India votes

The News,Tuesday, April 08, 2014

From Print Edition




The Indian elections may end up being decided by onions. Dramatic increases in the price of this
staple food item have come to symbolise a weakening economy under the rule of Manmohan
Singhs Congress. Rampant inflation, combined with decreasing industrial production and a
spate of farmer suicides, have all but ensured that the BJP will take the reins of power after
voting is completed on May 12. The only question that remains is how many seats the rightist
party will get. An outright majority in the 545-seat Lok Sabha is unlikely but with the help of
coalition partners, the controversial firebrand Narendra Modi is sure to be the next prime
minister of India. With Congress, under the ineffectual leadership of Rahul Gandhi, expected to
be handed their worst ever electoral defeat, much attention has been paid to the upstart Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP). Although the AAPs support is limited to the northern urban areas, its anti-
corruption platform has inspired many and could lead to the party winning as many as 20 seats.
Its leader Arvind Kejriwal has taken the fight to Modi and has been accused of being a Pakistani
agent in return. Kejriwal has fought his campaign out on the streets and often faced violence for
daring to challenge Modis track record as chief minister of Gujarat. The AAP may not be able to
derail the BJP but it has at least made the party wary of the challenge.

Since it is all but certain that the BJP will form the next government, focus has already shifted
away from the over half a billion people exercising their vote to the agenda of the next
government. The primary focus of the BJP has been the economy since that is the weak spot of
the Congress, and the BJP is seen as the party most likely to modernise India along neoliberal
lines. This has won it the support of influential industrialists and a media that may otherwise
have been suspicious of the partys sectarianism. The ugly side of the BJP is still on display, as
its manifesto calls for a uniform civil code, a reference to the religion-based laws Muslims are
allowed to follow, and the construction of a temple at Ayodhya. Modi, himself formerly of the
extremist RSS, will have to moderate himself to form a coalition with powerful regional parties
but the man still reviled by many for his role in the Gujarat riots of 2002 may not be able to hide
his true colours for long. The largest democracy in the world could be on course to make its
largest mistake ever.