Hunting down the Opposition

Saba Naqvi

Let me end the year by being audacious and saying that the BJP has become like the Ganga. Anyone who jumps into it gets cleansed of their sins, such as corruption cases. Those who fail to take the holy dip are mercilessly hunted down, till they land in jail or are permanently trapped in legal wrangles. It’s a “join us or we’ll get you” approach that now characterises the BJP versus the Opposition. 

No quarter is given, no mercy shown, investigations launched to tackle what remains of the opposition. Indeed while the Emergency was noted as a blot on our democracy (and the Indian media fought back), the hunting down of opposition forces is no longer seen by the pliant media as anything out of the ordinary. The BJP dresses it up as its crusade against corruption and immorality.

Let me forecast that Hardik Patel could be in further legal trouble, possibly linked to the much talked about multiple videos with different women. He dared to insult and mock Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah in meeting after meeting. In Gujarat, a lawyer had asked me: what if one of these women files a complaint after the BJP wins? The BJP would certainly like to wreak vengeance on him, unless they calculate that it could be counter-productive and the Patels have already delivered a small shock in rural Gujarat. 

Meanwhile, without much fanfare in the media, Lalu Prasad Yadav returned to jail, while the rest of his family cannot rule out the possibility of joining him there. He is a significant political figure in contemporary politics. Two years ago, it was Lalu who was the principal force that delivered a crushing defeat to the BJP in Bihar. True he did so in alliance with Nitish Kumar but he’s always had the bigger vote share.

And see how well that has turned out: Nitish is sitting pretty in the lap of the BJP while Lalu is in jail. Certainly, Lalu had an Achilles heel in the fodder scam cases and property acquisition by his family, but his sin was getting caught after he threatened to overturn the savarna caste order in his earlier avatar as the hero of the Mandal movement (It’s also possible that till corrupt low caste characters like Mayawati and Lalu came along, there was no corruption in the cow belt along the holy river Ganges). 

The other humiliating defeat inflicted on the BJP post 2014 was in Delhi courtesy AAP and Arvind Kejriwal.  Look how that unruly bunch has been handled: criminal complaints against half their MLAs, scrutiny of anyone who contributes to the party, constant blocking of Delhi Government initiatives. Arvind Kejriwal’s weakness was too much grandstanding (only an elected PM is allowed that), making accusations against the big fish (political and corporate) and thereby taking on more than he could chew. 

Let’s just say that Lalu and Kejriwal were bad guys anyway, the sort who do not accept the status quo. Surely the BJP is fighting corruption in the case of former Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, both Congressmen? They were so serious about the crusade that in September 2015, the CBI raided Virbhadra’s residence in Shimla in a disproportionate assets case on the day of his daughter’s wedding. One can argue that the law must take its course (and the BJP had repeatedly asked for the six term CM Virbhadra’s resignation).

But then just before the recent Himachal Pradesh elections, former Congressman Sukh Ram and his son crossed over to the BJP. The largest haul of currency notes ever was recovered from Sukh Ram’s home following raids in 1996 (cash was in suitcases hidden under the bed and in the puja room). It’s possible he was praying to the cash and now that the Gangajal of BJP membership has been poured on his head, Sukh Ram is a cleansed man. 

There’s more. In April this year, the CBI also registered a case against Bhupinder Singh Hooda for alleged irregularities in the land allotted to Associated Journals Limited (that runs National Herald) in Panchkula. All good till this point as we all want a ‘corruption mukt’ India. But then in November, Mukul Roy (once Mamta Banerjee’s right hand) joined the BJP. He is facing a CBI inquiry following the Narada sting which caught Trinamool leaders taking bribes on camera. Roy will be in the good company of defectors such as former Congressman Hemanta Biswa Sarma of Assam who also faces serious corruption cases but switched to the BJP on the eve of the state elections and is thriving in the party. 

Waiting for action in the wings is the BJP’s home-grown not-so-clean face in Karnataka where elections are due next year: BS Yedyurappa, who once had to step down from the CM chair because of corruption charges. There’s the other important point to note. The BJP also runs the most expensive election campaigns in India’s history. Where does the money come from? It’s possible that God delivers the cash to them and no corruption or quid pro quo is involved.