There seemed to be an air of inevitability as the co-author met scribes and locals in Shimla, Bilaspur and other places in Himachal Pradesh on 25 and 26 February. Even those who voted for the Congress in the November- December 2022 Assembly elections, were very clear: they are livid with the top leadership of the Congress over its stand on the Ram Lalla consecration ceremony. They expected an upheaval during the Rajya Sabha elections due on 27 February. Less than two weeks prior to that, the co-author was in Ayodhya, Amethi and Rae Bareli on 14 and 15 February.
The narrative was the same. To that extent, the authors are not surprised when the BJP dealt a hammer blow to the Congress in Himachal (the Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost to the BJP) and to its INDI ally SP in Uttar Pradesh in the polls for Rajya Sabha. There will be much hand wringing and more pious platitudes about the loss of morals, ethics and principles in this power grab.
The authors have nothing to add to that discourse. But talking about the manner in which the BJP is treating its rivals and opponents, both were reminded of the Australian cricket team led by Steve Waugh. Here is how the great author and columnist Simon Barnes described the strategy of captain Steve Waugh as he relentlessly pursued the “mental disintegration” of opponents: “Steve Waugh’s cricketing warfare has never been a matter of hatred, jingoism and senseless aggression, any more than a matter of chivalry, romance and the search for personal glory.
No. Waugh’s wars have been about the most efficient possible means of despatching the enemy. They are about a clear understanding of the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses, and an equally uncluttered understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his own side.”
When the Waugh-led Australian team reigned supreme about 25 years ago, rival teams were never shown any mercy. It wasn’t enough to win a cricket match. The idea was to pulverise your opponent, bring him down to his knees and keep inflicting psychological blow after blow. Many old-time “purists” of the genteel game of cricket slammed the Australian cricket team for its “needlessly” ruthless, aggressive and war like approach.
The team couldn’t care less and proceeded with the “mental disintegration” of rivals. Do you not see a striking resemblance between the manner in which the BJP approaches politics and elections and the manner in which that Australian team approached cricket and a series? It can be described as unrestricted warfare where it is blasphemy to even think of giving an inch to your rival.
For the BJP for some years, it has not been about just winning elections. It has won many and also lost quite a few since the arrival of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah at the national stage in 2014. The “new” BJP that aims to build a “new” India is not satisfied with mere electoral victories. It relentlessly pursues the “mental disintegration” of rivals and opponents.
Many had scoffed at or slammed Narendra Modi when he had announced about 10 years ago that he dreams of a Congress “Mukt” Bharat. Yet, almost every strategy, tactics and action of the BJP since then has been targeted at realising that dream. The plan is crystal clear: don’t use win, but trample your rival and then rub it in. In this kind of unrestricted political warfare, there is no place for good old-fashioned principles or space for any semblance of compassion.
That is for sore losers. You may detest this “amoral” approach to politics. You may scream in protest. You may write copious torrents of outraged op-eds decrying this behaviour. But like the Australian cricket team of that era, this BJP couldn’t care less. The authors will cite three recent examples to show the ruthlessness of the BJP.
First, it welcomed former Congress Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ashok Chavan (accused of a housing scam) to its fold. Then it opened its doors for the lone Congress Lok Sabha MP from Jharkhand, Geeta Koda (whose husband Madhu Koda has spent a few years behind bars convicted for corruption). And then, Samajwadi Party MLAs Rakesh Pratap Singh and Abhay Singh suddenly “listened” to their conscience, invoked their devotion to Lord Ram and cross voted for the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections.
More than the SP, the Congress needs to be worried about this. Both the MLAs are from the Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies and wield considerable influence there. In 2019, Smriti Irani had already smashed the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty citadel Amethi by defeating Rahul Gandhi and winning close to a 50% vote share. This time around, an ailing Sonia Gandhi has already entered the Rajya Sabha via Rajasthan and won’t be contesting from Rae Bareli. The BJP wants to demolish even this citadel.
This indeed is unrestricted political warfare where no prisoners are taken. The BJP knows that a Congress Mukt Bharat will remain an elusive dream. But the psychological damage and trauma inflicted on the Grand Old Party is ensuring it stands virtually no chance when it squares up against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
What about the Congress? If the BJP symbolises the Australian cricket team of that era, the Congress symbolises the contemporary West Indies cricket team. The authors are old enough to remember watching the likes of Malcom Marshall and Vivian Richards annihilate rival teams when the West Indies cricket team reigned supreme. Interestingly, the supremacy of the West Indies cricket team coincided with the supremacy of the Congress led by Indira and then Rajiv Gandhi in the 1970s and 1980s.
But that era is permanently gone. It has become habitual for Congress leaders and supporters to invoke that era and claim that the Congress will regain and reclaim the old glory days. Just recently, the West Indies won a test match against Australia after a gap of 27 years in Brisbane at the famous Gabba cricket ground. The entire cricketing world indulged in nostalgia when that happened.
It is quite possible that the Congress too will shock the BJP in some election now and then. But then, that cannot hide the reality that the contemporary Congress is akin to the contemporary West Indies cricket team. Everything in the world moves in cycles of growth and decline. Who knows, in some form or other, the Congress might see another transition from decline to growth. But at the moment, that looks like a distant possibility as the BJP rampages ahead. In cricketing jargon, the Congress at the moment looks “retired hurt” while the BJP moves towards another triple century.
Yashwant Deshmukh is Founder & Editor in Chief of CVoter Foundation and Sutanu Guru is Executive Director.