By Vimal Sumbly
From north to south and from east to west, the regional, rather ‘family-run’, political parties are getting decimated. It is good news for India. With a single family having complete monopoly over the party and also the government if it comes to power, leads to dictatorship. Things unravelling in West Bengal, where the Trinamool Congress is getting shredded to pieces is just another example. In the case of the TMC, it happened quite fast.
Besides, the extreme anger and hostility of the people towards the ruling dispensation in Bengal, which is being manifested daily, has striking parallels in countries like Libya and Romania with how people treated their deposed leaders. Thankfully, India is duly governed by the rule of law and no such extreme retributions are allowed against the deposed leaders.
The BJP government in West Bengal needs to further step up the security of the TMC leaders, lest they be subjected to physical harm. The BJP indeed is different from the TMC and it must prove that by ensuring the safety and security of the entire rank and file of the ousted party. Let the law take its own course, which obviously will, as the legal processes have already been initiated. People must strictly restrict the expression of their anger through votes.
The TMC decimation is just one of the examples in a series of such developments. The same thing has happened to the People’s Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir, Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab, Indian National Lok Dal in Haryana, Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena, Biju Janata Dal, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, YSR Congress and AIADMK. Even the Aam Aadmi Party may face an existential challenge if it fails to win Punjab. All these parties have formed governments in different states from time to time.
There are, however, some notable exceptions like the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir, the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and till now the DMK in Tamil Nadu, which have survived for a long time. That is because both the National Conference and DMK were born out of people’s movements. The National Conference continues to be “controlled” by the Abdullah family for the third generation. Omar Abdullah is the third generation Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
Even the Shiromani Akali Dal has survived for over 100 years. It saw its decline and decimation only after the party, which had made a great contribution in the country's freedom struggle, went into the exclusive control of the Badal family—first Parkash Singh Badal and then his son Sukhbir Singh Badal.
The Bahujan Samaj Party is another example, which once emerged as a strong and powerful force at the national level with significant presence in the states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. After it went into the hands of Mayawati, its decimation started, even after forming the government in Uttar Pradesh of its own.
The parties’ decline and decimation have coincided with the extent and length of power they have enjoyed. While remaining continuously out of power does weaken a political party, but remaining continuously in power also for two, three or more terms continuously leads to hubris, autocratic and dictatorial attitude even towards own colleagues, that eventually results in a lot of resentment among people.
The same thing happened with TMC in Bengal, the SAD in Punjab, and the BJD in Orissa. This is because family-run political parties do not have any checks and balances in place. These parties are exclusively controlled by a single person and/ or his/ her probable successor. When people have no vent available for airing their grievances, they turn rebels.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party has gained the most from the decimation of the regional and family-run political parties, while the Congress has managed to gain in Telangana. Otherwise, in most other states like UP, Bihar, Orissa, Bengal, Haryana and Maharashtra, it has been BJP all the way, which has gained at the cost of the regional parties.
There is a lesson for the Congress in this that it should, instead of trying to be politically correct, be pragmatic about realpolitik. It is politically highly inadvisable to help the dying parties like the TMC or the RJD to revive. The Congress must realise that if it has to revive itself, it will majorly be at the cost of the regional parties and not at the cost of the BJP. The Congress cannot expect the core BJP voters to desert the party in the near future. But it definitely can attract the “swing voters”. But they can only swing towards the Congress from the BJP if they feel confident that the party is in a strong position to challenge the BJP.
By trying to come to the rescue of parties like the TMC and leaders like Mamata Banerjee, who have not been kind to the Congress in any way, the Congress may be being magnanimous, but it is actually showing lack of political wisdom about realpolitik. Mamata and TMC cadres’ record in dealing with the Congress in Bengal should be asked from leaders like Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
While India has once again reached a stage of one-party rule in most states, there is no reason why there cannot be one-party opposition either. The Congress can make a beginning by initially occupying the opposition space and gradually moving ahead instead of depending on unstable and unpredictable regional allies, who are driven towards Congress only out of sheer opportunism. The Congress unnecessarily ends up owning their baggage as well.
The current political situation may be best for the BJP, it is not bad for the Congress either, provided it identifies its role and grabs the opportunity that the existing situation offers. If Mamata comes seeking protection, better ask her to merge with the Congress and set a precedent for others to follow. The NCP is already waiting in the queue.
While decimation of the family-run private enterprise like political parties is good news for India, it will be the best if it eventually leads to majorly bipolar polity in the country, between the BJP and the Congress. That indeed is a probability, not just a possibility. It was the allies during UPA-II, which damaged the Congress the most and held the party and the government to ransom. The Congress is still paying the price despite having given the country an internationally acclaimed and distinguished economist Dr Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister.
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