Moditva: Why it didn’t work this time

The BJP took a drubbing — its tally in the state went down to 14 from the previous 21. The indication is clear: Governance, that was forced on the backburner even as religion took centrestage, has come to the fore again. Water, electricity and rural development have taken precedence over religion and communal issues.

That’s how the Congress has gained most seats in the tribal belts — most neglected in the state. It has also won in Mehsana, Amreli and Jamnagar, areas hit by water scarcity, indicating ‘Moditva’ has limited appeal.

‘‘Modi’s politics — trying to incite religious passions, his chants and hymns, creating hypes and antagonising people of all sections of society — played a major role in the BJP’s downfall,’’ says analyst Dinesh Shukla. ‘‘This culture has never been a part of Gujarat’s political history,’’ he adds.

‘‘His personal attacks and utterances against Sonia and Rahul Gandhi have done more damage to the BJP than to the Congress. Sonia Gandhi being able to recite Vande Mataram or Rahul Gandhi’s job as a driver… these things are petty compared to the governance Modi has provided,’’ Gandhian Chunibhai Vaidya says.

In North Gujarat, the BJP lost in Banaskantha, Sabarkantha and Mehsana, retaining only Patan. ‘‘Modi took out his ‘Kesaria Yatra’ to incite communal feelings through areas. His speeches focussed on ribaldry and didn’t go down well,’’ he said.

Modi’s functioning is another factor responsible for the setback. Shukla says: ‘‘His functioning created friction in the BJP, government, as well as bureaucracy. Due to his abrasive nature, he incurred the wrath of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), ministers and MLAs.’’

BJP leaders were also taken in by the hype around themselves. ‘‘The hype created around Rs 6,000 crore being allotted to water harvesting projects, and the credits for progress in Narmada project turned out to ring hollow,’’ a senior BJP leader admitted.

‘‘By repeating the same things every where, we had started believing them too,’’ he says. ‘‘Their eulogising Narmada, check dams, Sujalam Sufalam…created such a cocoon around Modi and his partymen, they failed to see reality,’’ says Shyamjibhai Antala, water conservation movement leader.