Three states get ‘mukt’ of BJP rule: Are ‘Bure Din’ coming soon for Modi?

As all the three states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party got ‘mukt’ (rid) of the saffron brigade, the exceptionally fine performance of the Congress has exploded the myth that only the regional secular parties, and not the Congress can stop the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah-led Bharatiya Janata Party juggernaut.

Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, along with Gujarat, used to be considered as the bastion of the BJP long before one heard of Narendra Modi. So if this saffron party has fared badly in all four of them in the Assembly polls––this includes Gujarat last year––then there is something really rotten in the state of affairs within the Sangh Parivar.

These results have come at the height of Narendra Modi rule and that too when the Congress was at its weakest position in the history.

Day in and day out the BJP bigwigs would talk of getting rid of the Congress and would use all sorts of choicest expressions against the Nehru-Gandhi family––right from the Jawaharlal Nehru to the present party President Rahul.

Today the BJP war-machine in this Hindi heartland states are in total disarray. In contrast the Congress leadership rebuilt the party brick by brick to make a big comeback.

Till now the BJP was considered as the cadre-based party. Today, thanks to the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo everything has gone upside down.

The biggest concern for the BJP is that it has been defeated by the Congress almost single-handedly and not in alliance with any other party.

Even before the recent Assembly elections reports started appearing from other states that many youths, especially professionals, are joining the Congress party. Curiously, they do not come from any one social group, but cut across the caste and community lines.

This is happening even in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh where the party has been out of power for the last about three decades.

If this consolidation of Congress organisation continues in the coming months it would not only be a matter of concern for the BJP alone, which is directly ruling in at least 19 states (till before this defeat). Even some non-BJP regional parties are cautiously watching this development. These regional satraps are aware that the good performance of the Congress in the recent polls will certainly increase its bargaining position in any talk of forming Grand Alliance against the BJP.

Besides, it has shattered the dream of several others who are talking about a non-BJP, non-Congress Federal Front. This includes Telangana Rashtriya Samiti president Chandrashekar Rao––and maybe Bihar Chief minister Nitish Kumar too, as there is no dearth of observers who are of the view that he may cross over to any such initiative if the BJP performs badly.

The resignation of Upendra Kushwaha from the Union cabinet on the eve of the results and December 11 poll verdict have poured cold water on all the plan to create any sort of another front.

The rank and file of the Congress has got a big boost after the recent victories. They have their points. If a strong and well entrenched party like the BJP can feel the heat of the Congress revival, then there is a real big challenge for several regional parties, mostly run by one person.

The results have proved amply clear that neither Yogi nor Jogi mattered in the poll. As the bad news comes in abundance the saffron party fears that more ‘bure din’ (bad days) are likely to come for Sangh Parivar. Rahul Gandhi has reason to celebrate as the poll results have come exactly a year after he became the president of the party.