Young India connects with Congress

The first basis of going in for the forthcoming polls will be the plank of good, indeed excellent governance provided by the Congress-led UPA government. Far from being defensive about anything, we intend to go on the offensive. The last five years have been marked by firstly, an extremely stable government, secondly, by extraordinary and unprecedented legislative initiatives (which include The Right to Information Act, the Domestic Violence Act, the recent Land Acquisition Amendment Act and the Resettlement and Rehabilitation Act, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and a long list of other similar measures). Thirdly, the period has been marked with several unique non-legislative initiatives which include the 123 agreement, which for the first time accords India formal nuclear power status without forcing it to sign the NPT and CTBT. Other similar non-legislative initiatives include the world's largest mid-day meal scheme, the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, the drinking water and sanitary missions and so on and so forth. All these legislative and non-legislative initiatives carry the trademark and the hallmark of the Congress philosophy, namely an inclusive approach to governance, a focus not only on how fast the cake should grow (growth equity) but an equal if not more emphasis on distributive equity i.e. how well the cake is distributed. These initiatives seek to change established old somewhat feudal mindsets and create a revolutionary change in ideas, in implementation and in delivery systems.

We are proud that we have given close to 9 per cent growth for four years and despite the clear global meltdown and slowdown in the last few months, statistical studies show that the impact in India is less than half of that in other parts of the world. Our budgetary initiatives despite the compulsions of coalition governance for the first four years have been bold, clear and decisive and even during the current meltdown there have been at least three major stimulus packages whose beneficial effects will be felt down the line and in the early months of the next government.

Along with these successes, the UPA stint has been marked by perfect coordination between the government and the party, a continuity in foreign policy building on the basic pillars of the Nehruvian approach to foreign policy, minimising an elimination of divisiveness in different segments and sectors of the polity and civil society and a clear inclusive approach to governance not only in economic terms but in terms of trying to carry as much of India as possible with us. Young India in particular connects spontaneously and naturally with the Congress. The Congress has from the block and district level upwards in diverse ways and in diverse fora young people in position as soldiers of the party, as office bearers, as young ministers and in positions of governance. They connect immediately to a role model like Rahul Gandhi whose sincerity of purpose and complete absence of hypocrisy and doublespeak has been found to be refreshingly diff.

As against this, the contrast with the BJP could not be more stark. The BJP comes across as a party of squabblers, of internecine warfare and of jostling for power by manifestation of naked lust for wealth power and position. Whenever they get time out from squabbling amongst themselves, their agenda reflects the divisiveness of their philosophy and a refusal to acknowledge that India's strength is its diversity. People realised that their pious declarations and assertions of secularism and nationalism notwithstanding, the BJP is a party of hypocrites which is prepared to run with the hare and hunt with the hound in its naked lust for power. This has been shown time and again: in its duplicity and hypocrisy of opposition to the 123 agreement; in its opportunistic coalition arrangements and in the clear doublespeak which they repeatedly indulge in. When they want to run with the hare, they speak of Ayodhya, Rath Yatras and display their talent at governance by the unprecedented divisiveness of church attacks in Karnataka, Orissa and intolerance reflected in pub attack in Karnataka and elsewhere in the country. When they want to run with the hound, they say, purely for temporary expediency, that they will put their core values of Article 370, Uniform Civil Code, Ayodhya Mandir and so on the backburner. This hypocrisy fools no one and that is why there is the very significant and unprecedented development that not a single new regional or sub-regional party is reaching out to the NDA/BJP for allying with it, either pre or post-election. Indeed, their existing alliances are in jeopardy. The JD(U) and Nitish Kumar have repeatedly tried to distance themselves from the BJP-NDA because of the divisive brand of politics which the latter espouses. Though all those who are keen watchers know that these are strategic retreats and strategic advances for purely opportunistic political gain. Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has distanced itself for considerable period of time from the BJP for the same reasons. After trying to assiduously woo a major Dravidian party for the last 3 years, the BJP-NDA continues to draw a blank and that applies to a regional party in UP.

All this reflects the clear direction in which the wind is blowing and the clear perception which has solidified across the length and breadth of the country that the BJP is a losing party and a party for losers.

The firm and decisive steps taken by the UPA after the dastardly 26/11 Mumbai attacks have shown to Indians that the UPA means business. We have been able to extract an unprecedented admission from a sovereign nation like Pakistan in respect of the origination of the 26/11 attacks on their territory. We have generated a remarkable global solidarity behind us on the issue. Our clear unambiguous and uncompromising stand has been backed by hard cold irrefutable facts and figures. Innumerable concrete legislative and logistical steps to prevent and to meet terror strikes in the future have been initiated and have won all-round appreciation ad applause. The BJP's phoney nationalism and terror plank have therefore stood exposed for their hypocrisy.

We have no doubt that these and several other issues will ensure the inexorable march towards victory of the congress and the Congress-led coalition ands install us back as the natural party of governance in the next elections.

(As told to Lopamudra Ghatak)

This blog first appeared on www.ibnpolitics.com