MP Civic Poll: Congress Was Mute on Vyapam, Vocal on Lalitgate

BJP won MP civic elections because of better poll management and Congress’ poorly conceived strategy. Read here.

Last month, the Washington Post described the Vyapam scam as a “$1 billion test-rigging scam” and “India’s biggest corruption scandal.” As the swindle hogged international media headlines, The New York Times said the scam was of “astounding proportions even by India’s terrible standards.”

The Congress, which has been raising the issue since 2013 when its stench began to permeate across Madhya Pradesh, launched a high decibel national campaign last month seeking the resignation of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for allegedly abetting scam.

It is a scam that could jeopardise the academic and professional accomplishments of thousands of youngsters; it is a scam in which over 2,000 people, including a state minister, were arrested; it is a scam involving the mysterious death of more than 40 persons. The Vyapam scam has put the BJP and Chouhan, in particular, on the defensive. And yet, the ruling BJP swept the civic polls on August 12, winning eight out of 10 municipal corporations.

Corruption Not An Issue?

The results may have even baffled the BJP. Despite this highly potent weapon in its arsenal, the Congress failed miserably, winning just one civic body.

Is it merely a case of the BJP’s “killer instinct” and the absence of it in the Congress? Or is it that the electorate overlooks corruption if there is a semblance of “good governance” or even a perception of it? That may be a reason and that is why the Saradha scam notwithstanding, the Trinamool Congress continues to win elections in West Bengal.

A deeper dissection, however, underscores a number of factors that contributed to the astounding BJP victory in Madhya Pradesh.

First, the Congress’ failure to communicate with the people at the grassroots level, the disconnect between senior state leaders – Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Suresh Pachauri – and their inability to connect with the people and flag the issue effectively. Although Rahul Gandhi spearheaded the campaign from Delhi, he failed to get his act together in the state. None of the haughty Congress worthies, Rahul included, invested time and energy in the civic polls.

The Congress lost power in Madhya Pradesh more than a decade ago and since then it has not been able to reclaim the state or even win any key by-election. And yet there is no let-up in factional politics and ego clashes among the senior state leaders. Unless Rahul resolves the leadership issue in Madhya Pradesh immediately, the party will continue to wallow in the political mire.

‘Vyapam’ Not Local Enough?

• Congress’ failure to strike a chord with people at the grassroots level explains its defeat in the recent civic polls in MP
• Protest against Vyapam lost its sheen with Rahul targeting Sushma over Lalitgate
• It was Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s last ditch effort that helped BJP consolidate votes

Targeting Sushma Backfired

The Congress created a ruckus in Parliament over Lalitgate and Vyapam scam, but for some ill-advised reasons, Rahul chose to keep the focus on Sushma Swaraj’s LaMo link, which did not cut much ice even with other Opposition parties. Had Rahul and his boys kept the heat on Vyapam and forced a discussion on it, the issue could have made some impact in MP.

On August 12, when civic poll voting was underway, the Lok Sabha was discussing not Vyapam but an “elitist” issue – IPL. Taking this opportunity, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley turned the tables against the Gandhis with ease by revisiting Congress corruption and hogging prime time television.

It is time for the Congress to introspect how the BJP wins elections even in scam-scarred states like Madhya Pradesh and how Trinamool Congress and AIADMK win in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, two states not  communalised yet in the classical sense.

BJP’s Micro-Management

As against the supine Congress strategists, the BJP leadership and cadre are highly focused and motivated. As far back as October last year, party president Amit Shah flew to Bhopal and held a special meeting on micro-managing the civic elections.

A beleaguered Chouhan mobilised all his resources and closed ranks with detractors within the party. The RSS and its numerous affiliate organisations too worked hard to win the polls even though several Sangh functionaries were entangled in Vyapam.

Disagreeing that the Congress lost due to mismanagement, a senior leader claimed that the poll outcome was the result of ribald communalisation of the polity by the BJP. In such a surcharged atmosphere scams do not deter the indoctrinated, he surmised. As the results indicate, it appears that Chouhan has successfully consolidated his vote base by tweaking the Vyapam controversy. He played innocent to the hilt claiming that the scam originated from the Congress’ tenure and he took action.

(The writer is a Delhi-based senior journalist)