My article, ‘Time to analyse impact and efficacy of present system’ published in the 18th November issue of this magazine questioned the wisdom of political analysts in claiming, “The hard fact is that the strenuously crafted ‘Brand Modi’ is fast losing its novelty and mass appeal”. in a leaked video circulating on social media, these analysts were eating their own words. They are surprised how they fail to see this happening. The answer is simple! not looking for facts but manipulating information to suit the client is the cause of this debacle.
When the elections were declared, nobody took cognizance of the facts given in the above-mentioned article:
• The public of Rajasthan had tasted the bitter fruit of Congress's policy of appeasement and deteriorated law and order.
• The people of Rajasthan have not appreciated the power conflict between Gahlot and Sachin Pilot. Voters may provide them ample opportunity to fight freely without having the power to rule the state.
• This election is a test for Kamalnath of Congress to prove how many seats he can influence without having the support of Scindia.
• Karnataka where Congress has come to power riding on promises to provide freebies but the price the people of Karnataka will pay is that their government has reduced expenditure on primary needs.
In Rajasthan, the ruling party paid the price of pursuing appeasement, on the other hand, 4 yogis/mahants have won the election on the BJP ticket and one is being projected as the CM candidate by the public.
Even before the results were declared, one could see that veteran Kamalnath could not match his counterpart in campaigning. Shivraj Chauhan covered 164 out of 230 constituencies, much more than Kamalnath and Digvijay Singhput together.
In Chhattisgarh Congress hit the self-goal. The father of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel Nand Kumar Baghel described Brahmins as "outsiders (foreigners) who should either reform or get ready to go to Volga from Ganga". He was arrested by police. The irony is that Ravi Shankar Shukla to Motilal Vora Congress has a long history of depending on Brahmins to rule the erstwhile Madhya Pradesh and present Chhattisgarh. The all-powerful Arjun Singh brought Motilal Vora to counter the Raipur Shukla clan. It was more damaging than the ‘Chaivala’ and ‘Neech’ remarks of Mani Shankar Aiyar as it alienated the Brahmin vote bank of Congress itself and empowered the ‘Hindutva under threat’ spirit, favourable to BJP plans.
In Chhattisgarh appeasement surpassed to a level that Ishwar Sahu a father could not get justice against the brutal lynching of his son. The only way this fifth pass labourer could think of was to fight an election on a ticket offered by BJP and be a legislature to pursue the case in right earnest. As per the information given in his affidavit submitted to the election commission, he had Rs 16 lacs in his account received as a donation from the public. The seven-time MLA and congress minister Ravindra Chaube had the shock of his life when he lost to this first-timer in the present election.
Karnataka debacle helped the BJP to rethink its strategies
Unlike Karnataka where national leadership was engaged in campaigning only, this time central leadership took charge of managing the show. Nobody was projected as chief ministerial candidate. The elected legislature was made to work in their constituencies. In this election, 21 sitting MPs contested the assembly election. It helped in easing the task of selection of candidates. It also emphasizes the importance of state elections as these stalwarts were ready to give up their MP seat to become MLAs. This made party workers feel empowered. The more important masterstroke will be discussed later.
Mid-course correction
In Rajasthan in the middle of the campaign Vasundhara Raje was brought back to the core team, she shared the dais with PM Modi which became a headline. In Telangana, the suspension of T Raja Singh was revoked and he was given a ticket as well. Once the party decided that it was fighting the election on growth, inclusion, and Hindutva, it shed all inhibitions and did not try to chase the elusive minority votes by fielding Muslim candidates. It made a simple policy of ‘reaching every have-not’ through inclusive policies without discrimination of cast, religion, or sex but fielding candidates based on their winnability only. This resulted in getting votes on the good work without entering into the debate about why Muslims are not voting for the BJP. Analysts may be awe-struck learning the fact that Mahant Balak Nath has won the Tijara seat where the Muslim population is 37.9 percent.
Beating the freebies mania
It came as a pleasant surprise that in Rajasthan voters have discarded the freebies offered by the Gehlot government. Prostitutes are perturbed to see that a benevolent government which offered, gas, electricity subsidies, health for all schemes envisaging free medical treatment up to 25 lacs and the old pension scheme offered to government employees has failed to evoke a positive response from the voters. The Sunday Gaudian published an article with the title, “Freebies galore in Rajasthan as Gehlot eyes re-election.” August 27, 2023 After Gujrat, it is the second time that the voter opted for better governance and growth then getting lured by individual gains. Capital expenditure on infrastructure and education brings better results than the cash freebies.
The effects of the election results on opposition
• The congress which was playing big brother in the new coalition I.N.D.I.A. is on the back foot now. The first meeting, which was called after the results, was cancelled as no other party was keen to join.
“INDIA bloc meeting postponed after key leaders decide to skip December 6 huddle”. HT Dec 05, 2023.
• TMC, Janta Dal, Shiv Sena, NCP, and other regional parties will demand their pound of flesh to have more seats and better terms. Shiv Sena and Samajwadi party leaders have taken a jibe at Congress.
• BRS leader KCR’s national plans will remain a dream for now. It will take some time to overcome the ill effects of this defeat and the family being under the scanner of the enforcement directorate.
• DMK MP Senthilkumar apologizes for his comment,’ *** states and the chief minister Stalin also condemned this act. This is a change in strategy! a few months ago neither Uday Nidhi Stalin nor the CM expressed such emotions for remarks against Santana Dharma.
The effect on the ruling party
• This resounding win has improved Modi's perception among other heads of government. As a result, he will be perceived as one of a leader likely to return to power. There may not be another democratic leader within the G20 who has this strength.
• The share market has responded positively. From the start of the election, it was moving up with a smart rally which took a big leap after the results were declared.
• This win will help the ruling party to improve its number of MPs in Rajya Sabha. This will allow the ruling party to make bold decisions without worrying about numbers.
A new focus on managing the states with a new top-down approach
Karnataka and many other state leaderships had failed to provide efficient and corruption-free administration. The central government has been able to demonstrate the will to curb corruption and leakages. The term Double engine ki sarkar has gone well with the public.21 MPs went to states to fight the election and 12 won. This indicates that these states will have more engines than the chief minister alone running the government.
• What is new?
Till now the high command in political parties used to impose an outsider as chief minister which used to create heartburn. This time MPs were made to contest state elections so that this anomaly is resolved in advance. These winning MLAs are bringing the expertise and skills of managing central government with them. Many of these have proven track records. The author is of the view that these MPs may or may not become chief ministers but they will be acting as a second, third, or fourth engine in the state government.
The reason behind this assumption is the success of the Eknath Shinde and Fadanvis model in Maharashtra:
“Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday hailed his deputy Devendra Fadnavis as a "master blaster" who knows how to hit sixes and how to take a wicket, a day after Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray termed the senior BJP leader a "muster minister". India news PTI Aug 8, 2023.
The moot point is that Fadanvis represents the bigger party with more MLAs yet serving as deputy chief minister. This master stroke has saved the BJP from landing in a Bihar-like situation where it has failed to turn around the state administration despite having Sushasan Babu as chief minister. It has to face the embarrassment of becoming the opposition party twice despite having the largest number of MLAs. The same thing happened in UP when the party allied with Mayavati.
Empowering the prime minister as a chairman and CEO of a group that has many companies under its control
These MPs have worked with the prime minister and they have a good image with time-tested credentials to deliver. Their presence as an MLA in these states reminds me of RC Bhargava chairman and Mr Hisashi Takeuchi MD and CEO working at Maruti Suzuki (India). This team has empowered Suzuki Motor Corporation a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu Shizuoka to manage its Indian subsidiary without compromising with its core Japanese values.
If this approach succeeds then PM Modi will be able to deliver the same efficiency and corruption-free performance at the state level as well. It will eliminate situation where the voter had chanted,” Modi tujhse vair nahin, Vasundhra teri khair nahin”. It happened in the 2018 state election in Rajasthan. BJP lost to Congress and within five months it won 24 seats out of 25 in the Loksabha election. Dainik Bhaskar published a full story with this title 5 years ago.
However, the similarity to a corporation should end here, the author does not support the running of a government as a business.
Taking a leaf from Denhardt, R. B. and Denhardt, J. V. (2000), The New Public Service: Serving Rather than Steering. Public Administration Review, 60: 549–559.
The seven points below articulate New Public Service, Public Managers Should:
1. Serve, rather than steer: The present prime minister prefers to be called ‘Pradhan Sewak’ not the CEO. The aim should not be profit but the betterment of citizens as they pay taxes to compensate for any shortfall.
2. The public interest is the aim, not the by-product: The government aims to elevate the standard of living of its citizens and protect the environment with sustainability in focus. The nation should contribute to making the world a better place. This needs to work in harmony with national interests without damaging the global aspect.
3. Think strategically, and act democratically: Unlike business, the government is not there to kill opposition (competitors). It has to respond to criticism and improvise.
4. Serve citizens, not customers: Unlike businesses, governments have to take care of non-tax-paying citizens more. In this aspect, the nation is different from a group of customers.
5. Accountability isn’t simple: one has to define the Key Performance (KPIs) Indicators keeping the party, voters, and long-term interest of the nation as a whole.
6. Value people, not just productivity: this area needs improvement, taxing education through GST or not restoring concession to senior citizens in train travel, and discriminating between government and private sector employees in income tax matters are a few examples.
7. Value citizenship and public service above entrepreneurship: The entrepreneurial mind acts as if public money were their own as a result it looks for return in financial terms. Therefore, the public interest is better advanced by public servants and citizens committed to making meaningful contributions to society. For example, a government creates a polling station for a few citizens in a remote area while the entrepreneurial mind may not prefer to run the same.
With these assumptions, the author looks forward to a new paradigm shift in the running of state governments henceforth.
By Rakesh Kumar
(The content of this article reflects the views of writers and contributors, not necessarily those of the publisher and editor. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only)
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