 10, 2015. REUTERS/Anindito Mukherjee (INDIA – Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) (http://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/RTR4KTIV380.jpg)
Paarikar Photo Source: Wikipedia, Ash Carter – 160829-D-SK590-498, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50981232
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Good analogy of Brute Force definition and BJP’s tactics of forming a government in Goa!
Waiting for your analysis on Punjab results.
Thank you ЁЯЩВ
I will write it in this weekend. Interesting developments in Punjab. People think Congress won in Punjab. That’s not the case, Captain won in Punjab. AAP is going to be an issue in the future
You’ve got great insights about the Article, Thanks and keep up the good work!