Sunday, October 19, 2014

The signs are on the air:the omens of Capitalist transformation and Maharashtra election : alarm bell rings for BJP

As the dust settles down, in comparison to 2014 general election, the victory of Maharashtra and Haryana sadly does not leave much room for BJP to be euphoric. After fifteen years of ruling by congress- ncp coalition, along with anti incumbency, BJP could only dent 3% vote share from congress. ( 21.01 % (82) seat in 2009 to 17.9 % (42) seat in 2014) in Maharashtra.
In spite of BJP's campaigned against NCP as naturally corrupt party, they in fact gained from their 2009 tally of 16.37% to 17.3% in 2014.
So is Shivsena who gained from its 16.26% (33) in 2009 to double the seat count (63) with 19.4% vote share.
In other words effectively traditional party voters haven't changed their loyalty in this state of industrial money power and also they seems to have not bought BJP's campaign of removing corrupt congress- ncp alliance.
So the BJP's 27.8 % vote share gain from 14.02% from 2009 represents the new aspirational India's vote who believe Mr.Modi's offer of stable development promising government. With or without the support of NCP or Shivsena to cover the crucial majority margin this looks like not a realistic possibility given the political track record of Maharashtra.
Traditionally Conservative Haryana's change of mind need not be taken seriously as congress met out much worst scenario twice before in this state and this time an anti robert vadra vote: that is all. The translation of economically rich and highly cast conservative Haryana’s tectonic shift as a permanent political realignment can wait for long time.
Keeping all these factors along with the recent loss of by elections within 3 months of sweeping in general election, the time is not yet ripe for BJP to claim the Congress mukta Bharat. The core party base of congress is still remain intact across the country. It is only hurt. With its "leave it for now to settle down the anger and wait for 2019" policy, congress can make a serious comeback if BJP doesn't build the party base and want to continue only on anti congress feeling( that anyway people are going to forget and pardon in couple of years.)
Let us not forget in this era of globalized economy to take the development and economic progress to these emerging young aspirational voters within five years is beyond the means of any realistic imagination. UPA1 and 2 are the classic example for that.
There is a big conflict of dignity of human and idea of development taking place in rural India. Historically this is an unavoidable transition of Industrialisation in any society. Parallels can be drawn from the conflicts during European renaissance and its transformation story. They overcame this issue through the idea of welfare society by economic subsidisation of life to protect human dignity so that the citizen doesn't lose belief in the economic model and reject it.
At the fag end of its second term UPA 2 was forced to take the same route by announcing so many welfare programs to sustain the capitalistic economic growth model. This another unavoidable process of capitalism has just begun. If Mr. Modi has to sustain his capitalist development agenda, he will have to reassure the public that his model does not conflict with their dignity. He will have to dispel the disbelieve now exist between people and corporates. BJP will have to economically subsidise the lives of the voters through welfare means and methods, that the Indian corporates believes as waste. Mr. Modi will have to convince the corporates the pet named Philanthropy as an essential poly, if capitalism wants to sustain in democracy. In a political democracy dignity of human is what the profit to the corporate in capitalism.
If his actions are to be believed, Mr. Modi realises this issue, as he seems to be furthering UPA2's welfare policies with toilet and swatch bharat projects etc. and also his reluctance to intervene on the controversial land act (the much publicised so called rahul gandhi's land act) tells no other story.
But how far the business who supported BJP against the UPA 2's welfare policies are going take it is the big question remain unanswered, especially considering family based crony capitalism is still thriving as a practical model of capitalism in this country.
As a politician Mr. Modi and the BJP unfortunately stands at this usual cross road of a transforming country that has to tread cautiously between welfare state and capitalism. Also human dignity is an ambiguous complex mechanism highly intertwined within economic stability, faith and anger. If any one of these fail then other two also will fail. History of human civilisation is the complete evidence of the same.
The capitalistic inroad to human settlements in this country to derive profit, tactically interpreted as economic liberalisation, if not supported with welfare means to the affected, is going to unleash catastrophic consequences in the days ahead.(considering the conflict is on the rise between industry and citizens in every state. The maoist problem, Anna hazare movement, emergence of AAP, emotional hype on Black money issue and the middle class resurgence against congress’s failed leadership to tackle corporate corruption that BJP encashed as turned into Mr. Modi’s charisma are only the indication of that . BJP will have to recognise this reality as early as possible, if they want to remain in power, more so because this time BJP used the capitalistic tool of treating the voters as consumers by selling their aspirations as a product back to them. It is the market order that every product comes with a price and expiry date.
As discussed above the indignity of economic instability in human life always leads to the issues of faith and fundamentalism then anger and finally to the collapse of system. Communism and its counterpart American war mongering capitalism across the world tell no other story.
BJP should rise above these foolish rhetorics of "congress mukt bharat" and patriotic chest thumping and acknowledge these facts of an economically transforming democracy: an act unfortunately a cadre based party has never made it in the history and will not ever be able to circumvent.
If BJP does not want the fate of UPA 2 and become the victim of the intricacies of economic transformation of a democratic country to capitalism, they should debunk those economists who are championing against welfare interventions in capitalistic inroads. Welfare and capitalism are in separable. If BJP believe those economist’s argument that once capitalism blossom the charity will automatically trickle in, although sounds practical, unfortunately had always been unrealistic. The blossoming process already would have broken down the faith of citizen about the intend of proft and the idea of business. The consequential anger will undo the system, remember the emergence of Marxist economy and communism, identity politics of Mussolini, Hitler, Tajo, and two world wars were its outcome. Also UPA2 faced this tune, the mass agitation and anger against so called inapte government and massive corporate corruption, what BJP encased upon in 2014 general election is only a step in that process
 if they don't realise the importance of socio-economic intervention people will throw them out as well.

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