One of my comments yesterday on Budget 2018 was:
#Budget2018 - IMHO - @narendramodi ji is boldly creating a
new #votebank dumping earlier Core base of unpredictable #Middleclass mainly #Hindu. Began with #Jandhan #Insurances #DeMon - now #Health #Agriculture
This was after a tweet that had fulsome praise for the
budget.
Some people thought I was
‘traitor’, some thought I was abandoning Mr. Modi. Some criticised me
while some expressed support for my views saying BJP had indeed ditched middle
class and Hindus. They point out that Rajasthan by-election results are the
proof of how people will treat BJP if it persists with such policies. Many
political commentators and veteran journalists told me that I was correct.
Was I being cynical? Was I reflecting middle class crib about
being given the short end of the stick in each budget since 2014?
Let me recount that some months back I had published an
article in www.newsbharati.com analysing
how PM Modi was actually implementing Deendayal Upadhyay’s philosophy of Integral
Humanism that talks of serving the last person in the queue. This is what I wrote on 1st
December 2016 –
Advent of Modi and a break from the Past –
If
you look at PM Modi’s actions carefully, he is focused on working on Indian
political economy in line with ‘Chiti’ of this nation. He has invoked
various symbols that have awakened a sense of connect with ancient Indian
culture and a sense of pride that will inspire people to act with good of
country as the guiding light. Fortitude with which citizens have borne the
difficulties after demonetisation shows that this spirit of larger good of the
society and optimism has inspired them to behave this way.
Modi’s
actions so far in line with Integral Humanism –
·
Jan Dhan Yojana (bringing poorest of poor in the
national mainstream through financial inclusion)
·
Stand-up India (a big support system for social groups
that have been living at the margins and depending on government support and
jobs and business for progress)
·
Skill India (making huge young population employable
with changing economy and industry)
·
Mudra bank (Biggest employment generating sector,
strangely called unorganized sector, that needs small funds to thrive, now find
it easy to gain access to capital.)
·
Social Security Schemes ( first affordable universal
low cost insurance and health insurance schemes)
·
Farmer’s financial security – (workable Crop
Insurance, better irrigation, soil health card)
·
Swachha Bharat Abhiyan – (basic preventive health care
initiative with toilets)
·
Electrification at rapid pace in remotest areas
–(enabling rural masses to grow in all aspects)
·
Sagarmala -
(utilization of our huge marine borders with economic upliftment of people in
coastal belt)
·
Rapid expansion of Road infrastructure – (providing
new employment opportunity and access to better living)
·
Beti Padhao Beti badhao – (quest for gender justice)
·
Free e-books for CBSE
syllabus - (helping poor students aspire higher with easy and cheap
access to books and education)
·
Strengthening federal structure of India by better
distribution of resources between centre and states.
This 2018 budget is also dominated by steps that strengthen
the hands of farmers, micro and small businesses. It seeks to provide strong
base of healthy life with the biggest public health programme.
However, this budget again shows disdain for
middle class that began with the first budget post 2014 election. Beginning
from EPF tweaking that created quite stir to minor tinkering for last 3 years,
the Finance Minister has given no major benefit to the most vocal and strong
support base of the middle class.
Thus, while I appreciated the economic wisdom of Mr. Modi, I
was also clear that Middle Class has been consistently given the short shrift
while much bigger concessions are being rolled out to Corporates. Middle Class
contains salaried class which, according to Mr. Jaitley himself, pays highest
tax per head. All this class has got is tinkering and fooling a la Chidambaram
style – giving from one hand and taking away from the other. This is all the
more irritating to salaried class.
Thus, my message was that Mr. Modi is looking at a bigger
catchment area of votes, which I called a vote bank in a broader sense, not in
terms of minority-majority. It is also clear that treating loyal middle class
with disdain is nothing but dumping them or assuming that they have no choice.
Let us not forget ‘NOTA’ is also a choice that saw 6-8 seats slipping out of
BJP hands in Gujarat.
I elaborated further that major section of Middle Class is
Hindu. If I imply dumping Hindus in it,
it is with a reason. None of the issues on which Hindus felt aggrieved and
supported BJP has been touched. Whether 93rd Amendment to Right To
Education (RTE) that hurts majority (meaning Hindu) schools has not been
removed. BJP leaders are tight lipped. Hindus have been agitating about Temple
control by State governments who use the funds of devout Hindus for
governmental or even other religious activities as highlighted by Stephen Knapp
in his recent book and earlier by Sri Sri Ravishanker ji. Infact, BJP
governments have also shown an inclination of taking over temples alongwith
temple lands.
Recent defeat of BJP in Rajasthan is a culmination of
continued rubbing of Hindus the wrong way. Whether it is demolishing only Hindu
and Jain temples, including very old ones and leaving other religious places
untouched, or protecting Bangaldeshi immigrants’ interests at the cost of
social security – BJP tried to ape secular parties.
I had tweeted after Gujarat elections that Vikas alone
doesn’t lead to victory in elections. If it were so, BJP wouldn’t have been drubbed
in Saurashtra region that saw maximum ‘vikas’ or development in Gujarat. BJP
also saw that caste loyalties trumped vikas in Gujarat elections. That is why I
termed this as ‘unpredictable’ middle class, Hindu voters from BJP point of
view.
I hope BJP supporters and leaders will think hard and look at
the mirror, rather than lash out at me. My tweet has reflected on the positive
aspect of Modi ji’s pragmatic strategy
as a leader, ahead of the curve, than all
other political leaders, and pointed out negative aspects of BJP’s
financial and social approach to issues that agitate Hindus. All said and done,
BJP is seen as a party of the Hindus. Hindus and middle class remain the hard
core voters of BJP. No wise party abandons its core base even as it tries to
wider its voter base as it has not generally worked.
I have analysed as an objective political analyst who is also
a supporter of BJP and Mr. Modi since decades when we used to celebrate even
saving of deposit of its earlier avatar
Jan Sangh in elections!
Ratan
Sharda
2nd February 2018
(First published on www.newsbharati.com)
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