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Journalism of Courage
Since coming to power at the Centre in 2014, the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have proved time and again that they always have fresh cards to reveal to take their rivals by surprise. The past few weeks, the party and the government were busy preparing to make the G20 Summit a success that can be highlighted in the coming elections and used to set the narrative for the Lok Sabha elections.
In the run-up to the summit, the political discourse was marked by narratives set by the BJP. The ruling party ensured that all the talk in the media and the social media space was about a special session of Parliament that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi announced in a two-line post on X. The minister’s office also appeared to be unaware of the details of the five-day session that begins on September 18. First, there was talk of a law being enacted on simultaneous elections and then there was speculation that the agenda would be about permanently changing the country’s name from India to Bharat as the latter was displayed prominently in official invitations and name boards during the G20 Summit.
But the purpose of the special session is still unknown and BJP circles are abuzz with speculation about the agenda. While a section of BJP leaders say the government may use the opportunity to highlight recent success stories such as the G20 Summit and Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing, others say there will be a “big-ticket move that will have an impact on the coming elections”. The speculation includes a proposal to give back the status of a state to Jammu and Kashmir, a step forward in bringing in the Uniform Civil Code, the passage of the long-awaited Women’s Reservation Bill, or a move towards making “One Nation, One Election” a reality. But party leaders admit that there is no clarity about what is coming up, even among the senior lot.
BJP strategists were jubilant as these issues dominated the public discourse, overshadowing any reference to the Opposition INDIA alliance’s agenda or issues that the party or government could find unpleasant to deal with, including the violence in Manipur where protesters trying to break curfew clashed with the security forces last week.
Now that the G20 Summit has ended on a note of success, setting the stage for PM Modi to reinforce his image as “Vishwa Guru”, the BJP will now look to amplify the message of his popularity as a strong and decisive leader who will take India to greater heights. So far, Jawaharlal Nehru is the only prime minister to have led his party to a third consecutive victory in the general elections with a majority.
Addressing discontent
While the G20 Summit has countered, or at least weakened, the apparent disapproval among a section of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP about the current party leadership’s style of functioning, sources say the latter initiated measures to address major concerns raised by the rank and file and support base. Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to reduce the price of LPG gas cylinders by Rs 200. Ground reports and surveys had revealed that price rise was causing dissatisfaction among women voters — a crucial section of the electorate the BJP has its focus on ahead of the coming state elections and Lok Sabha polls — and the party’s strategists wanted the government to take corrective measures.
Sources also indicate that the government will announce several measures to boost investments in public assets to spur growth and strengthen the supply chain, thereby containing the rising price of essential commodities. From providing financial assistance to self-help groups for building storage facilities for foodgrains to broadening the labour force, the government is working on some steps, according to a top source in the government. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has already urged the central bank to stop using interest rates to deal with inflation and instead focus on managing the supply side factors.
According to party sources, the fresh bout of energy that Modi has infused among the BJP cadre and leaders can mitigate some of the discontent over the increasing number of lateral entries into the party and the distribution of power among them.
The BJP will also be looking to discredit INDIA, the united Opposition front. The controversial remark on Sanatana Dharma by Udhayanidhi Stalin — a top leader of key INDIA bloc constituent DMK — has already given the BJP enough ammunition to paint the Opposition alliance as anti-Hindu. Sensing the damage, the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and the Aam Aadmi Party have already distanced themselves from the DMK leader who likened Sanatana Dharma to “coronavirus, malaria, and dengue” and said such things should not be opposed but destroyed.
The BJP does not want the Opposition to settle the controversy with the explanation Udayanidhi gave and will use all its resources to keep it alive, according to a senior BJP leader. About his comment that triggered political furore, Stalin said, “I opposed Sanatana Dharma but did not oppose people’s worshipping rights. I never used the word genocide and they (BJP) are trying to distort my comments. I did not speak against any religion but only against caste discrimination within the religion.”
But Opposition leaders admit that the damage has been done and with the “ability the BJP has to amplify its messages twisting any remark to whip up sentiments” the issue will keep resonating among voters. What provides the Opposition with optimism about creating a level playing ground for the Lok Sabha elections is the trend predicted for the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram. Ground reports and surveys by both the ruling party and Opposition have indicated a fierce fight, with neither side having a clear edge, in at least three of these states.
