Road to 2024: Parliament stalled, BJP goes about setting its own House in order

It was a much-needed shot in the arm for BJP MPs, who expect tougher going in 2024 than both 2014, when Modi promised freshness and a new brand of politics, and 2019, when Balakot and the rhetoric over national security boosted the party’s numbers.

Although PM Modi’s popularity and credibility are more or less intact, and the Opposition unity has too many hurdles yet to cross, there is some nervousness in BJP ranks over voter fatigue and anti-incumbency.

To counter this, the BJP has started efforts on multiple fronts. One is improving its governance report card. Although the party is unlikely to push a Uniform Civil Code, the last unfulfilled ideological agenda of the BJP after the abrogation of Article 370 and building of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Modi is keen on pushing through the long-pending women’s reservation Bill, sources said.

The BJP has also gone out of its way to woo back new and older allies. The 39 parties lined up on the NDA stage — the same day as the Opposition’s unity meeting – stole a lot of the INDIA thunder.

Unlike the bigger parties with bigger stakes that make up INDIA, the BJP is head and shoulders above the other parties in the NDA grouping, and hence seat-sharing on its side is expected to be a much smoother affair. Many of the parties don’t have any representation in Parliament, and BJP leaders themselves admit that the long list of members was more a show of numbers. However, as a senior leader put it, “When the political scene gets polarised like this, it’s important to create optics, to show that we too have friends.”

To further present a cohesive front, Modi will be meeting NDA MPs in clusters over “sneh bhoj” from July 31 onwards, while the Monsoon Session is on. State leaders have already been told to forge a warm relationship with alliance partners in their areas, and the message will be the same to senior leaders.

While Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh will be meeting one section of MPs region wise, J P Nadda and Nitin Gadkari will meet other groups from next week.

As the party gears up for 2024, Shah will again take charge of BJP electioneering, while Nadda will oversee coordination of forces.

There are also hints of the campaign taking a nationalist tilt. After proclaiming last year that India would reclaim areas such as Gilgit and Baltistan in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir , Defence Minister Rajnath Singh sharpened his threat recently: “We do not need to work much to take back PoK, as the demand to unite with India will arise from there itself.”

Sources claimed the demands had “already begun”, and that the statements were not off the cuff, but well thought out, and that the impact will be seen in the elections.

Alongside, assessment and review are on of the performance of MPs in their respective constituencies to determine winnability. “If the chances are below 50 per cent, it is felt that a politician has fallen in popularity or failed in terms of participation in programmes, people’s contact or outreach to social media, there will be new candidates,” said a source.

With its Karnataka campaign hit by infighting, the BJP has also started reaching out to leaders who feel sidelined due to a series of inductions into the party. “All this just requires time to settle down. But we will have dialogue with them also. We will reach out to our cadre and leaders and assure them that their interests will be taken care of,” the source said.

The BJP believes the difficulties in the Opposition unity project are already showing. Several regional parties have not been happy with the Congress decision to continue to disrupt Parliament, on the demand that the PM speak on Manipur, even after the no-confidence motion has been accepted in the Lok Sabha. They fear that the government is using the impasse to clear key Bills with far-reaching consequences.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has always been vocal against continuous disruption of Parliament, saying it gives the government a free ride.

A Congress MP, among those who wants the party to allow the House to function, quoted Albert Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

This is music to the BJP’s ears.