Congress sheds inhibitions imposed on it by the advent of Narendra Modi
NEW DELHI: In the design and content of promises made to the people for the 2019 elections, Congress shed the many inhibitions that were imposed on it by the advent of the polarising figure of Narendra Modi who also successfully positioned himself as a “strong leader”. The Congress manifesto is replete with promises of new laws (like anti-hate), repeal/withdrawal of others (sedition and citizenship bill) or amendment to AFSPA.
Falling under the saffron rubric of “nationalism”, these promises lend themselves to criticism by the BJP that, after five years in power, has hit the campaign trail on the sole plank of “hyper nationalism”. If Congress has gone ahead nevertheless, three factors appear to have egged on the party to demonstrate confidence, with the nature of Rahul Gandhi’s leadership being the prime catalyst.
It finally seems the arrival of Congress (Rahul). Firstly, Rahul Gandhi’s temple runs have proven effective in blunting the effectiveness of the BJP’s bid to paint Congress as “pro-minority”. Also, repeated votes since Gujarat elections in December 2017 have shown that concerns over rural distress and jobs trump other considerations at the hustings.
The Congress victory in three BJP-ruled states last December, despite aggressive campaigning by Narendra Modi further encouraged the belief. At the core of it has been Rahul’s personal belief that party creating its own agenda, irrespective of the rival’s counter move, was crucial. After all, he defied colleagues and allies to mount the Rafale offensive against Modi and stuck to it, leading to a situation that the row gained a life of its own. Since then, colleagues and allies have happily followed his cue. Confusion did creep in, in the party ranks in the immediate wake of the Balakot air strikes. But Rahul constantly nudged the party to stay the course.
For many, the best evidence of Congress’s clarity comes from the omission of any reference to “cow protection” which was exaggeratedly pronounced in the three assembly polls that Congress won in December. In that context, the Lok Sabha manifesto demonstrates the post-December confidence that it does not require a defensive shield to BJP’s cow politics. But it is not all aggression. There appears a method in it too. Congress seems to believe that BJP cannot campaign against its promise of amendment to AFSPA or withdrawal of citizenship amendment bill, despite its natural inclination, because they have a strong resonance in the crucial north-east region.
The willingness to move on AFSPA also indicates the revival of approach which existed in the UPA regime but could not reach the stage of fruition because of in-house resistance. Also, if a new law to punish “hate crimes” has been pledged under the sub-head of “religious minorities”, there is no mention of cowlynchings which is the obvious trigger for the promise. It seems a cautious bid to avoid giving a political handle to the Hindutva rivals.
