BJP strategy for 2009 : Woo the middle class, expand NDA,Indian Politics, News Analysis, India News Online

The BJP has spelt out the main contours of its strategy for the next Lok Sabha elections to be held early next year, making it clear that it will make an aggressive pitch to woo the urban and middle class voters, and do everything possible to expand the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which it heads. The BJP and NDA’s prime-ministerial candidate Lal Krishan Advani, in his valedictory address at the BJP National Council meeting on Jan. 29 made it clear that while the party will not give up its core Hindutva agenda, it will seek to tap the growing unease in the urban middle class and project itself to address their aspira¬tions.

Observers say that the BJP’s renewed emphasis on what the urban middle class is looking for comes at a time of disquiet over high price levels. The party also thinks that the conven¬tional urban-rural divide will be eroded to an extent in the coming elections because of redrawing of constituencies in accor¬dance with the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission. Reports say that in the redrawn constituencies, there would be a greater number of seats with significant urban and middle class presence.

In an apparent bid to woo the middle class, Advani sought to project himself as a moderate at the National Executive and Na¬tional Council meeting. In his valedictory address, there was no shrill rhetoric, no derogatory remarks about political opponents and no attempt to arouse or exploit communal feelings. Observers say that Advani was extraordinarily restrained in his speech.

Speaking out strongly in support of the rapidly expanding urban population, Advani said: “It must be recognised that India is changing. Nearly 40 per cent of our population now lives in towns and cities. The growth in urban population is also due to the neglect of the rural economy, lack of gainful employment and absence of basic amenities in villages.” The BJP leader accused the Manmohan Singh Government of doing nothing for this category of the population. He asked, “Is not it a fact that the UPA Government has burdened this section with high taxation, high interest rates, high cost housing, high cost education and high cost medical care ?”

Need to broad-base NDA

Admitting that there were several states where neither the BJP nor its allies in the NDA had significant presence, Advani said there is need to broad-base the NDA. Trying to project the NDA as what he called “a perfect example of a coalition”, he said there is need to attract more regional players into the fold in the run up to next year’s general elections. Advani did not name the potential regional allies, but pointed out the states of West Bengal and Kerala. In support of the BJP credentials for getting the support of regional outfits, Advani referred to what he called the party’s commitment to the coalition dharma and the National Agenda for Governance. He contended that the BJP’s ideo¬logical convictions would not come in the way of good governance.

“In several states which together account for a sizeable number of seats in Parliament, neither the BJP, nor our current allies in the NDA has a strong presence. Therefore, even if the people in these states like their counterparts elsewhere, want to see a strong government with a decisive mandate at the Centre, they feel constrained by state-specific conditions”, the BJP leader pointed out.

Advani exhorted leaders of these parties to join hands with the NDA. “We have amply shown our commitment to coalition dhar¬ma. The NDA has also recently passed a resolution to contest the next elections on the basis of a common agenda of governance. “We respect your views and are willing to work with you,” Advani said.

The former Deputy Prime Minister sought to dissuade Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee from nursing any thought of re-embracing the Congress. “Please do not be under any illusion that either the Communists will completely and irreversibly severe their links with the Congress or that the Congress will abandon the Communists. The Communists are supporting the Con¬gress at the Centre today and will do so again in the future if the need arises,” he claimed.

The BJP leader criticised Dr. Manmohan Singh’s stewardship of the Government, describing him as a ‘weak and ineffective’ Prime Minister. “As things stand, 7 Race Course Road is not as important as 10 Janpath”, he said and referred to the Left as a centre of authority.

Describing the present arrangement at the Centre as the “Kremlinisation of India”, the BJP leader drew parallels from the time when the Communists were ruling the Soviet Union where the Communist party head was accorded precedence over the country’s president.

Speaking of the BJP achievements, Advani said even the most bitter critics of the BJP cannot dispute them. “We go to the people as a party that gave the only credible alternative to one-party domination in India’s politics. Our struggle for democra¬cy is recorded in the months and years most of us spent in vari¬ous jails because we opposed the Emergency. And the NDA led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first alliance to demolish the myth that coalition governments are not sable,” Advani asserted.

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No Kremlinisation : Congress

The Congress, reacting to Advani’s accusation, said that there has been no Kremlinisation of Indian politics.

Describing the Left parties as “important allies of the Congress”, AICC spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said Advani’s remark was a”very peculiar characterisation of a natural process of coalition.”

“The BJP-led NDA itself was a coalition of 24 parties which does not exits any more,” said Natarajan, praising the Left as a “very legitimate political force” in the country. “We will continue to strive hard for the sake of our secular democracy with the support of all secular forces, including he Left.”

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Advani went back and forth in recent political history to assert the BJP’s claim to power and presented a critique of the UPA without distorting facts or communalising the discourse.

“We assert our right as a party that gave fillip to develop¬ment and infrastructure by projects such as the Golden Quadrilat¬eral, gave relief on the basic need of housing by lowering house loan interest rates, farmers’ insurance. Can the present gov¬ernment truthfully recount one such achievement ?” Advani asked. Unlike Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who created the bogey of “communal budgeting.” Advani gave a reasonable argument against the Centre’s perspective about minority welfare. “Can Muslims trust a party which resorts to constituting committees to tell them that they are weak and marginalised ? Is it not time to ask who was ruling India for 60 years during which they suffered and went down ? Does the PM help minorities by claiming that Muslims have the first right over our limited resources ?” he asked.

360 seats for NDA : Advani’s goal

Significantly, Advani did not mention the Ram Temple issue in his first address to the BJP National Council after being chosen as the party’s and the NDA’s prime-ministerial candidate. The Ram Temple issue is not popular with the partners of the BJP in the NDA. Instead, Advani referred to minority appeasement, apart from pointing out that Congress politics of the last 60 years had done the Muslims no good.

Advani urged the BJP to rebrand itself to lead the NDA it heads to win more than 360 seats in the next Lok Sabha elections. He said the BJP had to be seen as a party with a difference, a slogan first coined by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vaj¬payee. Advani said, creating a nation=wide quest for a BJP-led NDA government is to effectively tell the people how the party is going to be different from the Congress and the UPA. Observers say that Advani’s mantra apparently is to project the BJP as a party which can offer good governance, development and security, the three things he believes have gained currency after the BJP’s unprecedented victory in the Gujarat Assembly elections.

Seeking not to tread on the toes of potential rivals in the party, Advani made an effort to acknowledge and praise party president Rajnath Singh, Gujarat Chief Narendra Modi and senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi.

“I wish to express my deepest gratitude to the party for entrusting me with the responsibility of leading the BJP in the next parliamentary elections,” said Advani, but did not forget to add between the lines that it was a well-deserved responsibility. He recalled that his first Rath Yatra altered the secular-commu¬nal debate in the country. He also reminded the gathering that he had invited Samata Party leaders to the party National Council in 1995, which was the first tangible move towards the formation of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

“I am more than 80 years old and have spent six decades as an active politician,” said Advani, recalling his struggles and successes, most significantly the jail term during the Emergency. He said from its position of winning two seats in 1984, the BJP has consistently grown and has been central to the process of an evolving bipolar coalition system.

He said the BJP-led NDA Government had performed but lost the 2004 elections because allies did not perform as expected in their respective states. “The 2004 election was an aggregate of several state elections, not guided by a national agenda,” he said.

Training his guns on the ruling alliance for its ‘all-round failure’, Advani singled out the Left for attack. He accused the Left of “having let down the country on several occasions,” and made a distinction in Congress-Left relations during Indira Gandhi’s times and the present. “Indira Gandhi used the Left, while the current Congress is being blackmailed by the Left,” he said.

Advani said the BJP’s aim is not to merely win the next elections but also to make India a strong and prosperous country. He is set to address 13 “Sankalp rallies” in the next two months in different parts of the country.

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BJP attacks non-performing UPA, indecisive PM

The political resolution passed by the BJP National Council on the concluding day of its meeting on Jan. 29 denounces the ruling United Progressive Alliance government as a non-perform¬ing outfit. It says that the BJP-led NDA, if it comes to power, will effectively put down terrorism and pursue a robust foreign policy and forward looking economic programmes.

Attacking the UPA Government’s report card, the resolution asks the people to give the BJP-led NDA a chance in the next general elections.

“India needs an effective leader. It has suffered because of an indecisive Prime Minister. It needs a strong government”, the resolution stated, even as it promised tough, effective measures to address the problem of internal security.

It charged the ruling combine with jeopardising national security by viewing the issue through the prism of vote-bank politics. “The impact of cross-border terrorism is now being increasingly felt even outside Jammu & Kashmir. The lowering of guard by the UPA has resulted in an increase in the number of attacks in states governed by the Congress and the other pseudo-secular parties”, the resolution argued.

The attacks in Mumbai, Malegaon, Bangalore, Hyderabad and different towns in Uttar Pradesh, the resolution added, is a grim reminder the terrorists can strike at will.

The party expressed its concern over the ‘conversion’ of Uttar Pradesh into the latest breeding ground for terrorists. The choice of the location of the attacks in the state indicates there is local logistical support to the terrorists, the politi¬cal resolution said. It accused the UPA of transforming India, a victim of terror for over two decades, into a soft state.

The political resolution, which was presented at the meeting by BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley, also came down heavily on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, dubbing him as a non-leader who was, at best only a CEO executing the day-to-day governance on the directions of extra-constitutional centres of power (in this case, the Congress president and the Left parties).

The document accused the UPA government of deliberately undermining the dignity and autonomy of various institutions, and cited the examples of the Election Commission, the CBI and the Governors to substantiate its charge.

A large portion of the resolution was devoted to issues considered close to the BJP’s basic ideological bearings, with the government’s failure to rein in terror attacks, the decision to repeal the anti-terror law POTA, its affidavit on the Sethusa¬mudram project, refusal to carry out the death sentence awarded to Afzal Guru, communal budgeting and the proposal to extend the benefits of reservation to the minorities figuring prominently.

The party came out strongly against the proposal to provide reservations to the minorities, alleging that the UPA wanted to “incentivize conversion of dalits to Islam and Christianity.” It termed the Sachar Committee recommendations as ``the most divi¬sive step ever initiated by a government of independent India.

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BJP for loan waiver for farmers

A day earlier, the BJP National Council adopted a resolution on Jan. 28 calling for loan waiver for farmers who have borrowed upto Rs. 50,000 and loan migration for all who have borrowed at high interest rates from private money lenders. The party also decided to bring out a full agricultural policy document.

The eight-page resolution was moved by Venkaiah Naidu and adopted without any amendments.

Party president Rajnath Singh emphasised the need for the BJP to take up farmers’ issues. In his opening speech to the National Council on Monday, Jan. 28, he demanded immediate imple¬mentation of the report of the National Commission on Farmers.

The resolution focussed on the plight of farmers, especially and small and marginal farmers. Vinay Katiyar pointed out that industrialists often get big sops in the form of thousands of crores of rupees from the government. It was time the government paid attention to farmers and wrote off their loans.

The resolution talked about the need for a higher minimum support price - it demanded an MSP of Rs. 1,000 for paddy on par with that of wheat. It also said that the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 was being “misused by governments” and this should be imme¬diately amended. Fertile land being forcibly acquired by the government was leading to chaotic situations such as in Nandi¬gram.

The resolution criticised the UPA government for not doing enough for agriculture, pointing out that per capita food grain production had gone down; food was being imported as against full granaries under the Vajpayee government; and the number of suicides among farmers was increasing.

BJP for parallel polls

On the opening day of the three-day conclave of top BJP leaders on Jan. 27, party chief Rajnath Singh said that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has passed the baton to L.K. Advani. He added everyone needs to work hard to capitalise on the “failures” of the Congress-led UPA government to ensure a NDA victory in the next elections.

Rajnath Singh revived the BJP’s plea for simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, urging the Election Com¬mission and other parties to give a serious thought to the idea so that they can be freed from being in perpetual election-mode.

“Atalji has blessed Advaniji while handing over responsibil¬ities to him. By endorsing Advaniji as our natural choice as prime-ministerial candidate, all our friends in the NDA have given a message of unity and collectivity,” Singh said in his presidential address to the BJP National Executive.

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Atal era ends

The BJP on Jan. 27 formally drew the curtains on the Vaj¬payee era, dispensing with even the formality of reading out a message from the former Prime Minister at the National Executive meeting.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee had in a message told the last National Executive, in Bhopal, that he was taking rest on medical advice but would return soon.

“Vajpayeeji wasn’t present; there was no message from him either,” spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said. Asked why the senior leader didn’t bless the crucial meet that took the victory vow, Javadekar said: “His blessings are always there.”

Vajpayee found a brief mention, when the party chief re¬called that the former Prime Minister had blessed Advani. “Advani has made a memorable contribution along with Vajpayee for the political rise of BJP and I hope that the BJP under his leader¬ship would achieve memorable victory in the next election.”

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One-third posts for women in BJP

On Monday, Jan. 28, the BJP National Council approved an amendment to the party constitution giving its women workers 33 per cent reservation in party posts at the Central, state, district and bloc levels. But there would be no reservation for women at the Central office bearers’ level and in the parliamentary board, the highest decision-making body of the party.

BJP president Rajnath Singh moved a resolution to amend the party constitution and Sushma Swaraj introduced the subject to some 3,000 delegates at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi.

“This council session will go down as a historic one for this reason and it will be mentioned in the history of women’s empowerment in India,” Swaraj said.

The amendment was greeted with loud cheers by the women’s wing members, including Mahila Morcha president Kiran Maheshwari. Flower petals were showered by them in appreciation.

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Name your prime-ministerial candidate ; BJP asks UPA, Congress

Inaugurating the National Council meeting, BJP president Rajnath Singh asked the UPA to name a candidate for the Prime Minister’s post in the next elections. He said it was ironical that the ruling coalition had a Prime Minister, but not a prime-ministerial candidate.

“On behalf of the entire country, I would like to ask the UPA who will be their candidate for the post of Prime Minister? I don’t think the Congress will be able to answer this question,” he said.

Unveiling what could be its electoral strategy, the BJP, which has picked Advani as Prime Minister candidate, left no doubt that it would play up the leadership question to exploit the Congress’ discomfiture.

The BJP believes that the UPA will fumble for an answer to Rajnath’s question because of perceived internal differences over the leadership of Manmohan Singh, the emergence of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress culture of not announcing its leader before elections.

Rajnath rubbed the message in. “Today, as I mention the name of L.K. Advani, I feel I am literally taking the name of the future Prime Minister of India. Today, he is no longer only the leader of the BJP but the leader of the entire nation.”

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BJP living in a dream world : Congress

The Congress has said that the BJP conclave in New Delhi as well as other recent BJP-NDA meetings are just a confidence-building measure to deal with insecurities of L.K. Advani who has been the PM-in-waiting for several decades. Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said on Jan. 28 that after its victories in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the BJP has sunk into a dream world about return to power at the Centre. He said, “one swallow does not make a summer.”

Singhvi said the BJP-led NDA needs to do some soul-searching about what he called the “divisive politics” and “destabilising agenda” of a leader like L.K. Advani who stood near the Babri Masjid like a mute spectator to witness it being torn down, and to say much later that he “felt saddened” by the development.

AICC media department chairman Veerappa Moily said the NDA should introspect about “what will happen to their hurried and non-credible projection of Advani as their prime-ministerial candidate if the Liberhan Commission probing the Babri demolition indicts him.”

On the continuing “perceived Congress lethargy, apathy and indifference in rising to meet its formidable political chal¬lenge”, Singhvi said, “We are fully aware of the coming spate of nearly ten state Assembly polls followed by the Parliamentary elections, and our consultation and deliberation process is on to work out appropriate, focused and effective remedial measures and other changes and decisions in terms of individuals, strate¬gies and policies and programmes.” He added that “the implemen¬tation of these steps would be carried out in a phased manner both at the state and central levels in accordance with the poll calender in coming days.”

BJP to have “half-century” in Rajya Sabha

As a result of its victories in state Assembly elections, the BJP is likely to have more members in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Parliament by the biennial polls in April this year. The party which has a strength of 46 in the House, could end up with a net gain of at least four seats. As many as 59 Rajya Sabha members will be completing their six-year tenure in about two months’ time. Of these, 18 are from the Congress while 11 are from the BJP.

Among the BJP leaders who will be bidding goodbye to the Rajya Sabha are former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, who has been suspended from the party, former Union Ministers Shatrughan Sinha and V.P. Goyal and former general secretary Maya Singh. Observers say that with several prominent leaders throw¬ing their hats into the ring, the BJP leadership will have a tough time selecting party candidates.

Besides Madhya Pradesh, BJP is expected to make gains in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, the BJP has reportedly decided to make general secretary Arun Jaitley as central leader in-charge of elections for Karnataka to monitor the party’s poll preparations. The party has demanded that Assembly elections in the state should be held before the end of President’s rule in May.

BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad, speaking in New Delhi, on Jan. 31 criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for not including a visit to Tawang during his tour of Arunachal Pradesh. Noting that Tawang has symbolic and historic significance as several Indian soldiers laid down their lives there during the 1962 war with China, Prasad said the issue is all the more im¬portant as China is laying claim to the area.

BJP for sacking Chawla : Centre mooting Constitution amendment

In a move reportedly to pre-empt possible sacking of Elec¬tion Commissioner Navin Chawla, the Centre says that it may consider bringing forward a Constitution amendment to bring all Election Commissions at part with the Chief Election Commission¬er. If the proposal comes through, Chief Election Commissioner N. Goplaswamy would be divested of the authority to decide the petition filed by the BJP seeking Chawla’s removal.

On Wednesday, Jan. 30, 180 MPs of the National Democratic Alliance submitted a petition to the Chief Election Commission¬er (CEC) asking him to recommend the “removal” of Navin Chawla as Election Commissioner.

The 17-page petition was submitted to CEC N. Gopalaswami by a delegation of BJP leaders, including Arun Jaitley, Ravi Shankar Prasad, V.K. Malhotra and S.S. Ahluwalia. The signatories include Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani, BJP president Rajnath Singh, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh and some representatives of NDA allies - Anant Geethe (Shiv Sena), Digvijay Singh (Janata Dal - United) and Braj Kishore Tripathi (Biju Janata Dal).

The petition argued that an Election Commissioner can be removed by the President on the recommendation of the CEC.

The petition further argued that a “recommendation made by the CEC under the second proviso to Article 324 (5) of the Con¬stitution is binding on the President.”

The petition details Chawla’s administrative record and conduct, beginning with the period of the Emergency, his “politi¬cal relationship with Sanjay Gandhi,” his career graph during Congress rule, his alleged proximity to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and finally, the fact that he had accepted from Congress MPs, among MPs of other parties, donations for the Lala Chaman Lal Education Trust (before he was appointed Election Commission¬er).

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