Growth & social justice — BJP’s 2019 thrust

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pitch for constitutional status for the National Commission for Backward Communities and his assurance that the new body would be beneficial not just for backwards among Hindus but among all communities, including Muslims, is a step towards ensuring greater social justice across the board. Not only is it a wellthought-out strategy to win favour with the backwards but it is also an undeniably progressive move. Modi has shown repeatedly that he has his finger on the pulse of the people. He is now widening his appeal to encompass the minorities who have largely been outside the scope of the BJP because of its past record. Coming close on the heels of his vociferous support for Muslim women on the issue of outlawing triple talaq (the practice of divorce by the man repeating the word talaq thrice) which has won silent appreciation from oppressed women in that community, Modi is systematically seeking to make himself and his party acceptable to a wider audience, with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in mind.

Modi’s significant reaching out to Muslim backwards came at a meeting at which he was addressing party workers at the national convention in Bhubaneswar. A resolution passed at the meeting felicitated the Prime Minister for the Constitution Amendment Bill to provide constitutional status to the NCBC. It slammed the Congress and other Opposition parties by “delaying the bill” which was passed by the Lok Sabha but had to be referred to a Select Committee in the Rajya Sabha where the NDA lacks a majority. The resolution drew propaganda mileage for the BJP by criticising the Opposition parties for always “suppressing the interests” of the backward classes of society by giving them false hopes. This was indeed Modi at his populist best, meaning to sway the backward masses with his rhetoric. Drawing a parallel between Mahatma Gandhi’s efforts to build the momentum for the freedom struggle from 1920 to 1942, Modi invoked the name of Deendayal Upadhyaya by naming the new pro-poor thrust of the BJP as the Deendayal Upadhyaya Garib Kalyan Yojana. This is another of Modi’s conscious moves to replace the cult of the Nehru-Gandhi clan with former BJP leaders and to build them up as replacements. Adept at coining and popularising new slogans, Modi said his new India’s political vision is based on “Jandhan, Vandhan and Jaldhan.” He added that he would work for P2 (pro-people proactive) and G2 (good governance). The Prime Minister cautioned partymen against being ‘motormouths’ and advised them to be restrained in their statements.

In his address to the National Executive of the BJP Prime Minister Modi balanced his thrust on social justice with his emphasis on development, not losing track of the middle class. He advised that the pace of development needed to pick up considerably, while rubbing it in that his administration had performed better than previous regimes. Taking jibes at his detractors he said such groups were “factories” that raked up unsubstantiated charges. Clearly, Modi was setting the tone for the elections to some State assemblies and to the 2019 general elections and there is no denying that he did it in his own masterful way.