Rahul Gandhi’s pitch that Modi is the worst doesn’t mean Congress is the best

Once upon a nearly-forgotten time, leaders in democracies talked to all citizens. When they were elected to office, they looked after the interests of all, including the very sizeable number who did not vote for them. Because public office was public trust. Now they only talk to what is called their “base”. The rest don’t matter.

Donald Trump is called a ranting idiot and a racist so-and-so by millions. Yet, the nuttier he looks to them, the more his base adores him. All the rest can go take a walk. If you don’t vote for me, don’t expect anything from me.

Take Narendra Modi’s BJP for example. It rides the Hindu vote to power. So, it fields no Muslim candidate in the Lok Sabha and even the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, which has a Muslim population of more than 20 per cent, and sweeps both. It can afford to exclude the Muslims and mostly Dalits from power, because it owns the Savarna, most of the upper- and much of the middle-caste vote. That’s why the 10 per cent reservation is one of the last big actions of its outgoing government.

So, which constituency is Rahul Gandhi addressing? How does he define his base? Does he know what it is? Vanilla anti-Modi-ism can’t be your only proposition to India.

We know that only 31 per cent Indians voted for Modi in 2014 and you can presume many more dislike or disagree with him. They are entertained and encouraged by Rahul’s relentless attacks on him. It doesn’t follow that they will vote for him. If anger against Modi is your only motivation, you will likely pick what you consider the best of the many choices available. In Bengal, it could be Mamata Banerjee, in Uttar Pradesh SP/BSP, in Bihar Lalu Yadav, in Kerala the Left, KCR, Naveen Patnaik and Arvind Kejriwal in Telangana, Odisha and Delhi respectively, and so on.

Even if Rahul’s single-mindedness results in such crippling damage to Modi’s image that people defeat him, does it follow that they will elect the Congress instead? Today, it is most unlikely. Because one proposition (Modi is the worst), doesn’t naturally lead to the other (Congress is the best).

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[ajjunair]

Shekharji you are spot on in your analysis. RaGa biggest mistake is overdoing Rafale he is not attacking on issues like jobs, rural and urban distress. He has never raised the question in parliment about lack of data. Everything about him looks ad hoc and tutored.

[jayprakash]

Agree with Mr. Gupta. Congress is not a challenger for BJP but regional parties’ are.PM Modi is still cult among his voters.

[janardanad]

A good point from Sekhar Gupta. One thing is right that BJP's popularity in North India is on the wane. Rahul Gandhi might be trying to use the opportunity to project himself as alternative. It is all political game. Let it be. Yesterday Shah has compared next election with second battle of Panipat, fight between Marathas and Afghans. So India is facing Maratha menace apparently. So it is now fight between people of India at large and the Marathas under the garb of BJP. Hence people of India must dislodge BJP at any cost.

[krishanubordoloi]

Wow bhakts still found a way to bash you. Damn they are incredible!

[ritwikdhara]

So according to Mr.Gupta this news is this week's national interest.Wow...No it's not national interest.It's congress party's interest and your interest.This week so many other things happen.Focus on them.😜.Two major dam projects started.Tell people how this will benefited people.😊But you can't because you sold your ass to congress long time ago.😉

[savitashankar]

That's strange - you seem to contradict yourself. A few days back you mentioned that election voting pattern in India has mostly been a vote against a party and not for a party. And also the fact that people's disillusionment with Modi has not yet translated into anger.
But now that people are fully realising that Modi is full of hot air and they seem to be warming up to RG, you say that they would prefer regional parties.
Personally it doesn't matter whether people vote for Congress or regional parties as long as they keep BJP out of the equation. If Modi manages a second term, we will surely become a Hindu Pakistan - no doubt about that. Muslims and Dalits will be killed in the name of cow, names of cities will be changed, respectable institutions like RBI, CBI, judiciary, police etc... which are already on the brink of disaster will be totally destroyed and we will have mob justice all around us be it gau raksha, love jihad, romeo squad etc...
Hopefully, people of India do not let that happen.

[ashishparmar]

For now the only agenda for opposition is to remove bjp. If bjp is limited to fewer seats around 180-200 then there is a chance of keeping the bjp away from center. On the contrary congress only need sufficient seats in a coalition where they can run the government properly with help of other parties or as what he did in Karnataka.

[ssaddhu]

Biased.... Where was national interest when it was the other way round... Base is there and is increasing but that is because of anti bjp and not pro congress...