Lord Ram to the BJP's rescue?
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad along with allied Hindu groups displayed a major show of force across the country over the Ram Setu issue and the Sethursamundram project which had been a nascent issue at least on the national stage. The VHP succeeded in two things primarily, one, bringing the issue to the centre stage of national politics and two causing complete disruption of traffic and daily life in most cities of the country. However, the true beneficiaries of this agitation may just be the BJP which is desperately looking for an issue to raise amongst the electorate after having bungled the nuclear deal issue thanks to the infamous internal wrangling to take control of the party amongst its leaders. The BJP, by providing tacit support to the agitation, would want to bring Hindutuva part 3, having tasted electoral success after the Babri Masjid demolition and the Godhra massacre and the ensuing riots. This when the government is finding itself on the mat with coalition partners turning on the Congress and a series of gaffes on the policy front.
The BJP is in dire need of a substantial issue or issues to call its own and then to use them as the mainstay of any possible election campaign in the event of a mid term poll which seems likely in 2008. The nuclear deal issue was one cause which is now being championed by the Left more than any other party. Though part of the UPA, the Left parties have been brilliant, though highly mistaken in their “imperialist” arguments, on the nuclear issue. They have pipped the principal Opposition party by organizing a concerted campaign of road shows and rallies right from Bengal to Kerala. They have also sent their best known faces to countless TV stations to articulate the Left’s flawed point of view on the matter. The latest in this tidal red wave is the upcoming compilation of the CPM General Secretary’s articles and views on the nuclear deal in the form of a book. Though, one may not agree with the Left’s arguments, their intensive campaign is something that the Opposition camp must take note of and implement into their own strategies. As compared to the Left’s campaign the NDA’s campaign has left much to be desired. After making the right noises initially, the BJP, like on most issues in the past two years, went into self destruct mode. The internal leadership struggle once again ensured that the campaign sputtered only to be taken over by a belligerent Left. Although, the nuclear deal issue is one that nearly brought the Manmohan Singh led government down, it is just one of the many issues that the Opposition party can target the government on. The failure to make the import of wheat at premium prices by a minister who is known more for his cricket administration skills than prudent farmer related issues to the present law minister whose crony ways to please his masters has ensured that Quattarochi is a free man amongst a host of other issues where questions have been raised over his role in converting the CBI into a full fledged political body have given way to more innate issues. That aside price rise, flood relief, corruption and the growing menace of Islamic and Naxal terrorism are issues that the Opposition can capitalize on and challenge this government when it goes to the electorate. However, the BJP, through the VHP and the larger Sangh Parivar, has brought to the fore an issue on which it finds itself most comfortable – Hindutuva.
Having used the potent mix of religion and pseudo-secularism the BJP has ensured that issues like the Ram Mandir, minority appeasement and now the Ram Setu issue will help in uniting the Hindu vote which will rally behind the party. This time too the party seems to be wanting to benefit from the whole Sethusamundaram project, which according to media reports will save 30 hours of travel time between the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, though it would mean dredging parts of a natural structure which many Hindus believe was the bridge used by Lord Ram to invade Lanka and rescue Sita. The government, with a frequent habit of shooting itself on the foot, kept up to its habit and through the Archeological Survey of India has told the Supreme Court that the Ram Setu is not a man made structure and that there is no proof of the existence of the mythological figure of Lord Ram except in some texts. This on a day when the whole country was witnessing an agitation on that very issue shows either complete political naiveté on part of the government or a deliberate attempt to push through this project in the face of religious sentiments. While the former seems the more likely reason given the track record of this government, but in doing so, the government has made the issue far more emotive than what a one day agitation would have otherwise done. The BJP will surely rake up this issue as an example of the disregard by the UPA for the largest religious block in the country and the BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad has made similar noises about how the government would have tread on a different path had it involved other religions. For the BJP this may seem like an issue they can pursue all the way to the polls, but with elections at least 6 months away, how relevant this issue will remain is debatable. The BJP will, nonetheless, add this into its kitty of political armor to use against the government as when elections are called for. It seems the largest Opposition block is looking for divine intervention for its quest for power. They have succeeded earlier, will they now?
The BJP is in dire need of a substantial issue or issues to call its own and then to use them as the mainstay of any possible election campaign in the event of a mid term poll which seems likely in 2008. The nuclear deal issue was one cause which is now being championed by the Left more than any other party. Though part of the UPA, the Left parties have been brilliant, though highly mistaken in their “imperialist” arguments, on the nuclear issue. They have pipped the principal Opposition party by organizing a concerted campaign of road shows and rallies right from Bengal to Kerala. They have also sent their best known faces to countless TV stations to articulate the Left’s flawed point of view on the matter. The latest in this tidal red wave is the upcoming compilation of the CPM General Secretary’s articles and views on the nuclear deal in the form of a book. Though, one may not agree with the Left’s arguments, their intensive campaign is something that the Opposition camp must take note of and implement into their own strategies. As compared to the Left’s campaign the NDA’s campaign has left much to be desired. After making the right noises initially, the BJP, like on most issues in the past two years, went into self destruct mode. The internal leadership struggle once again ensured that the campaign sputtered only to be taken over by a belligerent Left. Although, the nuclear deal issue is one that nearly brought the Manmohan Singh led government down, it is just one of the many issues that the Opposition party can target the government on. The failure to make the import of wheat at premium prices by a minister who is known more for his cricket administration skills than prudent farmer related issues to the present law minister whose crony ways to please his masters has ensured that Quattarochi is a free man amongst a host of other issues where questions have been raised over his role in converting the CBI into a full fledged political body have given way to more innate issues. That aside price rise, flood relief, corruption and the growing menace of Islamic and Naxal terrorism are issues that the Opposition can capitalize on and challenge this government when it goes to the electorate. However, the BJP, through the VHP and the larger Sangh Parivar, has brought to the fore an issue on which it finds itself most comfortable – Hindutuva.
Having used the potent mix of religion and pseudo-secularism the BJP has ensured that issues like the Ram Mandir, minority appeasement and now the Ram Setu issue will help in uniting the Hindu vote which will rally behind the party. This time too the party seems to be wanting to benefit from the whole Sethusamundaram project, which according to media reports will save 30 hours of travel time between the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, though it would mean dredging parts of a natural structure which many Hindus believe was the bridge used by Lord Ram to invade Lanka and rescue Sita. The government, with a frequent habit of shooting itself on the foot, kept up to its habit and through the Archeological Survey of India has told the Supreme Court that the Ram Setu is not a man made structure and that there is no proof of the existence of the mythological figure of Lord Ram except in some texts. This on a day when the whole country was witnessing an agitation on that very issue shows either complete political naiveté on part of the government or a deliberate attempt to push through this project in the face of religious sentiments. While the former seems the more likely reason given the track record of this government, but in doing so, the government has made the issue far more emotive than what a one day agitation would have otherwise done. The BJP will surely rake up this issue as an example of the disregard by the UPA for the largest religious block in the country and the BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad has made similar noises about how the government would have tread on a different path had it involved other religions. For the BJP this may seem like an issue they can pursue all the way to the polls, but with elections at least 6 months away, how relevant this issue will remain is debatable. The BJP will, nonetheless, add this into its kitty of political armor to use against the government as when elections are called for. It seems the largest Opposition block is looking for divine intervention for its quest for power. They have succeeded earlier, will they now?
posted by Karan Thakur @ 1:04 AM
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