BJP’S NEW POLICY: LOOK SOUTH!
Iam in Delhi, watching the tame and boring drama of BJP’s exercise to select its candidate for the post of Vice President, the second highest Constitutional position of Indian Democracy. Though post is called ‘Vice President’, the main job of the incumbent is to preside over the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Parliament. However, in the present scenario, this position has a lot of political importance too as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, having a vast majority in the Lok Sabha, the Lower House, does not enjoy the same comfort in the Rajya Sabha, where the Congress and its allies are still in majority. This situation has created many hurdles in the smooth functioning of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Government. For example the ambitious and dream GST Bill of the Modi Government remained hanging on the floor of the Rajya Sabha for over two years as the Congress along with Left Parties continues to throw its spanner and stopped passage of the Bill. In this situation, the role of the presiding authority is multi-fold more. Therefore the BJP was not ready for a ‘compromise candidate’ for the post. Modi and his men along with RSS wanted a hard-core BJP/RSS man to sit in the position. Thus, M. Venkaiah Naidu, a most unassuming BJP activist. When there are many leaders and parliamentarians fitting the bill, why Naidu? Only two people know the reasoning behind decisions: Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. So the rest of us can only speculate.
The Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, who also holds the additional charge of Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Venkaiah may have wanted the job, but that’s not usually an asset in Modi’s eyes, or Shah’s. So what else could have set him apart from the pack? Not that Naidu is undequalifies to hold the post. But it isn’t certain what sets him apart, either. The NDA’s three previous candidates for the job of vice president have been giants in their own ways. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who won his election in 2002, was one of the grand old men of the BJP, and Najma Heptullah, the NDA’s Vice-Presidential candidate in 2007, was eminently qualified to lead the Upper House since she had become deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha more than two decades before she was chosen to run. Naidu, though certainly one of the current BJP’s more articulate and sensible leaders, hardly matches any of these previous contenders in stature or qualifications. However, perhaps ignoring many shortcomings, Modi and Shah decided to go for Naidu. Why?
Troublesome Upper House
Is the BJP simply looking for a person when it comes to managing the troublesome Upper House? Perhaps yes. But then they could hardly be said to have been completely satisfied with Naidu’s handling of the parliamentary affairs portfolio His sharp tongue and quick answers have more often upset not only the Opposition Parties but MPs from his own party too in the past. Perhaps this quality must have been seen as his ‘strength’ in the present context. He has been among the sharpest and most pointed of the BJP’s parliamentarians. Or is it that this is just little more than a reward for loyalty? Naidu, after all, has gone beyond the call of duty, showing a dedication to his Prime Minister and a love of acronyms that marks him out even by the standards of the Modi Sarkar. This is the man, after all, who declared that that the Prime Minister was "God’s gift to India", and expressed that respect in the manner that his leader would most appreciate, by insisting that "Modi" stood for "Modifier of Developing India". But one thing is clear about Modi’s management style: devotion is a necessary but not sufficient condition for advancement. The Prime Minister expects loyalty, but feels no obligation to reward it.
IS THE BJP simply looking for a person when it comes to managing the troublesome Upper House? Perhaps yes. But then they could hardly be said to have been completely satisfied with Naidu’s handling of the parliamentary affairs portfolio. His sharp tongue and quick answers have more often upset not only the Opposition Parties but MPs from his own party too in the past
‘Shat Pratishat BJP’
There’s something else at work that makes it necessary for the party to elevate Naidu to this coveted post. The Lungi-clad Naidu is the BJP’s most prominent South Indian face besides the corruption-hit B S Yeddyurappa; but, frankly, one who is not so popular in his state that he cannot be spared from electoral politics. If the BJP’s presidential candidate, Uttar Pradesh’s Ram Nath Kovind, is a defensive attempt to prop up Modi’s winning coalition in the North, of which Dalits are a crucial part, then Naidu is likely his attempt to recover what remains of his southern strategy. After winning the Northern India and making a deep entry into the North-East by winning Assam Assembly, now Modi-Shah duo has adopted the strategy of ‘Looking South’. The first step is to bring in Naidu. After that the party would make an all out attempt to regain Karnataka in the forthcoming State Assembly elections there. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are with BJP’s friendly parties, Telugu Desam and Telangana Rajya Samiti (TRS) respectively. Should BJP decide to take these ‘friends’ also head-on, Naidu would be a good Andhraite face to attract Telugu population. This fits in BJP’s ‘Shat Pratishat BJP’ (cent per cent BJP) philosophy. The first trial was in Maharashtra where the party broke ties with Shiv Sena, its oldest ally of over 25 years.
Will the BJP be able to achieve the desired results by nominating Naidu? Only time will prove. First he has to take on UPA’s Gopal Krishna Gandhi in the election scheduled for 5th August.
The author is a political analyst and former Member of Parliament (RS)