With each passing day, it is becoming increasingly evident that the Congress party unfortunately is running an empty and one-dimensional campaign. In recent times, I’ve been following their rallies fairly closely to note the dull and boring tone of the speeches and catch the common underlying objective to defame Narendra Modi and his brand.
For lack of any positives to show off in their resume, the party has reduced this to a Presidential-style contest against one man, his imposing personality and perceived ideology.
Just like how the BJP has decided to live and die with Modi in 2014; the Congress too seems to be betting their entire poll prospects by taking Modi head on and paint a communal character out of him. In this process, it is sad that they are running a vitriolic campaign loaded with negative personal attacks, name-calling and creating a fear psychosis.
The UPA-2 years have been one of the darkest phases’ in the history of Independent India. Even if the sad state of the economy is attributed to the global recession; the myriad scams and allegations make this the most corrupt government ever. It is only a joke that an anti-corruption law (Lokpal Bill) was passed by such a government making us believe it is a mere eye-wash. Other pieces of legislations like the Land Acquisition Bill and Right to Education Act are flawed with serious questions around its implementation and potential benefits.
Surprisingly, the Congress does not make any mention of these in their campaigns. The party is struggling to battle anti-incumbency; the absence of any significant achievements or ideas has made them go back to their age old strategy and question the secular credentials of their principal opponents.
This tactic seems mundane and irrelevant today. Their continued harping on the BJP being communal is merely seen as an effort to divert the public from the real issues. The more hard they try to repeatedly rake up the 2002 Gujarat riots only brings their insecurity to the fore. It appears like the Congress’ only campaign strategy is to paint Modi as a threat to the country’s secular social fabric – a veiled acceptance of their inability to provide clean governance and incapability to foster development.
Congressmen, at times, take instructions too seriously, go overboard and end up scoring self-goals. The earliest instance of a communal pitch going against the Congress was in 2002 when the Imam of Ahmedabad Jama Masjid, Maulana Mohammed Shabbir Ahmed, issued a fatwa for all Muslims to vote for the Congress – the Hindus got pissed; came out in large numbers and voted for the BJP.
And, the rest is history. The speechwriters, spurred by their bosses tend to throw in provocative phrases in an attempt to stoke the emotions and incite the religious feelings inside the voters. Such speeches are communal, spawn hatred and lead to animosity between people based on religion. Ironically, Congress’ evil moves have only helped the BJP more than hurt them.
It is often said that Narenda Modi is the most polarizing Indian politician ever. However, contrary to popular belief, it is the Congress party and their actions that are providing the real polarizing effect on the Indian electorate. The Congress party is calling the BJP and Modi as divisive forces and claim a potential NDA government would put the country’s integrity and communal harmony at stake.
But, hypocritically, it is the Congress that is trying to divide the masses by playing cheap appeasement politics. The Congress manifesto’s mention of providing reservation for SC/STs in private sector jobs is the most recent example of the same. It is well documented that the biggest reason for the meteoric rise of the BJP over the years is due to the massive consolidation of the Hindu vote across the Hindi heartland states. The Congress’ latest move is a clear attempt to counter this; split the Hindu vote on caste lines and thereby, polarize the society.
The party is bankrupt of ideas. In a clear sign of helplessness and desperation; Sonia Gandhi’s latest meeting with the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Bukhari is yet another ploy in this direction to garner community-based support.
Congress party leaders are going all out to publicly downplay the so-called ‘Modi Wave’ and term it a media creation. However, the fact remains that they fear him from the inside and are always busy plotting his downfall. It is this effect that scares even senior leaders and is making them run away from being given a ticket.
Up until recently, Narendra Modi was just yet another chief minister of an Indian state. The story of how he turned Gujarat into a powerhouse of growth and prosperity made him a household name in every nook and corner of India. The Congress party is rattled by his growing popularity and ever-increasing influence over all classes of voters. Sonia Gandhi’s remark at the AICC session in January 2014 that the BJP was just good in marketing tells an important story. The Congress leadership is actually working hard to cajole and motivate a dejected and embattled workforce at the grass-roots.
To me, as far as the Congress is concerned, this election is a dead rubber and they’re just ‘playing for pride.’ They need to be still in the game and try to make a match out of this, only to bow out with some pride. In the spirit of the game, I hope they turn this into a positive campaign and avoid this ‘divide and rule’ agenda.
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