Name calling apart, the election campaign rhetoric has thrown up a few significant pointers to Rajiv Gandhi’s strategy. It has apparently been decided to downgrade Punjab as a stick to beat the Opposition with. One cannot win an election by repeating the old rhetoric without the powerful symbolism of Indira Gandhi’s assassination.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister has decided to hone in on the twin themes of the Government’s defense related achievements and the Opposition’s less than enthusiastic response to them. These are sought to be merged and blurred to suggest that the Janata Dal and the National front are not exactly patriotic.
In other words the Congress (I) has apparently decided to use the Hindu card sparingly if for nothing else, because the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv ‘Sena can play it better for the nationalism card. Here the launching of the Agni missile comes in handy and the naming of India as an unfair trading partner by the United States completes the picture of a Government striving to reach the skies literally for the country’s defence even while telling a superpower where it gets off.
Despite India’s travails in Sri Lanka, the foreign policy field is the area of the Janata Dal’s greatest vulnerability because it has been unable to agree on a consensus foreign policy document after months of effort. Apart from vague generalities, the Dal spectrum goes from George Fernandes missionary anti Cheesiness to an almost Left posture adopted by some of the leaders. Some leaders have little interest in, or knowledge of, foreign affairs.
Elections are not won or lost on foreign policy, but the strains of nationalism coupled with the Janata Dal’s alleged halfhearted interest in safeguarding the country’s security can be a potent mixture. Whether Rajiv’s new campaign will degenerate into jingoism remains to be seen, but we shall no doubt hear much about Agni and American perfidy in branding India as an unfair trader.
There are other pointers in the campaigning rhetoric. The brew of Panchayati Raj and the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana scheme is being stirred vigorously. The first ingredient is to berate the Opposition even while seeking to highlight the Congress’s “power to the people” theme. The second is a device to pump money into the countryside to try to spread the benign image of a Government that cares.
How have the Janata Dal and other Opposition parties dealt with the Congress (I) strategy? Vishwanath Pratap Singh scored a point by answering Rajiv’s deplorable depth of name calling with composure. But that can be cold comfort to him and his party because the general drift of the plethora of statements, made by the Opposition leaders is very defensive in nature, N.T. Rama Rao did better in disproving the cheating charge in the distribution of rice, but there is still a question mark over his future. Will his unique way of running the affairs of his state while acting himself in the role of a hero in a new film venture tax his people’s level of tolerance too much?
There is the continuing Opposition attempt to stick the foreign label to Rajiv and his Government and the theme of the Prime Minister has descended to score his points must bring blushes to any sensitive soul. The last American Presidential election campaign was dirty enough, but if Rajiv continues along the path he seems to have chosen, he will perhaps make the Guinness book of records.
The Opposition’s problem is that, given the heterogeneous nature of the Janata Dal and the National Front there are several independent strategies being launched simultaneously. While V.P. Singh is religiously following the limited themes he has been expounding for long, Devi Lal has chosen a one point plan to win votes and influence people: follow Haryana. Devi Lal chose to project the second anniversary of his rule in Haryana as a model to follow nationally. On his own terms he is impressive and has sixth sense in divining, the farmers mind. Some of the populist meastires he has introduced are vote catchers. Devi Lal’s problem is that while distant States might be taken in by his pithy theatric, his record nearer home is known to be a very mixed one.
While Rama Rao divides his time between his film venture and his job as Chief Minister, Devi Lal gives the impression of having abandoned his State to his squabbling sons and a few trusted officials. Haryana certainly does not lag behind any State in the levels of corruption practiced. And some of the programmes announced with flourish remain to be fulfilled. Perhaps with an eye on Haryana V. P Singh now seems to be making a differentiation in the kinds of corruption he finds most abhorrent. Apparently corruption practiced on an indigenous model, with ill-gotten wealth staying in India, is less reprehensible than the variety of corruption in which’ the illegal gains are sent abroad.
Some Janata Dal leaders seem to have adopted the safer campaign option of just following the ‘omnibus National Front guidelines in such symbolic acts as the anti Doordarshan rallies. The great need of the houris, of course, the leaders exposure to varied audiences and to give the impression that the Opposition is in the forefront of fighting the people’s battles.
Rajiv Gandhi has apparently decided to take his time in making big play of his trump card the divisions in the Opposition ranks. The truce called between V_P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar is unlikely to hold, and there will be enough time then to pillory the party with almost as many aspiring Prime Ministers as there are States in the country.
For the present, Rajiv Gandhi seems content firmly to wrap himself up in the tricolor, the Agni in one hand and the Constitution of India in the other. After all, he would have us believe that the Opposition leaders most of them at any rate are liars, cheats and worse. It will’ be some time before the people of India are asked to pronounce their verdict.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 18, 1989
