Bihar model, not Hindutva, is BJP's future

NEW DELHI: It’s been a while since BJP’s headquarters at 11 Ashoka Road saw flag-waving, jubilant supporters, who burst crackers and offered laddoos to visitors. They had reason to be ecstatic. The party had put up a stunning performance in Bihar, bagging 91 of the 102 seats it contested in the company of alliance partner, JD(U).

The party’s strike-rate of 90% is comparable to Virender Sehwag’s. It’s better than even JD(U)’s. The morale-boosting victory helped the leadership fend off adverse publicity triggered by its decision to allow tainted B S Yeddyurappa to remain Karnataka chief minister.

The spectacular show put up by BJP in Bihar, besides raising the morale of the cadre, had an important message for the party—moderation pays in politics. Acting in tandem with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the BJP brass had decided to do away with its Hindutva rhetoric, concentrating instead on “inclusive’’ developmental agenda beneficial to all sections.
The party’s decision to shed politics associated with it appears to have paid rich dividends, with even a section of Muslims voting for it in quite a few seats. Saba Zafar, a candidate fielded by BJP, wrested the Muslim-dominated Amour seat in Purnea district from Congress.

In contrast to several other states where the party has forged alliances, BJP-JD(U) had a smooth run in Bihar and worked without hiccups. The experiment could serve as a role model in other states. While BJP managed to consolidate its hold among upper castes, it also benefited from the rainbow social coalition Kumar crafted. The give-and-take model could serve as an important lesson in states such as Punjab and Maharashtra, where the party shares a very uneasy relationship with alliance partners.

JD(U)’s success in demolishing the M-Y social coalition, built in the state by RJD chief Lalu Prasad, by attracting a good chunk of Muslim votes could embolden other regional players to shed their inhibition and agree to do business with it. In the wake of the Kandhamal riots, Orissa Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal leader Naveen Patnaik unilaterally snapped his party’s alliance with BJP to retain his secular image. In states such as Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Tamil Nadu, where it does not have a meaningful support-base, BJP has been unable to enlist backing of regional players that do not want to antagonise minorities. The success of the Bihar experiment could be an eye-opener.

After its marginalisation in Uttar Pradesh, BJP’s emphatic victory in the company of JD(U) must be quite heartening for the BJP leadership. The alliance has been successful in delivering a blow to Congress attempts at extending its winning streak in Bihar. In the coming days, enthused by the victory of the alliance, BJP-led NDA would be expected to ratchet up the campaign against the ruling UPA at the Centre.