There’s no question that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s massive success in this year’s general elections left its rivals scrambling to catch up. The Congress still appears clueless about how to respond, while others from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu are starting to worry about a growing BJP presence in their states.
But it’s not only the opposition that is panicking about giving up space to the BJP. The party’s own allies have sensed the danger that an expansive BJP holds, and they are now trying to stand their ground.
Maharashtra has been the focus of this over the last week or so, as the BJP’s oldest ally, the Shiv Sena, struggles to ensure that it remains the senior partner in the partnership. With elections imminent in that state, the battle was bound to come to a head around this time. However it goes, BJP allies elsewhere are going to be watching closely to see what happens.
Election aftermath
The first inkling that there might be trouble came as soon as the BJP managed to cross the 272- mark by itself in the Lok Sabha in the general elections. That meant that the party did not need the help of any of its allies to govern comfortably in the lower house. Nevertheless, the party insisted that it was not going to ditch allies that had contested alongside it.
This was partly to do with the fact that it needed allies to get legislation through the Rajya Sabha, where the BJP remains a minority. But it also came as an effort from the party to honour its commitments and dedication to the National Democratic Alliance. “We welcome any party, even if it has only one Member of Parliament, into the NDA’s fold,” Amit Shah, now the BJP president, had said at the time.
A few murmurs of dissent were expressed after the cabinet was formed, with all of the major portfolios going to BJP candidates and very few ministerial berths left for the allies. The Shiv Sena openly complained that they had been given only one major portfolio, with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray only letting up when the party was promised a better berth after a reshuffle.
Other parties, including the Telugu Desam Party and the Lok Janshakti Party, were said to be similarly unhappy with what they had been given, but – considering the position of power from which the BJP was able to negotiate – few were willing to take on Modi.
Internal friction
The friction is being exacerbated by the state BJP units. As one political analyst put it informally, “Sab apne aap ko Modi samajhte hain.” (Every BJP worker now thinks of himself as Modi). Local cadres in states where a regional party has traditionally dominated are now pushing to take charge.
“For a long time, the BJP was a coalitionable party,” said Ashutosh Kumar, a professor of political science at Panjab University. "Outside the Hindi belt, they were never a powerful force and so they had to tie up with regional parties." But with the BJP's success in the Lok Sabha elections, the party feels that these alliances have served their purpose. "Now the party is ready to take everybody on, on its own," Kumar said.
Kumar likens the situation to the parable of the camel’s nose. “The camel owner is inside the tent, and because it’s cold outside, he lets the camel poke its nose in. Eventually, the camel has pushed itself all the way in and the owner is stuck outside,” he said. “See what’s happened in Karnataka? The Janata Dal (Secular) which was the BJP’s ally there, is now nowhere. State units want this to happen everywhere.”
Change of guard
The massive change in personnel that came along with Narendra Modi’s campaign also had a major effect on the way the BJP dealt with its allies. Leaders like Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi who had spent years in coalitions, working to build relationships were left by the wayside. Instead, they were replaced by those like party president Amit Shah, who are not constrained by those old relationships and would rather see the BJP expand on its own.
Maharashtra may be the state where the BJP has been the most belligerent in this regard, but it’s happening elsewhere too.
The BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance in Punjab might not be in doubt, but the decision of the Akalis to support the Indian Nation Lok Dal in Haryana has caused problems. The INLD is a former BJP ally that it is now contesting against. Last month, the BJP also broke its alliance with the Haryana Janshakti Party, with which it had contested the Lok Sabha elections. Similar noises are coming from the party’s allies in Jharkhand and Bihar too.
“State parties have a sense of vitriol,” Kumar said. “When the BJP was nowhere, they agreed to tie up. Now the BJP is pushing them out of the way. But the simple fact is, no party wants to share power. Coalitions are always the second choice, and the BJP has decided it no longer needs to make alliances.”
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But it’s not only the opposition that is panicking about giving up space to the BJP. The party’s own allies have sensed the danger that an expansive BJP holds, and they are now trying to stand their ground.
Maharashtra has been the focus of this over the last week or so, as the BJP’s oldest ally, the Shiv Sena, struggles to ensure that it remains the senior partner in the partnership. With elections imminent in that state, the battle was bound to come to a head around this time. However it goes, BJP allies elsewhere are going to be watching closely to see what happens.
Election aftermath
The first inkling that there might be trouble came as soon as the BJP managed to cross the 272- mark by itself in the Lok Sabha in the general elections. That meant that the party did not need the help of any of its allies to govern comfortably in the lower house. Nevertheless, the party insisted that it was not going to ditch allies that had contested alongside it.
This was partly to do with the fact that it needed allies to get legislation through the Rajya Sabha, where the BJP remains a minority. But it also came as an effort from the party to honour its commitments and dedication to the National Democratic Alliance. “We welcome any party, even if it has only one Member of Parliament, into the NDA’s fold,” Amit Shah, now the BJP president, had said at the time.
A few murmurs of dissent were expressed after the cabinet was formed, with all of the major portfolios going to BJP candidates and very few ministerial berths left for the allies. The Shiv Sena openly complained that they had been given only one major portfolio, with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray only letting up when the party was promised a better berth after a reshuffle.
Other parties, including the Telugu Desam Party and the Lok Janshakti Party, were said to be similarly unhappy with what they had been given, but – considering the position of power from which the BJP was able to negotiate – few were willing to take on Modi.
Internal friction
The friction is being exacerbated by the state BJP units. As one political analyst put it informally, “Sab apne aap ko Modi samajhte hain.” (Every BJP worker now thinks of himself as Modi). Local cadres in states where a regional party has traditionally dominated are now pushing to take charge.
“For a long time, the BJP was a coalitionable party,” said Ashutosh Kumar, a professor of political science at Panjab University. "Outside the Hindi belt, they were never a powerful force and so they had to tie up with regional parties." But with the BJP's success in the Lok Sabha elections, the party feels that these alliances have served their purpose. "Now the party is ready to take everybody on, on its own," Kumar said.
Kumar likens the situation to the parable of the camel’s nose. “The camel owner is inside the tent, and because it’s cold outside, he lets the camel poke its nose in. Eventually, the camel has pushed itself all the way in and the owner is stuck outside,” he said. “See what’s happened in Karnataka? The Janata Dal (Secular) which was the BJP’s ally there, is now nowhere. State units want this to happen everywhere.”
Change of guard
The massive change in personnel that came along with Narendra Modi’s campaign also had a major effect on the way the BJP dealt with its allies. Leaders like Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi who had spent years in coalitions, working to build relationships were left by the wayside. Instead, they were replaced by those like party president Amit Shah, who are not constrained by those old relationships and would rather see the BJP expand on its own.
Maharashtra may be the state where the BJP has been the most belligerent in this regard, but it’s happening elsewhere too.
The BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance in Punjab might not be in doubt, but the decision of the Akalis to support the Indian Nation Lok Dal in Haryana has caused problems. The INLD is a former BJP ally that it is now contesting against. Last month, the BJP also broke its alliance with the Haryana Janshakti Party, with which it had contested the Lok Sabha elections. Similar noises are coming from the party’s allies in Jharkhand and Bihar too.
“State parties have a sense of vitriol,” Kumar said. “When the BJP was nowhere, they agreed to tie up. Now the BJP is pushing them out of the way. But the simple fact is, no party wants to share power. Coalitions are always the second choice, and the BJP has decided it no longer needs to make alliances.”