On Home Turf, A Party That Can't Afford to Lose

With an eye on 2019 and Modi again as ­mascot, the BJP’s readying to do all it takes to keep Gujarat.

- Bhavna Vij-Aurora

Chanakya’s realpolitik is often quoted by the new, aggressive BJP as a guiding force in administration and an effective ideology to deal with enemies. The party has been demonstrating long enough that it is not particularly squeamish about means in its march towards its goals. As it seems more and more that a win in Gujarat may not be a cakewalk, the party is again looking at Chanakya for inspiration. “Saam, daam, dand, bhed (advise, bribe, punish and divide)—we will use all means to win the assembly elections,” Haribhai Chaudhary, MoS (coal and mines) at the Centre, recently told a Gujarati news channel. That the Banaskantha MP had to emphasise the point suggests the party’s fortunes may be down, and it needs some ingenious ideas to get back on track.

When PM Narendra Modi was asked about the party’s prospects in the Gujarat polls at the Diwali get-together at the BJP headquarters recently, his two-word reply was “param sukh”.  Though the phrase translates as ‘absolute bliss’ in English, the PM probably meant things are under control. To ensure ‘param sukh’ in Gujarat, Modi has emerged as the BJP’s mascot, with the party falling back on his charisma in the absence of a strong local leader. The poll campaign will be centred around his bold decisions in nat­ional interest, even at the cost of incurring the wrath of several sections of voters. Even as efforts to placate the disgruntled traders continue, the party is going all out with its claim that GST and demonetisation have been good for the country. India jumping up 30 ranks on the list of countries in terms of “ease of doing business” has come just at the right time, and the party is busy linking it up to the government’s bold decisions.