Page 11 - Tehelka Issue 13 - July 15, 2018

politics

innovative social engineering and party are willing to wait for Modi to deliver.
organization. The fourth is welfare, where the tangi-
ble things delivered will be bank accts,
Agrarian factor LPG’s, toilets as part of Swatch Bharat.
The biggest impact of the economy Power is what they will talk about next.
has perhaps been on the agriculture Earlier they had promised that they
policy including not raising the MSP will electrify 18000 villages now we
for the farmers leading to farmers dis- see Modi say that all households will be
tress which is a greater challenge to electrified by 2020.
this government than demonetization Integrity platform was a major
or GST. The rural voter is extremely point with Modi with which he always
unhappy with the government’s eco- thrashed UPA 2. In 2011 Kejriwal did him
of corruption’ he says. nomic policies. In 2004-05 when for is- great service by launching a movement
There has been a drop in the narra- sues like farmers suicide, rural distress, making them aware of cleanliness in
tive from the government in the past lot of farm loan wavers happened and politics. Even now there is a lot of faith
few months. Nirav Modi and related MNERGA came to alleviate it. The in the integrity and the intent of the PM
Bank scams have dented the govern- recent violent farmers agitation spoke which he will play with and package
ment’s image beyond repair as much as all about the deep angst in them that is all that he has done from demonetiza-
the GDP data, demonetization and its tion to GST to efforts to formalize the
adverse economic effects manifested economy as a part of this anti corrup-
over unhappiness over GST. Although Indian voter does tion movement.
it is too early to suggest that the mo- Shivam Vij of Washington Post says
ment of dominance is over, the BJP still not want to be ‘Inflation and inflation is the only thing
remains India’s hegemonic party. The seen voting for that matters in elections. An interesting
economic narrative will hurt the party. survey says that inflation is generally
Again, the Congress has not been the losing side. seen going up in the last 2 yrs of every
able to make an impact in its criticism govt. Modi’s economic policy has been
of the government. Moreover Indian And the BJP has to control inflation, the reason why
media has largely become the mouth so far managed GST was implemented in a hurry in the
piece of the govt. Also partly unlike middle of the financial year was to give
Congress, BJP knows how to use media. to successfully it time because GST is known to drive
But it’s also seen that when BJP meets a project itself as away inflation a bit and historic chang-
strong challenger like the earlier Nitish es were made for controlling inflation.
Kumar in Bihar and Arvind Kejriwal in the strongest Demonetization brought down infla-
2015 in Delhi, it does not appear invin- party in the fray tion because there was no economic
cible. As Nitish has committed political activity to raise inflation.’ Although its
suicide and AK in Delhi is struggling intuitive to speak of GST and demon-
hard to save his flock, RG and Congress turning the government now into dole etization in the same breath, but rightly
don’t look so bad with their consoli- mode with the eye on 2019. put, ‘Demo was bad economics, good
dation of all opposition parties to face politics but GST is good politics bad
the BJP giant in 2019. Gujarat and Kar- BJP’s action plan economics.’
nataka elections have turned RG into Modi is a deft hand at politics. Man Fri- Caste dynamics has been a major
a politician, although the vacuum of day Amit Shah has proved his mettle in factor in recent elections both in Kar-
strong qualitative opposition is more 2014 in UP, then in Tripura, Himachal, nataka and UP. Polarization not only
than palpable. Nagaland, Meghalaya. Political pandits of the Muslim votes and the dominant
Its believed that projecting the inevi- identify four issues. One nationalism, upper caste but lower castes votes too
tability of victory is half the battle won strong India, for which they will use were heavily managed. Perhaps its not
in Indian elections. Indian voter does surgical strike example, India’s strong a coincidence that the President of
not want to be seen as voting for the image internationally. Second Hindu India is a koli.
losing side, which is seen as a wasted consolidation that encompasses issue The whole caste thing boils down to
vote and BJP has successfully projected of cow protection which has descend- be a jobs issue the other way round. Po-
that. For BJP, winning elections is like an ed into outright crime, then Ayodhya litical analyst Prashant Jha says, ‘Jobs re-
automatic process, depends on manag- temple issue depending on the SC ver- ally won’t be a major issue unless Modi
ing people, on manipulation, on keep- dict, all of it in the heartland, third will does something that provokes people.
ing the opposition weak, more about be a clean government where people Jobs do affect voter behavior and lack of

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