A few points to consider as the UPA Part 2 completes one year in power. They actually did not win last year. The BJP and its allies lost. Make no mistake about that. Had the opposition party been strong and in some degree of good health, am quite certain Sonia’s government would have been shown the door by the voters. This was the situation last year: Terror on the rise, Naxal activities on the rise, prices on the rise, corruption on the rise, and rank bad governance by the Congress-led state governments (particularly in Maharashtra, which has been the most shoddily ruled state of all times). And things continue to be in limbo.
Sadly, the BJP was in tatters. Horrible leadership. Juvenile election tricks. Divisive agendas. Rabid infighting. Confused ideology. Uncharismatic netas. Whatever the Indian voter might be, one thing she is not: stupid. No one in their right minds would vote for such a messed-up party. To compound matters for the BJP, even its allies were either busy defecting or were in shambles themselves. (The Shiv Sena, for example, has been on the path of self-destruction for some time now. And is on its last leg.)
Ergo, we voted the UPA back in only because of the curse of TINA (no, not the Ambani bahu). There Was No Alternative. And what’s worse is that a year down the line the BJP is still confused about its ideology, there is no clear leadership, and their new portly leader, Shri Gadkari, is going from one goof up to another. From one perplexing statement to another. Already, there’s news of power struggle amongst the younger BJP leaders.
And the Congress leaders know all this. Damn well. They know they have no competition. They know their best bet is to do nothing. That itself will ensure they keep getting re-elected. Anyone who watched the PM’s presser (and managed to stay awake) can figure Dr Singh is basically chilling, warming the kursi for the Gandhi scion.
Which brings me to the point: I feel sad that the BJP is on life-support. Mind you, I have no love lost for that party, and I singularly hold Advani responsible for all the riots and terror of the last two decades… that man has been a shraap on this nation. But equally, it’s critical that this nation has a powerful opposition, so that the Congress and its allies don’t take a billion Indians for granted. Only a threatening opposition will force the government to take risky decisions, to do SOME work. To cut corruption, and come out with fresh solutions to the many problems we face. And just for that, I wish the BJP well. I wish they get their act together. Else, we can be sure of another decade of non-action and mis-rule.
Think of those days when there was only one phone supplier. Only one scooter maker. Only one car maker. Only one airline. We consumers used to be treated like dirt, spoken to rudely, and taken for granted. While the nation has moved on from there in leaps and bounds, as for politics, we find ourselves in the same monopolistic situation. Sad.
Get well soon, BJP. You owe it to the nation.
