Enlightened voters

As political parties turn to the 2024 general election, much of the opposition has found itself in a crisis that began long before the present era of BJP dominance. There has been a visible shift towards majoritarian politics and sectarianism in India since the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) accession to power in 2014. The party has promoted a Hindutva ideology that declares India as fundamentally Hindu and as such, its culture should be viewed in terms of Hindu ideas and values. It also demands that all Indians, regardless of their religious orientations, adhere to Hindu ethos. The BJP’s unchallenged reign is due not just to its own efforts but also to the moribund state of the political opposition in large parts of the country. Despite opinion polls that suggested high rates of anti-incumbency in at least three states- MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan which presented formidable headwinds for the BJP’s success. Yet the party breezed to victory in three states except Telangana ruled by the BRS election. The BJP won in the politically crucial state s of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The outcomes also further highlighted the inability of opposition parties to channel popular dissatisfaction into votes. Contrary to media perception, the opposition does not seem to be in a crisis if one considers the fact that the opposition parties still control 15 out of the 31 state assemblies which comprise of not less than 55% of the national vote share. The BJP also traces its values to the Indian civilization whereby the Abrahamic faiths are foreign elements and a threat to Hindus and Hinduism. While Muslims are framed to be regressive, dangerous and primitive, Christians are accused as proselytizers. That much(propagating its brand of Hindutva ideology) to change India from a secular and diverse yet united India to a nation of one people, one religion and one flag. Today the political narrative is dangerously close to being described as nothing more than being full of the virus of hatred. Each day, the BJP and its functionaries target the opposition with highly inflammable word. Never in the history of Indian politics has communally divisive ideology dominated the political narrative. Not a day goes by without ruling party politicians hitting out at Congress party calling it beholden to the Nehru-Gandhi surname, how the party since Nehru had been playing with the fire of minority appeasement as vote bank. The BJP under Modi is on a full-scale war against those in the opposition, who still harbour the concept of liberalism and secularism. Even in the current parliament imbroglio the government has refused the demand of the opposition to have the home minister address the house over the December 14 attack. On the other hand, it is easy to blame the government for everything that is going wrong, but also raises the question the functioning of the opposition on why they are unable to remain consistent rather than leaders shying away and hiding in undistinguishable plots. Congress’s articulation of secular nationalism remains circumspect. It is, of course, true that public opinion in India has taken a sharp majoritarian turn. However, one might also argue that the Congress has failed to design a new grammar of secular nationalism to coherently demonstrate how the BJP’s divisive politics can hurt the national interest. The Congress’s articulation of secularism is often limited to reactive and episodic rebuffing of Hindu nationalism, rather than representing a clear and consistent narrative.