Elections 09: Devious Divisions II

Elections 09: Devious Divisions, Part I

The Left`s propensity to ignore illegal migration from Bangladesh in West Bengal is well known and does not need any stress.  The leading votaries of caste politics were RJD`s Laloo Prasad Yadav and LJP`s Ram Vilas Paswan with JD`s Nitish Kumar competing fiercely and winning!  BSP`s Mayawati (under the guise of `social engineering`) and SP`s Mulayam Singh Yadav were leaders in widening the religious and caste disparities.

The BJP continued its strategy of minority bashing through its proxies, particularly in Orissa and Karnataka.  It appears that the BJP needs a `trigger` e.g. Godhra train burning by Muslims or the killing of a Swami in Orissa, to run amok against the minorities.  BJP unduly converted the Ram Setu and Amarnath shrine issues into religious ones.  The affidavit of the UPA government denying the existence of Lord Ram helped both the UPA and NDA.  The DMK patriarch even said, "Who is this Ram? Which engineering college did he graduate from?"
UPA constituents did not denounce the crude and unsavoury remarks of Karunanidhi.

Pranab the pointsman

The common voter faced an acute crisis of identity and was eagerly looking for a party that would provide him or her, an identity while fulfilling fundamental necessities of life (called `development` by most!), which do not exist even after 62 years of independence.

The voter was not looking for corruption, security or foreign relations.  Consider a few events on the eve of polling: Letting off Quatrochhi,  siphoning of US$ 120 million in the Indo-Israeli missile deal, bare minimum cooperation from Pakistan on 26/11 investigation,  and the Chinese success in encircling India with increased influence in Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Religion and caste were uppermost in the voters` minds followed by `development`, that is, the fundamental necessities for sustenance; e.g. drinking water, electricity, sanitation and mobility (public transport).

The media reflected the editorial policy.  The media based its assessments not only on the prejudices that they have carried all along but also on 2004 results.  For instance, everyone took it for granted that the Left would again be the fulcrum on which the next government would revolve.

Every one criticised Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, National Old Age Pension Scheme, National Maternity Benefit Scheme, Mid-Day Meal and Integrated Children Development Scheme, etc.  The ire was that not even 10 paisa out of the Rupee reached the target group.

Surprisingly, none saw Mamata Bannerjee`s `strike` at `development` (read Nano) overtaking the Left
vote-bank of Bangladeshi illegal migrants.  The voters did not take kindly to Karat`s "pursuit of the Third Front chimera, whose defining feature was that all its non-Left constituents had once been the BJP`s allies"
Vote-bank secularism did matter after all,  but none saw it!

Mamata Banerjee - WB's stormy petrel returns to cabinet

Nitish won the mandate quietly, diligently and systematically.  Traditionally, the post-Mandal politics of Bihar favoured the more powerful OBCs like Yadavs and Kurmis, who get reservation under the `Annexure II` category.  However, 108 smaller caste groups get reservation under the `Annexure I` category.  Kumar forged this bloc known as `lower backwards`.

Gandhis` moment of content

The media had gone agog criticising everyone including the Indian Navy for failing not only to prevent the 26/11 attack but also disapproving of the response.  There was an outcry against the National Security Advisor Narayanan for his lacklustre response (he did not abandon his dinner appointment even after hearing of the attack), there were TV flashes of Maharashtra Chief Minister Deshmukh visiting the Taj Hotel with his actor-son and a film director.  The Crisis Management Group was not in continuous session once there was confirmation about the terrorist attack.

Everyone played up Modi`s achievement in the `development` of Gujarat.  The media did not condemn the state machinery when the MNS went on the rampage in Mumbai, Pune and Nashik.

The media played down the rank communal statement of Omar Abdullah in Parliament at the time of the vote on the nuclear deal with the US and the effect that it would have on the Muslim voter, "I am a Muslim first and I am an Indian and I see no difference in the two.  ...In the case of the Amarnath Shrine Board land lease, it was the question of our land and we will not part with our land".

If a non-Muslim had made a statement on the lines of Omar Abdullah`s, there would have been an outcry branding the person `communal` and anti-national!

Young faces of Lok Sabha

After the election results, the media is highlighting the fact that Modi has actually lost the vote share by 3.5 % in Gujarat!  The print media now says, "Left-goaded policies paid UPA rich dividends", meaning the very schemes criticised earlier actually contributed to Congress` success.  Everyone seems to have now forgotten
Nitish Kumar`s `lower backward` policy!

The take on terrorism now is, "Pranab hard line on Pakistan helped steal a march over BJP"!

The free rein given to the MNS prevented the NDA from bagging 30 out of 48 seats.  The MNS, without winning a single seat, snatched away 12 seats from the NDA.  No one is making people aware of this divisive tactics.
The UPA`s clear majority has not helped in early formation of the government. "Caste, Regional Considerations Delay Ministry Expansion" says a headline.

In Pune, the main candidates were from the Congress (Brahmin), BJP (Maratha), MNS (Maratha) and BSP (Brahmin).  We had the sad spectacle of a division in the electorate on Brahmin-Maratha lines.

While NCP hard core voted for the BJP/MNS Maratha candidate, many of their prominent leaders campaigned for the BSP with the aim of dividing the Brahmin vote against the Congress.  The tussle was between the UPA and the NDA candidates, both working on caste lines.  And the MNS and BSP were the spoilers and they knew it.

Clothes maketh the ministers

"We believe that exit polls and opinion polls are manipulated," Election Commissioner SY Quraishi told
Karan Thapar on CNBC's 'India Tonight' programme. "They do influence free and fair polls..."

Elections 09: Complete coverage

 We go further and say that the entire pre- and post-poll coverage by the media appears contrived without any attempt to make the masses aware of the true picture.  There is, therefore, no alternative but to educate the masses in the nuances of vote-bank politics.

The public has to rise to defeat the credo of divisive politics.

Elections 09: Devious Divisions, Part I

The author, who was commissioned in the Bombay Sappers, Corps of Engineers, Indian Army in June 1954, has held several critical military and civilian positions. He is a Founder Member, Initiative for Peace & Disarmament (INPAD).

Courtesy Indian Initiative for Arms Control and Disarmament, Pune