There is no doubt that the formation of the INDI Alliance has increased the confidence level of the Congress Party. This follows upon its successes in the Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh state elections. As a consequence, it has begun to craft a strategy that has components of what seems to have worked in bringing about these successes. The indications of what direction this is taking can be seen in decisions like appointing Randeep Singh Surjewala as party official in charge of Madhya Pradesh, a state headed for elections in the near future. This is a clear endorsement of what he said a few days earlier about BJP voters being ‘rakshasas’. Similarly, the Congress government in Karnataka has decided to stop providing funds to Hindu temples for renovations. More such vindictive targeting of the BJP’s Hindu vote base is taking place in most opposition ruled states.
It can be assumed that, wherever the Congress manages to win elections, the policy will be considered a success and this section of society will be ‘punished’ for its beliefs. The old definition of ‘secularism’ will be implemented with added vigour, primarily through the appeasement culture. The primary reason for this confidence lies in the expectation of caste divisions playing in the coalition’s favour with parties like RJD and SP in its fold. The BJP’s loss in Karnataka is being attributed not so much to poor governance, but in its failure to balance the caste equations.
Every component of the alliance has expertise in such vote management. The hope is that, if aggregated, it will be able to break through the BJP’s bastions. Voters, particularly of the increasingly influential middle class, will be required to identify as anything other than Hindu. This is a further refinement of the Left’s narrative of ‘Brahmin Patriarchy’. It can be easily predicted that, when it is time for the Lok Sabha elections, foreign backing will also be obtained through ‘toolkits’ of various kinds.
The BJP will be surely aware of the emerging challenge, but is it adopting smart enough policies as a counter? Maybe, but going by the manner in which fringe and radical ‘Hindu’ groups continue to embarrass it on a daily basis, the message has not percolated to the ranks. It will be hoping that the natural contradictions emerge early in the INDI Alliance, so that each of its components can be picked off separately.
