If the BJP performs well in the Karnataka assembly polls, voting for which will be held on Wednesday, credit will go to its huge cadre base. According to one report, during the month long campaign, the party held as many as 9125 rallies and 1377 roadshows. That is a solid number and cannot just become possible merely by spending money – the necessary foot soldiers are needed. Not only do they work at the grassroots, they also provide the necessary feedback to the party bosses so that appropriate strategy can be formulated.
Such a dedicated cadre is only possible if a party has a clear-cut ideology and is not just a group of persons wanting to grab power for personal benefit. This also needs to be updated and articulated by the leadership in an evolving fashion, not just left to gather dust on bookshelves in party offices. So, while it can become radical at the fringes, ideology must resonate with the values of the mainstream. Of all the national level parties, the BJP has done this well over the past decades, while the Congress and the Communists have failed to keep up with the times.
This is what continuously impacts the fortunes of the ‘main’ opposition party, the Congress. Mahatma Gandhi had no problems with building on Hindu belief as a means to motivate the masses, be it for political objectives or social reform. Unfortunately, the party began to borrow concepts from the Left that it neither fully understood nor could effectively implement. In fact, the entire civilisational thrust of India goes against such a narrow and conflicting worldview. Even at the present, every time its leaders hark back to that terminology, they end up with egg on their faces. Sonia Gandhi’s latest uncategorised use of the word ‘sovereignty’ is a case in point.
As such, the Congress can only hope to benefit from anti-incumbency against the BJP in Karnataka, as well as in the not so distant Lok Sabha polls. Even if there is an issue, it lacks the required cadre on the ground to push home any advantage. The lack of ideological motivation among the followers beyond loyalty to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty fails to make the required impact. The ongoing tussle in Rajasthan between Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot reveals how the ideological glue is wanting. This is why ‘Operation Lotus’ blooms so successfully in so many places.
