It is election time for the largest democracy in the world. This time it happens to be the largest elections ever held in any country, with a record number of voters set to exercise their right to cast their ballots.
The mind-boggling arrangements, pre and post-polls situation, the ever changing colours of the parties in the fray, and the unpredictability of the political players make the scene rather interesting. Although the largest democracy is not necessarily a believer in a “practicing” democracy, it heats up the political atmosphere of the region and the world.
Since India has apparently been a rising power in the region, the party in power bears quite an importance in global forums.
But a democratic and secular India, so far an ideology painfully forwarded by the Congress party, is now tilting towards those who are strong believers of the communalism and dogmatism of Hindutva.
With the rise of regional parties over the last 60 years, India has witnessed a huge change in its political dynamics. The regional parties with strong local influence have been wielding influence over the centre. The once powerful Congress (still the only recognised party with a national character by far) has been forced for some decades to form an alliance government in the centre.
So, the political agenda of the nation is no more under Congress’ dictation. It has gone into the hands of small parties spread all over the country.
Moreover, Congress has been suffering from a leadership crisis since the death of Indira Gandhi in 1984. Rajiv could not pull off any major stunts and did not live long enough to further his plans. The biggest national party of the largest democracy had to turn to an Italian lady to help steer the party through the rough waters of Indian politics.
Don’t forget that Indian politics is dotted with veterans of all classes and strict traditionalists. They have secularists with stronger conviction than the hardcore Rama devotees. Sadhus and gurus also make considerable influential groups. And there’s the minority Muslim population who also play a very dominant role in deciding the Muslim ballots.
So it’s not an easy ride in this scenario. People like Kejriwal, Anna Hazare, and Mahadev sometimes emerge as stunts. But they soon melt out and remain as sideliners.
With Congress waning, the BJP stands upright. Its buoyant leadership now believes that Narendra Modi is the eventual candidate, and is the only choice for the Indians. But interestingly, Modi doesn’t enjoy the backing of many of his own colleagues in the party. Advani, the veteran who dreamt of being the prime minister all his life, could not digest that Modi had been chosen as the candidate for the BJP. And many have to say that Modi doesn’t even belong in the BJP in the first place. They say BJP is the horse on which Modi is riding to reach Delhi.
From the recent pre-poll counts, BJP appears to be the front-runner and still the most likely to win the majority in the Lok Sabha elections. If that happens, Modi could be ready to be the next prime minister of India.
Asserting himself as a strong believer of Hindutva, and promising to fulfil pledges to Hindus in particular bear an uncomfortable tone. Anyone who has been directly involved in the Gujarat massacre of Muslims, and a supporter of the Babri Mosque demolition should be looked upon with concern. His beliefs will be reflected in the party manifesto and the will spill into the national and international policy of India for the next five years if he becomes the prime minister.
Modi had to fight his way up. From a small background to the threshold of power, he had to cross many hurdles. Once ditched by the West, Modi now stands tall with hope and circumstances tilted in his favour.
With Modi at the centre, there will certainly be a huge change in Indian internal policies. There will be more political and social moves from the government than in the economic front. However, things won’t be as easy as they seem now. If Modi takes refuge in the smaller parties for a coalition government, then he might be a little restrained in taking unilateral decisions.
What do the neighbours stand to gain or lose in this transfer of power in India? Bangladesh never gained anything positive from the Congress-led government. We have been beset with problems from river water-sharing to border killings.
Maybe the Mujib-Indira days were looked upon as a symbol of friendship and sacrifice from both sides. But those times are long gone. Things have not improved; rather they have worsened the entire time that Congress was power. With a different party in the centre, we might expect some changes in their approach and we should look for better and more respectable treatment from India. It doesn’t really make any difference to Bangladesh if a secular or a communal party is in power in India, as long as we get a fair deal.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
