So it has begun. The BJP’s fantastic showing in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, it’s growth in both Telangana and Mizoram has triggered a sore Congress and “liberal” pretenders in its ecosystem to heap scorn on the unsuspecting voter.
A close Rahul Gandhi aide and prominent Congress party member lit the spark by dog whistling against North Indian voters. His tweet implied that Southern voters were more sophisticated than their allegedly boorish northern counterparts.
As if on cue the “ecosystem” chimed in. Here’s a sample: “I know correlation isn’t causality, but the states that have lower literacy, lower female literacy, lower female labour force participation, higher use of Hindi, higher population, higher fertility and lower tolerance of meat-eating, seem to prefer voting for BJP.” This bilge that masquerades as analysis oozed out of an author and journalist with a magazine with a known anti-Modi slant.
Another cantankerous inverted pyramid of journalistic piffle who is accused of accepting Chinese patronage was not far behind in expressing his contempt for “Cow-belt’s Hindutva drunk voters”.
These are of course just two examples among hundreds of obnoxious labels heaped on “North Indians” over the last two days.
Sadly this isn’t the first time that Hindi-belt voters have been villainised for voting the BJP.
A few months ago, senior Congress leader and trusted Gandhi acolyte Randeep Singh Surjewala broke a cardinal rule of democratic politics: never attack the voter.
Randeep Singh Surjewala, bless him, did just this when he had a go at BJP voters for backing the Modi led NDA over these last 9 years.
“The people of BJP and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP)”, he said dismissively, “are ‘raakshas’ and those who vote for the party and support them are ‘raakshas’ too.”
Rakshasas in Hindu mythology, even a child knows, are cast as deplorable creatures, unwilling to play by the rules of ethical and civilized behaviour.
But can that be summarily said about the NDA’s voters? A shade under 45% of all eligible 650 million voters re-elected Narendra Modi in 2019. These included record numbers of marginalised tribals, Maha Dalits and the indigent. What’s more they weren’t confined to just the Hind-heartland.
The BJP has 8 MLAs in Telangana. Almost as many votes in Andhra as the Congress. 25 MPs in Karnataka and scores of MLAs too. It has 4 MLAs in Tamil Nadu and similar vote shares as the Congress. In Puducherry it has built a base with almost 14% of the vote. In the Northeast too the BJP is a force. It has governments in Assam and Tripura and allies in other states with who it shares power. In Christian majority Mizoram it won two seats in the latest round of assembly polls. In Bengal, In Odissa and in the West the BJP has a rapidly growing footprint.
Millions of BJP voters believe the things that will make India progress are simple: Belief in Hindu dharmic values, patriotism, egalitarianism and an empowering welfarism, not to mention Constitutionality, and an atmanirbhar security apparatus.
But if the Congress and its mouthpieces are to be believed, then subscribing to these wholesome values makes the BJP voters “demonic and bigoted”.
The wholesale character assassination, the shaming and labelling of voters of the other side by mainstream politicians is not just confined to India. In the United States of America for instance at least two presidential candidates have done it – Mitch Romney’s “47%’’ dig and Hillary Clinton’s ‘’basket of deplorables’’ jibe – only to be punished by voters.
But voter sledging is a recent trend in Indian politics. It breaks the consensus among Indian political parties who have till recently taken pride in edifying India’s voters. Politicians could be Machiavellian or worse but not the voting public. The notion was immortalised on silver screen – in the ultimate tribute to them – when Rajesh Khanna proclaimed “Janta sab janti hai” or “the public knows everything”.
That the Congress and its allies have allowed this tirade free reign is a serious omission. The hateful slander directed at voters exposes a disturbing undemocratic impulse.
Is the Opposition that pitches itself as the “alternative” happy to renounce the maxim: that once elected, governance is about serving “all of the people, all of the time.”?
Rather than insulting the BJP voter with offensive appelations like “Raakshas”, “chotiwalah Raakshas”, “andh-bhakt”, “Sanghi” and even the particularly odious “Musanghi” elements in the Opposition, especially, India’s grand old party, could objectively ask themselves why voters across class and caste segments have gravitated towards the BJP in increasing numbers in 2019.
If they do an honest audit, they might yet chance upon a telling reason (and by no means the only one). In a span of just 5 years the BJP managed to directly reach crores of marginalised Indians (irrespective of region, caste or creed) by announcing targeted welfare schemes using digital technology cutting out the middleman.
In 2013-2014, under the UPA nearly 11 crore beneficiaries received Rs 7,367 crores directly into their bank accounts under 28 schemes. In sharp contrast, by 2018-2019 under the NDA nearly 76.3 crores beneficiaries received more than 2 lack crores in their bank accounts and over 1 lakh crore in kind under 434 schemes.
These ‘labaarthees’ aren’t hanging onto the BJP only because they have been mainlined, as the Opposition says, the “opium of hate” but because increasingly their basic needs are being met like never before.
The Opposition has six months or less to convince voters that they too can excel in ensuring “sabka saath, sabka vikaas and sabka vishwas.”
A good place to start may be by first respecting the mandate of the people – all people, equally.
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