Next
summers, India will see a New Government at the Centre. It will either chose a
monolithic single party Government and reelect an idea that destroys its
civilizational values and Constitution or it will elect a motley group of
regional parties led by a National party with conflicting ideologies and
aspirations that may not be able to provide a masochistic,
The
first time voter which is mesmerized and easily won over by the use of ‘soft
power’, aggressive propaganda, emotive ideas and tall promises hasn’t really
witnessed past coalition Governments in
India, and will have an inherent tendency to go for a ‘Single Party rule’. On
the other hand, mature voters who understand what ‘Freedom’ in its true sense
means for a country like India may opt for the ‘coalition’.
Personally,
I am all for a strong single National party leadership at the Centre, but in
the present circumstances, that option is closed for liberals like me because,
I do not want my country to disintegrate through bigotry, hatred and narrow
mindedness. A lesser known fact that we tend to forget is that coalition
Governments have delivered in the past. We tend to forget that the coalition
Government under Dr Manmohan Singh lifted 14 crore people out of poverty and
provided the best growth rate ever possible in modern India. We also tend to
forget that, it was a minority Government of P V Narasimha Rao that banished
the past practices of ‘License Raj’ and undertook the biggest economic reforms
that India witnessed in the past century. Yes, some coalition Governments have
failed too, but those were the 70’s.
Those
political commentators who create this false equivalence between Indira Gandhi
and present day Narendra Modi are living in a fool’s paradise. The Indira
Gandhi Government was 11 years old, when due to a variety of socio-political
movements the most flawed coalition of India – Janata Party led by Morarji
Desai was installed and it crumbled with its own contradictions. On the
contrary, Narendra Modi is only a 4 year Prime Minister. His series of self-goals
like Demonetisation and Flawed GST, along with widespread mal-governance, cronyism,
covered with a sugary outer shell of thousands of crores of propaganda cannot
be compared to sound economic and historic measures of Indira Gandhi like the
Nationalization of Banks, Ending Privy Purses or the 1971 War.
The
object of this piece was not to make any comparisons between the two, but this
has to be strongly underlined and stated. They are simply incomparable.
During
the Plenary Session of the Indian National Congress, its political resolution
mentions a very important dimension that might change the face of Indian
politics in 2019.
“Congress will adopt a pragmatic
approach for co-operation with all like-minded Parties and evolve a common
workable program to defeat the BJP-RSS in the 2019 elections”
The
Karnataka elections happened just after the Congress’ 84th Plenary
Session. And the Congress did show a great ‘pragmatic
approach’ and immense flexibility to work with ‘like-minded’ JD(S).
The
recent bye-poll results are a copy book illustration of the ‘pragmatic approach’ adopted by
the Congress party under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. Wherever the Congress
needed to step back and provide a larger role to the regional ‘like-minded’ parties- it conveniently
did. Wherever the Congress thought, it should pitch in- it surely did! Politics
is all about pragmatism and no better than the Congress party knows this.
In
the same Plenary Session, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, elaborated about the
relationship between the People of India and the Congress party. He said-
“India expects much more from the
Congress because it holds us, the Congress party on higher standard than any
other organisation…”
Yes,
the Congress party is extremely mindful of the fact that people of India will
not let our Constitution be sacrificed at the mercy of the RSS-BJP. If the
Congress does not use each and every tool left to its disposal to save the
ideas, ideals and institutions that our forefathers so painstakingly built and
nurtured, it will be failing in its Constitutional duty. Congress will fail the
people of India, if it does not give an equal fight to the divisive forces of
RSS-BJP. It will fail India, if it does not bring in the ‘like -minded’
regional parties on board to ensure that the coalition provides maximum damage
to the theocracy of the BJP. It will fail if it does not provide an alternative
agenda of Governance and Development which is Liberal, Progressive and
Inclusive. It will fail if lets India plunge into the darkness of economic
mismanagement. It will fail India if it does not protect its Farmers from
distress, its Weaker Sections from persecution and it’s Working Class from
exploitation.
Kairana
can be a template- but it is mainly an electoral template. Panning Narendra
Modi cannot be idea. Congress cannot be accused of “Modi Vs All” and ‘Anti-Modi-
plank’ alone cannot be an idea that should attract the voters. There has to be
a positive idea.
Congress
is the only force which can also provide an ideological template- A definitive narrative.
Flashback
2004: The UPA and the Left Parties had a ‘Common Minimum Programme’ which was almost
entirely implemented from 2004-09. Congress needs to provide a common
ideological template to this coalition. The coalition should have something to ‘propagate’.
Leaders don’t win elections—the
battle of ideas is what matters
So
what are the broad ideas which the coalition can find a common ground on and
built its campaign around?
Let me attempt some broad ones-
1. Preserving
social harmony and fighting fundamentalism of all hues and shades
2. Economic
growth - creating jobs- realistic, doable, workable ideas for job creation.
3. Implementation
of the Swaminathan Committee for Farmers in letter and in spirit so that they
get their fare prices and farm distress is alleviated.
4. Education
and Healthcare policy reforms- it’s a fairly non-controversial, non-debatable
subject and can easily be implemented. The BJP in the past 4 years, has failed
our Education system.
5. Women
Empowerment- political, economic, social & legal. Tangible solutions to
enhance gender equality.
6. Protecting
Institutions
7. Providing
space to regional aspirations within the Indian Union. More say of states in
economic policy making.
8. Judicial Reforms – reducing the pendency of
the cases.
9. Welfare
of the Weaker Sections- SC, ST, OBC and Minorities
o Relaunching
the Sub Plans that the BJP abolished.
o Strengthening
the SC-SC Act
o Enhancing
scholarships and welfare measures.
10. Fast tracking Modernisation of Our Defence
Forces- the BJP has totally neglected our External and Internal Security.
11. Transparency-
RTI to be strengthened, Lokpal, Whistleblowers Bill.
12. Protecting
Our Environment. Saving our rivers, coastal areas, wildlife, air and forests.
These are the
12 suggestive broad ideas that should be the Magna Carta of the coalition.
There can be several more additions, but this can be a start. These are all
non-controversial ideas and there cannot be any point of contention amongst the
regional parties on these 12 ideas.
Now it is the
Congress and the coalition to decide.
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