U-turn sarkaar: Congress looks to get its groove back, accuses BJP of stealing UPA policies

New Delhi: After struggling in its role as an opposition party in Parliament, the Congress finally tried to get into the groove on Monday when it dissected the performance of the six-month old Modi government and slammed it of constantly taking U-turns on issues.

In a way, history was being replayed. In 1999, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee became prime minister, his regime earned the dubious distinction of being a “roll back” government because of the innumerable reversals on policy decisions, often at the behest of the RSS which once in a fit of anger labeled the then “arth mantri” or finance minister as “anarth mantri” (disaster minister).

Fifteen years later and six months after Narendra Modi entered South Bloc, the Congress has accused his government of somersaulting on issues. “If the earlier government was known as a rollback government, this government will be remembered as a U-turn government,” charged Ajay Maken, Congress general secretary and communications department chairman. It was a sign that the badly mauled party was finally beginning to stir into action.

Transfixed into inaction by the Congress’ humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha polls which denied it even the status of the official Opposition, Amethi MP and vice president Rahul Gandhi had tried to underline the party’s primacy in Parliament by raising decibels and issues like price rise in the newly constituted House. It did not go down well with the people that the party which was punished for malgovernance was rushing to attack a government which had not even settled down in office.

The Congress hastily reworked its strategy and decided to wait for six months to see whether the Modi government lives up to its promises and expectations of the people.

On Monday after Modi completed 180 days in office, the Congress launched a multi-pronged missile in the form of a booklet to accuse the government of taking a U-turn on as many as 25 issues at an average of roughly one every week.

Barring the poor imitation, grammar and pun on the BJP’s slogan of “Abki baar, Modi Sarkar,” the Hinglish-titled “6 Maheene Paar U TURN SARKAR” is an assiduous compilation of the contradictions in the pre-and post-elections statements and promises of Modi and other leaders on issues ranging from black money to incursions and Delhi elections.

“The Modi model of governance stands out for three shameful characteristics – U-turn on promises, mere renaming and plagiarizing of UPA’s programmes and decisions that involve selling out public/national interests for the benefit of friendly industrial and corporate houses….It is nothing but a U-turn sarkar, a nakkal sarkar and a udyogpation ki sarkar,” said the 30-page booklet released by Maken.

The booklet sourced, dated and juxtaposed the pre-election promises and remarks of Modi and other BJP leaders with their statements and actions when in government to add sharpness to the Congress charge that saffron brigade had been misleading the public and deliberately obstructing Parliament when the UPA was in power.

Maken alleged that BJP has reneged on its promise on black money, clean politics and minimum government - maximum governance, flip-flopped on China and Pakistan, revisited its stand on the insurance bill, nuclear liability and Indo-Bangladesh land boundary agreement and taken a somersault on its earlier demand of releasing the Henderson Brooks report on 1962 Indo-China war or the papers relating to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s disappearance. It has also changed its stand on issues like rail fares, remunerative prices for farmers, diesel deregulation, corruption, Lokpal, subsidy on LPG cylinders, keeping out the tainted from the government, the validity of CAG reports vis-a-vis allegations against politicians or building alliances with separatists in Kashmir.

The booklet accused Modi of plagiarizing and stealing ideas including “Make in India” (which was the UPA’s manufacturing policy), Jan Dhan Yojana (UPA’s Swabhimaan for financial inclusion) and Swachh Bharat (UPA’s Bharat Nirman), of appropriating credit for the launch of Mangalayam or missiles, warships and rail tracks which had been the UPA’s achievements and renamed existing schemes like the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana as the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gramin Jyoti Yojana.

It also lashed out the new government for “acting hyperactive in giving favours to its corporate friends who funding Shri Modi’s campaign……in complete disregard of environmental, fiscal and ethical norms and without due diligence. National resources as indeed the nation itself is being held hostage in the name of reforms that will supposedly fuel growth and employment”, the booklet said, without naming the corporates.

In going for the BJP’s jugular, the party tried to emulate the BJP’s choice for alliterations and rhymes but came out as a poor copy. “As a responsible opposition it is our duty to bring forth to the people the Mansa, Vachana and Karma of this government,” it said. Try and make sense of that when the party was probably trying to highlight the contradictions between the intent, promises and actions of the new regime.

Attack serves three objectives

On the face of it, the attack seems to be serving three immediate objectives. One, it helps the Congress get out of its stupor; two, it enables it to project itself as the main opposition even if does not have the status of leader of opposition in the Lower House. Three, and perhaps most importantly for the party, the attack appears to have hit home – with the BJP struggling to put up an effective defence.

Indeed, the saffron party fielded one of its senior leaders M Venkaiah Naidu, who is also Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development, to debunk the Congress’ charge. “If something is good for the nation, it cannot be called a U-turn,” he said, adding that the new government has taken over and is trying “to do something” for the country.

But there was no point-by-point rebuttal. Instead, Naidu advised the Congress to “check on our manifesto and not go by who said what”. And playing on the adage that offense is the best form of defence, he lashed out at the grand old party which has ruled for the better part of post-Independence India. “They have ruled for over 50 years and they are raising questions about our performance of six months,” he said taking a swipe at the “confused and panicky Congress” which is trying to “prove its relevance” by attacking the BJP. “You may bring any booklet… but you will not return (to power),” he said sarcastically.

His dismissive comments notwithstanding, BJP leaders would now be wary of speaking irresponsibly or out of turn on issues that can be used against it.

But the immediate question before the Congress is not whether it will come to power five years hence or not but whether it will be able to sustain and complement the effort it has put in preparing the document with ground level action to take on a determined and aggressive BJP which poses an existential threat to the 129-year old party by replacing it as the sole dominant pole of Indian politics across the country much like the Congress was for decades.

The fightback involves a long and tortuous haul.

The 44–member Congress now hopes to make a beginning by establishing itself as “responsible” and vigilant opposition and distinguishing itself from its immediate rivals for the opposition role in the House – the 37 member AIADMK and the 34-member Trinamool Congress. It hopes to do so by putting the Modi government in the dock both in Parliament and outside on each of the 25 issues—with perhaps more to be added to the list in future.

One sign of this has been the move by other parties to procure and study the Congress’ booklet and use it as their own ammunition in their states. The Trinamool, which is already at daggers drawn with the Modi regime, for one is likely to fortify this list with its own set of issues, including that of the political use of the CBI and other Central agencies against it be it in relation to the Saradha scam or the Burdwan blast.

Besides trying to put the Modi government on the mat on these issues in Parliament, the Congress also hopes to use the book to energise its workers. It may not be in the league of Mao’s Little Red Book, but the red and black booklet that indicts the BJP for misleading people with false promises in order to capture power is being sent across to all state, district and block units of the party to provide its grass root workers with talking points against the Centre and help them get out of their depression over the party’s inability to stop the Modi juggernaut. After capturing power at the Centre, Modi helped the BJP win Haryana and Maharashtra and is now eyeing Jharkhand and even J&K where it played down its call for abrogating article 370 of the Constitution to enhance its appeal.

Since the Lok Sabha debacle in May, Congress workers have been looking helplessly for guidance from the top leadership to little avail. There have no doubt been sporadic attempts at activating the cadres like holding a mahila convention and recently an international conference on Nehru to counter Modi’s move to usurp him as the government’s icon. There is now talk of Rahul holding a one-day conclave of Youth Congress leaders later this week. There are also reports of him interacting with senior leaders in recent weeks to chalk out a plan of action to revive the organisation which has to choose its president as Sonia Gandhi has completed her five year term. And now there is his booklet intended to motivate the workers to take on the saffron brigade.

But to fight back the party needs to do much much more.