PM
Vajpayee (R) receives a sword, a religious symbol of the Sikhs,
in Patiala
The Truth
About Vajpayee's Vision Document
By
Kalyani Shankar
THE
BJP FOR the first time has come out with a vision document. By
presenting a vision rather than a BJP manifesto, is it playing
a clever game with voters and its core supporters? The vision
document is all things to all people.
To
its core supporters, the vision remains true to the Hindutva ideology
and its main demands on the mandir, common civil code and other
issues. To the other voters, the document reads like a diluted
non-ideological vision wherein the BJP portrays itself as being
centrist and pragmatic.
The
difference between vision and manifesto is that a manifesto provides
a roadmap of promises to the voters till the next elections while
the vision has no time frame. A voter can hold the party bosses
accountable for not fulfilling their promises provided in the
manifesto whereas the party can get away with the vision document.
After all a vision is like a dream.
As
the BJP has opted to go with the NDA agenda officially, the vision
document spells out the BJP stand on many things. It wants to
tell its core supporters that it has not given up its ideology
and hint that that it can implement it only when the party comes
to power on its own. Until then, the Sangh parivar has to go along
with the NDA manifesto.
Why
a vision document now and why not earlier or later? The explanation
given by Arun Jaitley, who is the author of vision document is
there was no need earlier as the BJP manifesto was adequate enough
for this purpose.
Even
in 1998 the BJP went to polls with its own manifesto. In 1999,
it was the NDA manifesto and that was the time the party could
have gone for a vision document and somehow it did not do it.
So better late than never is the idea. The NDA agenda is of governance
while the BJP wants to keep its constituency intact and also its
hard core tied to it by spelling out its vision which retains
all its pet themes.
What
is the thrust of the vision document? The BJP has put away the
three contentious issues Ram mandir, uniform civil code and Article
370 to the back burner for the sake of power. These past five
years whenever the mandir controversy arose and the VHP became
active, the Prime Minister's answer has always been that he will
follow the NDA agenda. The allies too remained pacified with this
promise.
The
vision document makes it amply clear that the mandir is still
dear to its heart. The difference is only in the wording. While
in 1996 it said that the BJP government will remove all hurdles
in the road for construction of mandir, the stand in 1998 was
that it will explore all consensual, constitutional and legal
means. The vision document talks of negotiated settlement with
the judicial verdict also in the background.
The
deviation on the common civil code is subtle and significant.
The BJP's stand in 1996 was that the code will be made. In 1998
it said that the Law Commission will formulate the code. And the
vision documents says "the Constitution calls for a code
and the Supreme Court too. Political and social consensus needed
for its enactment."
The
repackaging focuses on negotiated consensus and brings in the
Constitution and the judiciary as the backers of a common civil
code in the name of gender justice. The emphasis on social and
political consensus makes the BJP look like it is interested in
a common civil code for these reasons rather than for religious
reasons.
The
vision document also subtly changed its stance on the issue of
Article 370. Earlier the BJP had stated that the Constitution
would be amended. The Swadeshi concept has been cleverly adapted
to the new situation. From an earlier focus on economic nationalism
and identity, the vision explains its goal as "India first"
where the country dominates as a world leader in its products
and service. The emphasis on the economic agenda is interesting.
The
goal is to make India a super power. The program is quite pragmatic
promising an 8 per cent growth. The BJP wants to use the economic
route for political gains. The Vajpayee government has had several
things going good including a low inflation rate, record foreign
exchange reserves, good monsoon, and better investment climate.
The
BJP's vision is a very cleverly drafted document camouflaging
many things which it does not want to accept openly. In fact the
words `Article 370' are avoided although not omitted. The drafters
of the document have played with words, giving an impression that
the ideology has been diluted.
However,
if a believer reads it carefully, the RSS dream of a paramrashtra
runs through every paragraph. The terms `Hindutva', `Swadeshi'
etc. have merely been dressed in new clothes to convince the general
voter of the BJP's benign new centrist intentions.
It
is not surprising that the opposition Congress party has denounced
the vision as an effort to whitewash Hindutva. The Congress party
is afraid that if voters took the vision document seriously, they
might vote for the BJP.
After
all, the document gives an impression that the BJP wants to occupy
the centrist space so far held by the Congress. There isn't much
to choose between the economic agendas of the two parties. In
fact, the BJP has gone a step ahead and has promised economic
supremacy of India and has spelt out the route.
The
Congress is afraid that the BJP advertisements on "India
shining" and a "feel good" factor may yet reap
dividends with the voters. The Congress also has to worry about
a divided opposition with splintered votes while the NDA votes
are intact.
The
Congress too is planning its own vision document which is being
hurriedly redrafted after the release of the BJP vision. If insiders
are to be believed, there is not going to be much difference between
its vision and its manifesto. It will be interesting to see if
the BJP's vision document will garner votes from the believers
as well as skeptics.
All
that BJP has to do is to just sit back and pull out either its
vision or the NDA manifesto. The vision document is yet another
item in the BJP's cafeteria. It is not going to be long before
other political parties catch up with the vision game.
