If the election that has just taken place in Gujarat, where the BJP has been re-elected by a landslide, had happened in Europe or elsewhere in the West, there would be an international outcry, with demands for a boycott of the country and that something be done about it.
The BJP in Gujarat has its hands steeped in blood. It presided over an orgy of violence earlier this year in which between 1,000 and 2,000 people, mainly Muslims, were hacked to death or burned alive. Though the wave of violence was, initially, explained as a spontaneous reaction to another revolting crime, the torching of a trainload of Hindu militants in which 59 people died, credible evidence has come to light to show that there was nothing spontaneous about the riots. It was planned by bigots, with Chief Minister Narendra Modi, his henchmen, and the government machinery helping and directing them. They encouraged local BJP activists to whip up Hindu resentment with calls for revenge, and then, when the mobs appeared, provided no protection to their Muslim victims whatsoever.
Gujarat is Indian democracy’s shame. That a government that preaches religious hate and exploits communal fears could be rewarded with another term in office after what it has done is almost beyond comprehension. This is elected bigotry. It is the evidence that when populism is brought into play, democracy itself is poisoned. Populism is its Achilles’ heel.
One must hope no more blood will be shed, although in the wake of the vote, there have already been communal clashes. Probably this time riot police will be deployed to prevent any further immediate violence, because now there is nothing further to be gained politically from it. But it is bound, sooner or later, to happen again. The levers of power in Gujarat are in the hands of a bunch of fascists who use violence whenever they think it politically useful. And they have their friends in Delhi.
The BJP win is a major blow for India’s secularists. It is a particularly shattering blow for the opposition Congress party. It has made advances elsewhere in India. It is true that since Gujarat has been the bastion of bigotry for over 30 years, voting for the BJP and its predecessors most of the time, this week’s vote is not so surprising. Nonetheless, Gujarat was a test Congress should have won. It did not because it did not have a cohesive presence or a credible message.
In the minds of too many Indians, Congress lacks leadership and it lacks ideas. That was in evidence in Gujarat. Its performance was pathetic. Instead of setting its own agenda, it tried to emulate the BJP by constantly proclaiming its Hindu credentials. There was no point trying to out-BJP the BJP. It was bound to fail — as fail it did.
If Congress learns that one lesson, then something worthwhile will have come out of this appalling result. India needs an opposition party that works. At the moment it does not have one. Congress — in many people’s minds, still tainted by corruption and wedded to red tape and government control — is the nearest thing to an institutionalized political vacuum that India has ever seen. It has to start coming up with coherent ideas and a leader who is not just keeping the seat warm until her children are ready to take over. Otherwise, the BJP will continue in office no matter how much violence it stirs up.
