The 2024 Lok Sabha election dates have been announced and it won’t be long before the campaigning takes off in full earnest. Tickets are still being finalised but the narrative building has begun. The Supreme Court’s decision on the electoral bonds came as a welcome reprieve for the Opposition because prior to this, the Government and the Prime Minister had stolen the headlines. However, of late, the electoral bonds issue has dominated the media, there is talk of quid pro quo between the Central government and various donors, as well as between various state governments and the donors. A large chunk of the electoral bonds funding has also been traced to the BJP though exact details are awaited. For a while the BJP was on the backfoot busy explaining the benefits of keeping the bonds anonymous and the advantages of bonds versus cash donations etc. The heat was off their favourite whipping boy – Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. A buoyed opposition felt that it finally had an issue that it could take to the people in the coming elections.
It was at this precise moment that Rahul Gandhi stepped back into the picture with one of infamous gaffes. Speaking at the conclusion of the (well attended) Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, he was speaking about the misuse of EVMs by the government, when he commented that “There is a word Shakti in Hinduism. We are fighting against a shakti too. The question is what is that Shakti and what does it mean for us?”
The BJP was quick to pick on this and used the comment to distract the narrative away from the electoral bonds. The PM himself led the charge stating that, “Don’t we worship Shakti in India? Haven’t we dedicated our Chandrayaan to Shiv Shakti (the name given to the site of the landing)? But these people are talking about life without a Shakti.” This had Rahul Gandhi clarifying on his comments and accusing the Prime Minister of deliberately misinterpreting his words. Various Congress spokespersons jumped in with a thesis on good shakti and bad shakti, and the BJP retaliated. The news cycle became all about Shakti instead of Electoral Bonds. And, well, we all know who wins when the debate about Hinduism – and not electoral bonds.
Can the Congress – and the rest of the Opposition – afford such self-goals. Talk to any opposition leader and she (or he) will tell you that there is no sense in taking the BJP on in matters of Hinduism, hindutva and religion. It is much better to steer the debate away towards economic and governance issues. The Congress party’s draft manifesto that has been sourced by the media focuses on just that, talking about jobs, vocational training and its Nyay scheme. This could get traction, for despite the government’s claims of a high growth rate, the same is not being felt on the ground, or in our per capita incomes.
The narrative building becomes all the more important for the Opposition, because it does not have a face or leader to take on the Prime Minister. That vacuum can only be filled with a strong manifesto that has a mass connect.