A Bangrappa emerging in Madhya Pradesh?
By Amba Charan Vashishth
One of the weaknesses of Indian system of democracy is the lack of birth control on our political parties. Just as uncontrolled sex is the cause for booming population, so is the uncontrolled ego and ambition the cause of the almost daily birth of our political parties. That is one of the reasons why during the last sixty-one years we have failed to have a ruling party which commanded more than 50 percent of the votes cast. India could never register a poll percentage of more than 70 percent and this only means that India has always been ruled by a party/alliance not commanding the majority support but only a minority of much less than one-third of the total electorate.
It is the feeling of self-righteousness, arrogance and ego fuelled by the henchmen of the leaders that we witness birth of a new party the moment a party fails to satisfy the whims of individuals bred and brought up by it. Equally true is the fact that in political parties justice is not always dispensed to individuals or merit is not always rewarded. But if one believes in inner party democracy, the aggrieved individual should fight for justice and prove the justness of his cause/stand within the party. But, no. Our leaders wish to teach the party and its leadership a lesson for a wrong, they think, has been done to them. Many have the airs that the party exists only because of them; the moment they leave it, it is a void, doomed.
Comparisons may be odious, yet not always out of place. There is a great similarity between the cases of Mr. S. Bangrappa and Sushri Uma Bharati. Both are former chief ministers, one of Karnataka and the other of Madhya Pradesh. They nurture, right or wrong, the grievance against their respective party leadership that they have been wronged.
Mr. Bangrappa was the chief minister of a Congress government in Karnataka. He was made to resign by the high command. On the eve of 1989 assembly elections, he quit Congress, formed his Karnataka Congress Party and contested 218 out of 224 seats. The incumbent Congress government facing an anti-incumbency wave crumbled from a tally of 178 seats to just 34, its vote share crashing down to 26.95% from 43.76%, a loss of 16.81%. Congress loss was shared by BJP by increasing its vote share from 4.14 to 16.99% (seats from 4 to 40) and Janta Dal from 27.08 (24 seats) to 33.54% (115 seats). What cost Congress the power was the Bangarappa's Karnataka Congress slicing 7.31% votes (10 seats).
Politicians seem too eager to get one of their legs amputated if it could make their opponent lose two. Mr. Bangarappa had nothing further to lose; he had already lost power. So his limited and narrow objective was -- if not he, then Congress too not. He drew the vicarious pleasure of making that party lose power which had snatched it from him.
If there is anything like bravery or chivalry in politics, it should either be to ensure victory for self or for own party, but not to a third person in any case. Otherwise, it settles down to monkey business in which the gainer is the third person benefitting from the fight between two uncompromising persons.
What has been the end result? The lone political traveller Mr. Bangarappa who had hogged from one party to the other a number of times temporary halts and shelters in a number of political parties, ultimately, faced the ignominy of a defeat for himself and his sons in the assembly elections. Till 2008 Karnataka elections Mr. Bangarappa had been the invincible hero who never lost an election. But this time his vengeance made him lose both power and prestige.
As things stand today. The Bangrappa history seems to be repeating itself in Madhya Pradesh this assembly election. Sushri Uma Bharati's Bharatiya Janashakti Party is going to contest all the 230 assembly seats in the State. There seems to be no dearth of political parties and individuals to fan her ego and arrogance with a design and objective of their own. They know her presence in the elections is going to harm one and benefit the other. She too seems to wish to teach her former party a lesson: "If not me, you too not".
Her real brother has deserted Sushri Bharati. There are dissensions within her clan. It will be too much for a sagacious person, like her, to daydream of coming to power on her own. But she does wish – and all wishes are not always granted! – to 'punish' BJP. It is too early to predict – and psephology these days is no longer that precise a science with correct predictions and no one has so far prophesied with certainty either that BJP will once again romp home to power or Congress will win. But nobody can risk foretelling Sushri Bharati storming to power defeating both BJP and Congress in the current elections.
Whatever may be the outcome of the elections, this much can easily – and safely – be forecast: the only great loser to emerge, like Mr. S. Bangarappa in Karnataka, will only be Sushri Uma Bharati in Madhya Pradesh in the long run. If BJP swings back to power, she stands decimated from the State politics as a force to reckon with. If Congress is crowned with power, Sushri Bharati will lose relevance because having rode to power on the strength of her shoulders, it too would not like to massage these to make them more powerful. Congress would not be beholden to her, as was the Janta Dal not to Mr. Bangarappa for power it could never aspire without Bangarappa slicing Congress cake.
Where is Mr. S. Bangarappa today? Nowhere on the political scene. Nowhere in the political reckoning.
Will assembly elections results on December 8 throw out another Bangarappa in Madhya Pradesh? ***
