All the PM’s Men: BJP meet big on bluster, invective

Amid self-congratulations and opposition bashing, the BJP’s national executive meeting unveiled an ambitious roadmap for 2024

BJP President JP Nadda’s inaugural address set the tone for the party’s national executive meeting, the first in two years. He lavished praise upon the Prime Minister, from his handling of the pandemic to his international stance. The implementation of the nationwide lockdown and the rations given to the poor to tide them through it were applauded enthusiastically. Nadda also marvelled that a billion vaccinations were given in record time. The list of PM Modi’s triumphs, it appeared, had no end. He did, however, bring his oration to an end with a firm resolve to ensure that by April next year, the PM’s monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’, is broadcast live from every polling booth in the country. Praise for the party, its leadership and a liberal dose of opposition bashing were the staples at the day-long meeting.

It was an elated PM Modi, therefore, who took the stand for the valedictory address. He emphasised the need for party workers to act as a bridge between the party and the people, managing to fit in a quick jibe at the Congress party as he did so. “The BJP is in the centre because the party has been connected to the common man and does not revolve around a family,” he said.

The process of attacking the opposition continued throughout the political resolution which said that while India is setting new standards of global success under PM Modi, the opposition acts out of extreme hate. There were also allegations that the opposition has been busy trying to derail the vaccination programme by making every effort to concoct conspiracies and spread disinformation. Later, during an interaction with the media, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman remarked, “Opposition parties practiced opportunistic politics. They never hit the road during the pandemic and confined themselves to Twitter instead, to spread suspicion.”

However, with the focus vacillating between praise and vitriol, the BJP might have ended up skimming the more burning issues, including the farmers’ agitation and the by-poll debacle in BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh. With the saffron party’s sights now set firmly on the upcoming assembly elections in five states, the focus remained on political expansion in areas where party presence is nominal and boosting the morale of its cadres.

Chief Ministers and state unit presidents of four poll-bound states (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur) presented their game plans. Four southern states - Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and in the east, Odisha, were identified as key areas for the party to find deeper roots in view of the 2024 general election.

The national executive meeting was a closed door affair and whether or not there is scope to dilute some provisions in the contentious farm laws remains unclear. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told media that the party is “willing to listen to the farmers.” However, federal minister Bhupendra Yadav’s remark that BJP was preparing to contest all 117 seats in Punjab. This could just amount to political machismo, aimed at wresting seats from former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh’s new Punjab Lok Congress. Captain Singh, who held four rounds of meetings with Home Minister Amit Shah, put forth the dilution of the farm laws as a precondition for a possible alliance with the BJP. So far, the saffron party’s presence has been limited to being a junior partner of the Shiromani Akali Dal, a relationship that came to an unpleasant end after a fallout over the farm laws. The Captain might have the upper hand in a deal with the BJP, a dynamic the latter is keen to overturn, even if it is through a stubborn stance on the farm laws to lessen the bargaining chips.

Nadda’s inaugural address attempted to reach out to Punjab’s majority Sikh community by listing several measures taken by the Modi government. This included expediting action against the accused in the 1984 riots in which hundreds of Sikhs were massacred following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

There were also undertones hinting at a party decision that allegations of Union Minister Anurag Thakur’s anti-party activities are unfounded. It is a means to underplay Thakur’s role in the BJP’s embarrassing defeat in Himachal Pradesh. Thakur was chosen as one of the leaders who seconded the political resolution presented by Yogi Adityanath, CM of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. The BJP did a volte face regarding Yogi too, as the party was, until not very long ago, contemplating replacing him as Chief Minister. However, selecting him to present and speak on the political resolution indicates