Vishal Sharma
There is a buzz about BJP in Jammu this time. It is to do with its ambitious 44+ target for assembly seats in the ensuing elections. It is also, in part, due to a BJP led Government at the centre. There is an uncanny feeling, not completely explained or explainable, amongst its faithfuls that perhaps this time it can either form a government in the state or share power with some formation like Congress has done in the recent past. But government it would definitely form.
It is good to have optimism. But it is equally good to temper it with realism. A target of 44 + means BJP will have to completely sweep the Jammu region and also take some seats either in Ladakh or Kashmir. It is an uphill task. But this column is not about the impossibility of the mission or otherwise. It has already been debated in my earlier column in this newspaper. This time it is about how BJP can achieve what it has set out to achieve.
I am a firm believer that BJP can be a force to reckon with in the state politics if only it were to do some very elementary but fundamental changes in the way it wants to fight this elections. Some of these changes are doable, but as they would unhinge some of the most entrenched elements, it is likely that the vested interest may stonewall it. Mark my words; if the party does not choose to look past these completely dispensable vestiges of the obsolete era, then it faces a certain ruination in the elections.
The first thing it needs to do is to not repeat in these elections any of the candidates from the last elections. It is a tough task. But given the cross voting taint that some of them have covered themselves with, it would not go down well with the electorate if this cast was repeated. Question can be asked why all of them should pay for the crime of the some. The answer is simple: Politics is about perception and, if there are perception issues beggaring credibility issues, the more substantive, real issues, however consequential they may be, lose meaning for the electors. In any case, there have been questions asked about the very inquest held into the matter. With such issues of integrity still afresh in the minds of the people, the idea to be selective in giving one a nod and other a sack may raise further questions. By the way, after the cross voting crisis, did we all not turn indifferent to what these BJP legislators were doing on development and legislative issues? Such indeed is the power of perception in politics.
It can be argued that, if the BJP were to dump the entire lot, who should it pick to stand in the elections? Well, ideally, it should choose people who have requisite cultural and intellectual bandwidth to perform both as legislators and agents of development. The current lot has not performed well in the assembly. Man to man, they were no match to the erudition of MH Beigh , scholarship of AR Rather and intellectual and political prowess of host of others. Their speeches in the assembly lacked both profoundity of the subjects and silken oratory to mesmerise their opponents. Their speeches were rather rambling rants; ebbing with the shallowness of their thoughts and flowing with the fake frenzy of their emotions.
On the development front also, their performance has been far from satisfactory. As opposition MLAs, they indeed have limitations in so far as getting more funds for their constituencies are concerned. Their leverage with local officers is also limited. But it is still no reason for such a poor developmental record of some of these MLAs. Some MLAs, who are more aware and also more articulate, as brought out by this paper in his daily report card on an MLA, have performed way better on the development front despite being not part of the treasury benches.
BJP will be well advised to consider giving technocrats like lawyers, academicians, civil servants, doctors, engineers, army officers etc. a chance to run in the elections. While it would be difficult to have all the technocrats running for obvious reasons, a right mix of technocrats and those who are full time politicians having risen through the ranks would well worth be a try. Having a mix right numerically between the technocrats and politicians would well balance both the imperatives of aspirations and the region. After all, we need both- the stronger voices in the assembly and the groundbreaking change agents having connect with the people.
The next consequential step for the BJP should be to have constituency-wise manifestoes drafted. In these times of energy and water crisis, it has been found that the people are more concerned about their constituencies. There are quite often comparisons done as to which constituency is better or worse off vis-à-vis power, water and roads than the other. It is no point having a more generic, centralized and long drawn manifesto that not only does not lend itself to easy reading, but also is not easily understood by the people in terms of what it offers for their areas. Constituency-wise manifestos would be easily relatable; the electorate would read it and quickly know that they have clear markers against which to hold their elected representatives accountable. This apart, in our state, it will be a positive political innovation, and in an era of transparency and accountability, may also find ready takers amongst the electorate. BJP needs to show this out of box thinking to reinvigorate its relationship with the people of the region.
Equally, it is important for the BJP to have a small, but lucid manifesto drawn up as regards big ticket projects for the region. While being engaged with small time local issues, people also want to know what the party would do to ensure that the flagship programmes like fly overs, state and national highways, setting up of new medical colleges, IIT, other infrastructural projects are initiated and completed in time. It is important for the BJP to spell out its vision on all the projects that are currently either stalled or progressing slowly for want of administrative approvals or funds.
In view of the rail track extension to Katra and the growing apprehensions that Jammu may become another Pathankot in future, it falls to BJP to allay these fears by preparing a plan that makes Jammu a tourist hub through an integrated circuit of Bani-Basohli on the one hand and patnitop-nathatop-mansar-surinsar on the other. It can also commit to a pilgrim tourism circuit of Shivkhori-Sudhmahadev-buddha amaranth-sukralamata and combine each of these circuits with a border tourism circuit to be located at Suchetgarh where Pakistan can be talked into agreeing by the NDA government at the centre for a border guard drill of the kind we have at the wagah border. If this were to come off, Jammu will reinvent itself. With its central location and the privilege of being the winter capital, Jammu can easily be developed as a centre of education as well. The grant of IIT to Jammu can easily be leveraged in this direction. This will ensure that Jammu does not go the Pathankot way.
BJP can work on all of this and much more and prepare a plan that it can then sell to the people. It is ideally positioned this time to emerge a serious player in the J&K politics. This moment is its for the seizing. If it fritters it away, it would have no one but itself to blame.
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