A political party will leave no stone unturned to endear itself to the voters, to secure its place in corridors of power. For that to happen, a constant engagement, two-way communication and inspiring leadership is sine qua non. BJP as a political party has made this its second nature. Continuous organisational engagement with voters all through five years is the BJP’s biggest strength. Coupled with the inspiring leadership of Prime Minister Modi, we have a winner on hand.
Two-way communication – both through party and official mechanism – is a visible trait of the BJP government, both at the Centre and states. The constant feedback loop from citizens makes BJP a formidable force, as the focus is always on the common man’s aspirations. These aspirations of the common citizens have increased by leaps and bounds – with an active encouragement by the Modi government. After all, the PM leads the country to aspire big – to become a $10 trillion economy by 2030, or a fully developed country by 2047, or a force to reckon with in the international arena.
As one comes closer to elections, what should the political parties do? Put themselves ahead of the country, that is, work only to achieve power for themselves at all costs, or put the country above them (use power to bring about big positive transformation)? BJP is clear that it is always “Nation First”. Every activity that BJP does – be it as part of our election campaign or governance, it is geared towards
this goal.
Having been an active member of the manifesto committee as its state co-convenor, I had the opportunity to experience the firsthand “aspirational choice” of voters. One poor middle-aged lady was very candid, saying – after she heard my education & work profile – that she looks forward from the BJP government to a similar opportunity for her daughter (“I want to see her as a big officer,” in her words in Kannada). Farmers of North Karnataka were more vocal – they looked forward to a sustainable income source for a long term. A huge pride in government schools with the hope that they produce more Visvesvarayas rather than chase exorbitant private sector schools for status symbol was what we heard from poorer sections (that inspired us to name the education scheme after Sir MV in our manifesto for school rejuvenation).
BJP’s ideology of Antyodaya – that believes that society must provide the basic dignity of life (Anna, Akshara, Arogya) to the poorest of the poor – finds its prime focus in the BJP manifesto. At the same time, our ideology also puts aspirations of our society in a contextual Indian manner (“the third way” as Dattopant Thengde put it – rejecting both pure socialism and capitalism) that should lead to better development and income. It is reflected well in our vision — Abhivruddhi and Aadaya. Finally, for a society to lead a good life, fearlessness is important – that is taken care of with the Abhaya concept – away from the fear of poverty, hatred, ill-health etc.
If one has to sum up the BJP manifesto – it is about an excellent balance of government’s duties towards the poor and weak i.e, Anna, Akshara, Arogya, while at the same time supporting their aspirations by abhivruddhi (development) for a better aadaya (income).
How did this outcome of 103 promises with top 16 promises under six focus areas happen? The robust time tested process of BJP ensured this – with samvada meetings in over 179 constituencies, 38 sector meets, 1,043 inputs from 94 experts, 44,000 inputs via digital mode and a massive 5.87 lakh paper inputs via large meetings, yatras and personal discussions.
This is apart from our own research work of the last six months. While the credit should go to the BJP’s manifesto team for a good outcome, it should also go to the people’s participation and expression of their aspirations to build a better Karnataka. This is the true spirit of democracy that BJP stands for.
Dr Samir Kagalkar (PhD IIMB)