This moment of euphoria needs to be tempered with introspection. For this string of electoral success comes with more accountability, more responsibility and more expectations.
The decisive victory of the BJP over the AAP in the recently held elections in Delhi certainly calls for a celebration, especially since the BJP returns to power in Delhi after 27 long years. For the BJP, it has been a remarkable recovery; an astounding and partially surprising electoral run in state elections after what seemed like a setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. First it was a much- deserved victory in Odisha followed by a sensational come from behind win in Haryana. The massive sweep in Maharashtra was to follow and now we have the definitive victory in the nation’s capital. After a brief hesitancy last year, the Indian public has once again reposed its full faith in the BJP.
However, this moment of euphoria needs to be tempered with introspection. For this string of electoral success comes with more accountability, more responsibility and more expectations.
Can the BJP rise up to the challenge? How can the BJP circumvent the twin dangers of a hubris and complacency that can derail its path forward especially in the face of such heady success? Has the BJP learnt some lessons from last year’s setback so that it does not repeat them again? And can the BJP continually reform itself and keep its flock under check so that it remains acceptable to the Indian public?
These are the questions that the leadership must ponder over.
First the BJP must remember that it is not a mere political party. It is a part of a broader movement for the civilizational recovery of India; a new India with modern aspirations intertwined with the desire to reclaim its ancient heritage and its true identity.
The second millennium was a devastating period for the land that was called Bharatvarsha. A spiritually advanced, materially prosperous and religiously tolerant land fell prey to alien invasions that not only looted its wealth but systematically tried to destroy its civilization. These negativist forces did not fully succeed in what they attempted to do but inflicted enough damage to leave behind a truncated land with questionable moral values; values that continued to undermine our native identity while encouraging the forces of religious dominance under the guise of a warped liberal ideology.
Will Durant, the famous American historian in his book, The Story of Civilization, writes: It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex of order and freedom, culture and peace, can at any moment be overthrown by barbarians invading from without or multiplying within.
The threat to the idea of a truly pluralistic and religiously tolerant India still lurks in the background, waiting to raise its ugly head when the Indian polity exhibits weakness and becomes vulnerable. The BJP must realize that it needs to remain in power for a considerably longer period of time than what has passed to effect this change but within the framework of our democracy. The BJP must continually elevate its standards of governance and strengthen its moral fiber to meet the approval of the Indian public.
The decision to elect Rekha Gupta as the new CM of Delhi is a step in the right direction. She becomes only the second woman CM in the whole country, currently. This reinforces the BJP’s commitment to women’s empowerment, clean governance and younger leadership, which will go down well with the public.
Success can make one lose its way. Rot sets in very quickly and must be guarded against. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely so goes the saying. Complacency can set in. Moral standards may slip allowing the scourge of corruption to rise. So far, the Modi government has done an excellent job with regards to corruption. Not even a single corruption scandal of note at the central level comes to mind in the last 10 years. During the Congress tenure, major corruption scandals were a dime a dozen. However, at state levels there have been issues and this is what the BJP must keep in check.
The role of the BJP in future governance becomes all the more imperative in the absence of a credible opposition. The Opposition in India has become irrelevant or it would be more accurate to say that the Opposition has made itself irrelevant. A democracy benefits from constructive opposition. The current opposition is a motley set of disparate groups led by power hungry politicians or family fiefdoms trying to garner power for reasons other than national interest and public good—namely self-aggrandizement. In their ugly and despicable quest for power these parties have left no stone unturned and done everything to undermine the nation domestically and internationally. Internal issues have been highlighted on the international stage to undermine the credibility of the BJP government regardless of the negative impact on the nation’s image. On the home front every fault line—religious, social and class—has been stoked to create unwarranted unrest and instability. Distortion of the CAA and agricultural reforms must stand out as the mother of all deceptions. Two robust laws were targeted to create unnecessary controversies. The election commission and EVMs have been panned when the opposition lost miserably at the polls and the integrity of the Supreme Court has been questioned when verdicts did not fall in line with their ideological agenda. In short, this Opposition over the last 10 years has proved to be the greatest opponent of our democracy.
Lastly, the BJP must guard against self-goals. In this civilizational battle there is no place for even the slightest disunity among the fraternity—a deficiency that will be exploited by its adversaries and result in unfavourable outcomes as we saw in the Lok Sabha polls.
Prior to the LS elections, in an interview, J.P. Nadda, the BJP president remarked: “In the beginning, we would have been less capable, smaller and needed the RSS. Today, we have grown and we are capable. The BJP runs itself. That’s the difference.”
This was a nebulous statement that was open to different interpretations: a hint that there were differences among the Sangh Parivar and a suggestion that the BJP could do without the RSS. True or not it opened up a can of worms with a disastrous outcome and should have been avoided.
The grassroots workers are the eyes and ears on the ground. Greater cohesiveness between the leadership and the grassroots workers will yield greater dividends. There is a gathering impression that grassroots workers are being neglected. The BJP must consciously correct this deficiency.
It is important that the BJP sets its house in order to ensure a lengthy tenure in power which is vital to cement the destiny of India as a modern progressive and pluralistic society—all while retaining its ancient civilizational values