New Delhi, Nov. 3 -- As the Opposition steps up attacks against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for alleged electoral irregularities and targets the Modi government, the BJP leadership seems to be taking a cautious and calibrated approach.
In the run up to the INDIA Bloc's rally at Ramlila Maidan in Central Delhi, BJP chief Nitin Nabin, held a meeting with all national secretaries and general secretaries at the party headquarters here, emphasising that the party should strengthen its grass-root activities. All party office-bearers were asked to reach out to people on the ground to gain a better understanding of public sentiment and identify emerging political trends.
BJP's central leadership would like to know if there is any impact being felt on the ground due to the continuous Opposition attack on the Election Commission and the government.
This shows that the party is trying to remain vigilant and not become complacent.
The BJP also wants to understand what is happening at the micro level. This is because the Opposition is trying to use the SIR issue to create a larger political issue against the ruling establishment.
The BJP leadership, which was riding high after its victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections early this year, seems to have gone into shell amidst the Opposition's relentless campaign on the SIR controversy.
The relentless protests from the INDIA Bloc have made the party more cautious in their approach.
Meanwhile, political analysts feel that the incessant protests by the Opposition have shaken the confidence of the BJP to some extent.
The BJP is also entering a crucial phase with coming Assembly elections in Gujarat, Punjab, UP and Uttarakhand. As the BJP is in power in three of these states, it makes the coming period significant.
Over the past few months, the BJP have taken a 'counterattack' approach to the INDIA Bloc. They have consistently used high-level party members and Union Ministers, led by Home minister Amit Shah, to deny all allegations made by the Opposition, mainly Congress and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
However, eyebrows are being raised on this reactionary approach. Is it sufficient to help them get back into control?
Political observers feel the BJP needs to take a proactive approach to form a strategy which will help shift politics back to focusing on its successes. The challenge for the BJP is to come up with a strong counter narrative.
This new situation will prove to be a key test for Nitin Nabin and his new team. They will need to ensure they can utilise
the organisation's strengths to create an effective response to counter the Opposition's tirade.
Taking a political offensive, the BJP has kicked into high gear its nationwide campaign 'Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao' with senior leaders leading marches in various states. This comes to counter the protest by the INDIA Bloc and allegations about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. BJP president Nitin Nabin headed two major padyatras in Bihar and West Bengal early this week. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also joined the league.
By hitting the ground and engaging with the public, the BJP is attempting to win back the narrative around the SIR exercise and demonstrate that they are fighting for democracy.
In poll-bound UP also, the BJP has planned a huge padyatra across all six regions of the state over the course of a week. The campaign will be led by several senior leaders including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Ministers JP Nadda and Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.