Fatal attraction: Blunders Congress-dominated alliance never learns from

The raging debate ignited by the DMK on Sanatana Dharma, and the INDIA bloc unanimously banning select TV anchors gives the BJP a sharp electoral edge to capitalise on for the forthcoming state and general elections. The Modi rulebook on ‘How to play to win national elections’ will surely weaponise the Sanathana Dharma controversy to the hilt so as to polarise on religious lines, considering that the BJP has built its core political constituency founded on Hindu Garv. For the BJP, Dharma is more than a faith. It is a binding force that has kept the nation together since centuries. The inflammatory utterances by the DMK’s Udhayanidhi Stalin on the Sanathan Dharma sound almost blasphemous, as reverberations of this was felt in the Hindi heartland, a factor that could singe the electoral prospects of alliance partners engaging with the issue, even those that espouse the cause of backward sections of society. This is what happens when politicians exploit theological issues. The second blunder of the dotted alliance of banning 14 of the most watched TV anchors who command highest TRPs on national prime time only elevates them to The Hall of Fame, giving the ruling party a chance to trumpet the Emergency era mindset of the alliance, through the youngest crop of voters were not born then. Statutory warning Whenever they have attacked the PM’s humble origins, based their campaign on the PM as being personally corrupt, critiqued Hindutva in any form, or hit out at India being a democracy in decline, or have decried Modi’s English speaking skills and social naïveté on the high table of international forums, they have done so at their own peril. This is because the Modi-Shah duo have perfected the art of combining four positive attributes into their electoral messaging which are based on religious fervour; nationalistic pride; are set to reap the dividends of delivering social welfare programs that have achieved near-saturation in delivery, and turning any personal assault into playing the victim card to their vantage. Rule number 1 for INDIA bloc not to stumble upon If there is one lesson the INDIA alliance refuses to learn from past mistakes, it is that attacking Modi personally is a no-brainer. The INDIA bloc, if it has to even minutely gain traction, must address issue-based criticism instead of personality-based slander. As Modi’s domestic ratings remain stable despite two consecutive terms, pointing towards pro-incumbency as of now, Modi 2.0 has arrived at the centre stage in setting the narrative on global discourse too. Modi-bashing for the forthcoming elections this time around becomes an even more formidable task for the opposition. Even before Modi coming centre stage prior to the run-up to the 2014 elections, the Lutyens brigade led by the Congress faltered by belittling the perceived ‘Outsider’ and making elitist jibes at the non-English speaking chaiwalla with his OBC credentials. Negative campaigns run by a dynastic party like the Congress, do not resonate with the aspirational, meritocratic youth of a New Bharat. India’s new power-elite defined by counter-snobbery of BJP’s Bharatiyata The Lutyens brigade that comprised the Congress-led UPA never tired of mocking at the BJPs top brass for their lack of Western etiquette and decrying them through class humiliation, little realising that the elite of New India today rejects any vestiges of colonial etiquette or ethos. Westernism has been passé since the advent of Modi in 2014, as a new elite has supplanted the old English speaking colonial ethos of the Nehru-Gandhi era. The new elite trashes old stereotypes of the Oxbridge educated aristocrats, and is characterised by the emergence of fluent Hindi- speaking politicians as a mark of counter snobbery…proud of raising a toast with nimbu pani even when Biden comes calling, proud of delivering speeches in Hindi even in international summits, proud of displaying their culinary heritage with serving vegetarian fare. Bharatiyata is now the signature style of a progressive nation, one that is rooted in its proud civilisational heritage, “as the arc of history now travels through the Global South.” Any prime opposition bloc will be dominated by the proxy diktats of Gandhi family The Opposition can accord itself with a different name each time, from a gathbandhan to a maha-gathbandan. But the dominating pan-India party within it remains the Congress, and it is the Gandhis who call the shots, even if Kharge as the Congress president is the proxy this time. The Gandhis’ diktat rules strategy making, whether it is the selective ban on journalists reminiscent of the suspension of civil liberties during Emergency and the stifling of popular dissent, or Kharge’s claim that “the BJP is tarnishing India’s modern, progressive and secular image….” If “tarnishing our secular image” is synonymous with selective appeasement of minorities as the INDIA bloc’s collective vote bank, my vote is for the BJP. If modernism is about emulation of the Lutyens elite, my vote is for the Modi-led Bharatiya culture. Post-script It is well within the preview of a practitioner of any faith to offer constructive criticism to dispense with anachronistic traits of a religion that does not serve the needs of 21st century practitioners, but to do so in parliamentary language. The DMK provoked a political slugfest over Sanatana Dharma that forms the bedrock of ancient Hindu tenets is near-blasphemy, as the flaws of the Hindu way of life are articulated in very derogatory language. When India nullified the triple Talaq as an anachronistic tradition through legislation, it was a reform towards gender justice. Similarly, it is a given that “weeds in every religion need excision”. The prevalence of the caste system and untouchability are primitive and medieval, in that they are discriminatory practices, even if permitted within the principles of Sanatana Dharma. These practices cannot have space to perpetuate, since Article 17 of the Constitution declared untouchability abolished. Just as civil and criminal laws need upgradation through dialogue and discussion, reform of certain religious practices too need to serve the needs of contemporary practitioners, a fact that was acknowledged by even Dr Ambedkar as the founder of the constitution. The author is ex-chairperson of the National Committee for Financial Inclusion and Literacy, Niti Aayog. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.