AvantGarde

Economy is not doing well. The situation is gloomier than what our politicians will think. And India, UPA (United Progressive Alliance) in particular, has experienced it the hard way. Our nation has been going through rough waters and this time there have been more hiccups than before. Some of the renowned economists have gone to the extent of comparing the present situation to that of 1991 crisis. But the reality is not that bitter. At least a highly optimistic person like me would like to think so. Here I’m not going to talk about what happened back in 1991 or the opportunities missed by UPA-II. Rather I’ll be focusing on the opportunities that are there right now and since there are Lok Sabha polls scheduled for next year, so I’m going to talk about what could possibly be the strategy of Bhartiya Janta Party (I believe we’ve let UPA inflict enough pain to us in last 9 years) to come out victorious and then take the nation forward from there.

An established platform for BJP

Law and order especially the safety for women has worsened in UPA regime. The entire world noticed a nationwide protest after the Delhi rape case. In UPA, the nation has a ruling party which doesn’t like to run by logic. The strange commitments like gifting INR 1001/- to babies born on the birth anniversary of Shri Rajiv Gandhi by Vadodara District Congress Committee are unjustifiable. UPA’s claims of reducing poverty from 37.2 per cent in 2004 to 21.9 per cent in 2011-12 was a tough pill to swallow considering that the criteria to decide threshold for poverty line itself defies logic. All the measures till date to revive falling rupee have failed and the nation is heading towards a bigger mess. The entire nation has been boasting about the young generation at our disposal, but the challenge is to utilize these resources by generating employment opportunities. A number of corruption scams involving politicians have surfaced. The reason behind the reluctance of UPA in investigating them and bringing the culprits to book is anybody’s guess.

Effective leadership

The best thing that BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party) has done is to declare Mr. Narendra Modi as new head of the BJP Campaign committee for upcoming 2014 LS elections. This move has succeeded in bringing almost all the party workers together. This has acted as a solace for a party which has always been accused of infighting. There was an exception under Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the nation has started to see another capable leader in Mr. Modi who has proved his mettle thrice in Gujarat. Mr. Modi will be expected to emulate the Gujarat model in the entire country. Here we have a person who can speak his mind on the critical issues that the nation faces, a strong contrast to the UPA scion Mr. Rahul Gandhi, who was once projected by the UPA as its candidate for the post of PM for next polls, but the bitter experience of UP legislative assembly polls has made UPA to back off on its decision. More than 50% of Indian population is under-25 years of age and there would be a flurry of new voters who hardly care about past reputation and rather want results which UPA don’t have to show off. Mr. Modi, from the very first day of his campaigning, has made it clear to party workers to focus on these voters by reaching out to them through various social media like Facebook.

Uttar Pradesh factor

Not many would know that UP (Uttar Pradesh), the largest state in terms of area, has as many as 80 Lok Sabha seats. So going by the logic, if BJP can do an encore of 1998 when it won 57 seats, rest assured journey to Delhi would be a cakewalk. Increase in crime in UP and widespread protest for cases like Ms. Durga Shakti’s suspension give us reasons to believe that.

Threats

Muslims (the largest minority) and the poor hold the key to UPA’s fortunes. They have realized it big time and that is why one can see bills like Food Security Bill and Direct Cash Transfer being implemented at a rapid pace. Also, NDA (National Democratic Alliance) has split with the elevation of Mr. Modi. Even though BJP is very optimistic about achieving its ‘Mission 272+’, doing it alone without the support of allies will take some beating.

Every now and then Mr. Modi’s name is linked to 2002 Gujarat riots and he is portrayed as anti-Muslim. But so far, he has done exceptionally well in keeping his image intact. The trend is also changing as was evident from Gujarat polls. In spite of not fielding a single Muslim candidate, the BJP managed 12 out of the 19 seats which had Muslim voters as the determining factor in Gujarat. Muslims in Gujarat have shown faith in Mr. Modi’s development model. There is no reason why Muslims all over India won’t do that.
Fortune favors brave. India’s most popular politician is an effective administrator with a rare talent of turning adversity into opportunity. Online polls have shown Mr. Modi as the most followed leader among the Indian population. But BJP will need to guard against complacency and focus on continuing to do the ground work of reaching out to the youth for there is still some time left before the race ends next year.

References –
(1)http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Gujarat/Congress-to-give-Rs-1-001-to-babies-born-on-late-PM-s-anniversary/Article1-1110351.aspx

(2)http://www.firstpost.com/politics/2013-is-not-1991-but-it-feels-much-worse-and-matters-more-1046107.html

(3)http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-07-27/india/40832953_1_poverty-line-poverty-criteria-digvijaya-singh

(4)http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2396682/Advani-backs-NaMos-youth-formula-BJP-poll-strategist-tells-party-focus-young-voters-win-272-seats.html

Varun Sharma
MBA Batch 2013-15