How Vote Bank Politics Is Harming India

Gujarat elections are over and the results are out for everybody to see. Detractors of Modi have taken a beating but this clan has shifted the goal posts now. Modi fell short of his previous tally of 117 seats, you see! In the process of undermining his tremendous achievement, they are even maligning the electorate of Gujarat. Some lesser known leaders from BJP's "secular" ally JD(U) started their same rant on TV channels - "There is no change in our stand that PM candidate should have secular credentials". However, deep within their hearts, all these "secular" entities know that this election was a watershed and Modi is an unstoppable force now. Gujarat is not separate from India and just like Gujaratis, people across India, want quality governance and not false promises which commoditize communities in the shape of vote bank. This blatantly vitriolic and abrasive misinformed propaganda campaign again highlights an increasingly growing problem we are facing - vote bank politics.

India is a unique nation with rich diversity and cultural heritage. From centuries, people of different beliefs have lived together in perfect harmony and our history has least blood when compared to other civilizations. Yes, there are certain social malaise such as caste system which needs to  be  eliminated and it is a work in progress. We have our own problems when it comes to bridging the divide between haves and have-nots. However, we are certainly on right track unlike countries like Pakistan which take absolutely no measures to give rights to their minorities and under privileged. This diversity is also reflected in our political landscape where hundreds of parties are competing with each other over myriads of issues. In theory, it appears to be a healthy phenomena and is a testimony of our vibrant accommodative democracy. But in reality, this political diversity is taking us back to the dark ages and parties with narrow vested interests are undermining national cause shamelessly! It is no secret that in India politics always surrounds individuals. Current examples include Modi, Mulayam, Mayawati, Sharad Pawar et al. In the past, we had leaders like Indira Gandhi and J P who had cult following. Some of these individuals rose to the stature they had through rigorous public service, while other reached there through vicious identity politics. It is this identity politics, which is threatening the idea of super power India. A nation does not become super power by achieving double digit economic growth for a decade. Super powers are those who empower their citizens and who care for them. Super powers realize that human capital is the best asset they have and leverage that. We are not a super power, period. Unless we mend our ways, we will never be a super power. Why? Because we have no national goal and agenda.

Look at the policy of reservation. It was certainly started with noble intention but we failed to deliver. The benefits did not reach the intended audience. Now, we are committing even bigger blunder by introducing reservations in promotion! No party is able to confront the issue of reservation because everybody is fearful of losing votes. If we really want to benefit the most backward sections of society, reservation is simply not the solution. We need to create an infrastructure for them so that they can compete with the rest at leveling playing field. Scope of this article is not to suggest solutions for that as there already are numerous brilliantly thought out ideas for that. But bottom-line is politicians are reluctant to work out a long term permanent solution and are using reservation as a quick fix. Mayawati, who is often projected as champions of Dalits, is not concerned about the welfare of her respective vote bank. She is only concerned with the number of votes she gets and that is why she is often high on rhetoric and low on action. If we objectively assess , we find that Mayawati has done nothing substantial for Dalits.  She has always indulged in grandstanding but has never gone beyond invoking Dalit pride symbolized by the numerous statues she has erected across the state of UP. Similar analysis can be performed on Mulayam Singh who is hailed as the messiah of Muslims. What has he done for Muslims? It would be worthwhile if somebody can point any meaningful steps he has taken for Muslims. State of Muslims is far worse in "secular" UP that in "deeplydivided and communalized" Gujarat. UP has become the biggest victim of this vicious identity politics of Mayawati and Mulayam.

Highly fragmented political landscape makes governance a nightmare. In the era of coalition politics, no single party can form government on its own and I do not see any change in near future. Parties like SP, BSP, DMK, AIADMK, TDP, BJD, JD(U) are gaining more and more ground. Since there is no thread which binds these parties together except for their desire to grab power, it is unimaginable that they will work together cohesively in the national interest. They have their own narrow interests and serve their unique clientele. We have already seen how narrow political interests do not allow several policy decisions to go through. Ideological opposition to any decision is fine (and is a good thing) but typically the opposition by regional parties are not because of ideological reasons. They are generally driven by their desire to extract some mileage (financial package for indirectly bribing voters through extravagant schemes or freedom from CBI investigation). The phenomena of regional parties is here to stay and we will have to work with it. As a voter, we have to be ever more cautious and must demand honest politics from these parties. If we allow these parties to continue in accordance with their whims and fancies, we will be responsible for sending India to dark ages. I sincerely hope that voters exercise their voting right with utmost care.           

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Disclaimer: This article is penned by Shri Anand Prakash Rohit. So, it is based on his personal opinion which does not necessarily match with the view of the editorial team of The Analyst .   Additionally we do not take any responsibility for any information mentioned in the above content. 

    A P Rohit
(Guest Author)

About the Author:

Anand Prakash Rohit is an Hon'ble guest author of The Analyst.

Being a NIT Hamirpur & University of Alberta graduate, he currently works in Ontario, but finds pleasure in commenting on issues with national interests of India.

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