Victory for Democracy
Anil Laad
While it is the time to congratulate Modi and his Team BJP for their sweeping electoral victory in the India’s 16th Lok Sabha Election 2014, the nuances of the ‘sweep’ have to be analyzed and ascertained by us that the victory or the defeat is not interpreted at its face value.
Pre 2014 poll, the BJP’s performances, in the form of the seat counts, was 85 during 1989 Lok Sabha election and increased to 120 and 161 during 1991 and 1996 while gaining the highest of its seat tally during 1998 and 1999 being
182 each time. The party’s consolidation of seats there after reduced drastically to 138 and 116 during next elections in 2004 and 2009 in an open exhibition of the democratic power of protest and the demand for justice for
the non performance during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The landslide victory 2014, is, the hard beat for the non performance by the UPA II government than any rewards for the performance by the BJP ruled state government. With this there goes a strong message from the electorate to the elected, irrespective of their party affiliations – “Perform To Stay”. The 2014 election sweep can be attributed to various factors that are not linked with the good governance.Firstly, the sky high budget for the publicity oriented campaigns has invariably played a crucial role in the high performance of party. The unilateral projection of Modi as being India’s only icon leader who will lift India to full prosperity. Secondly, in case of a large number of voters the passion behind their decision for voting on a party line, to a great extent, is based on propaganda and poll speeches.
This reasoning can be corroborated with the statements, that the “Bad governance, corruption and dynastic rules were the three main reasons why BJP won this election” and that “How much role Modi’s leadership has to play in it, has to be assessed” made by the BJP’s veteran L K Advani recently.Though unanimously elected, Modi would need to be clear on certain worrying issues. Firstly, the recent reminder by the RSS ideologue Vaidya of their aspirations from Modi about the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Uniform Civil Code and the abrogation of Article 370, even before the poll results weredeclared,
though then he said it is his personal view, leaves a space for suspicion and justifies a clear policy decision from Modi on his communal related aspects. Look at the scenario on the day of the poll results, the Chinese and the Britishers have responded positively over the corporate relationship with Modi. The perception that the corporate development is only the true
development needs to be revisited and changed to be the growth oriented development, making health, education and equality in justice to all as in priority as with the corporate.As being in the chair as the Prime Minister of the constitutionally ruled country, Modi will have to be more speculative to those others to be just to the nation. Apart from the tasks of home rules, the international relationship will have to be continued to be maintained and improved effectively to remain
to be one among all other nations. The task would be a pretty challenge.
