Defeat of BJP in Karnataka
Karnataka election has given a big jolt to BJP. Though there was some indications of congress victory from the beginning of the election campaign, the manner in which BJP was defeated by Congress, was, to say the least, was totally unexpected. The number of seats won by congress increased from 78 to 135, way above the halfway mark of 122, whereas, the seats won by BJP fell from 104 to 65. Comparison is obviously with the last assembly election held on 2018. In fact the result was unexpected is an understatement and it is underlined by the fact, even after voting, all exit polls except one, could at the most predict a hung assembly. Alas BJP and Modi-Shah combine! The defeat was so massive that they could not even think of carrying out another operation lotus, which has become ?new normal? for BJP in the closely fought assembly elections.
We have repeatedly said before that it is almost impossible to decipher, to understand the real mood of the masses, of working class and other toiling people, from the bourgeois parliamentary elections where many factors come into play, and especially more, in absence of party of a proletariat, the workers and toiling people participate in the election remaining under influence of the politics of bourgeois ?petty bourgeois political parties. However, in spite of the fact, some observations can be made which may be relevant to understand the change of the mood of the people, as people often participate in the election to reflect their aspirations, their feelings, their discontentment, even remaining under influence of bourgeois politics.
There are many possible reasons of such victory of Congress. There was palpable discontentment against the ruling BJP government due the tremendous corruption among the ministers, leaders of the ruling party as well as among the government machinery. Very recently the son of a MLA of ruling party was caught red-handed when he was taking bribes and later 21 crores of cash was confiscated from their house. Both the son and MLA were arrested. Caste equations were played by both the contending parties and even the seers of different castes got involved. How the contradictions of different castes influenced the election is difficult to predict for us. It is apparent that religious polarization also influenced the election.
But, it can be safely said one factor came out as very important in this election and that is the the questions of livelihoods of toiling poor people. NDTV had conducted a survey with Lokniti-CSDS just before election. The survey found that the questions of joblessness, poverty and price rise were the main issues of election in the opinion of the respondents of the survey. BJP tried its best to raise the questions of Hindutva and communal polarization throughout last few years. It stirred up controversies like Hijab, banning of Halal meat and banning of Muslim traders in the vicinity of the temples to increase the assault on the Muslims and also to increase the communal polarization already present in the society. The incumbent BJP government also removed the quota available to the Muslims under OBC quota and distributed it to different castes of Hindu community to kill two birds of communal polarisation and casteist division in one stone. In fact, BJP tried to stir up casteist division also.To top it all in the last leg of election campaign, Modi himself tried his own charisma to farther increase the boiling of communal cauldron by invoking the power of their beloved Lord Bajrangbali by cunningly equating banning of Bajrang Dal, one of the most communal and violent army of RSS family, with the banning of worship of Bajrangbali. But, nothing could sway the masses from their issues of livelihood. Even the last minute huge campaign and roadshows of Modi, which was then considered by the pliant media as game changer, could not even reduce the massiveness of defeat, let alone escaping it.
Many experts are claiming that the defeat of BJP is due to the local factors only, which not only absolves Modi and central leadership of BJP of any responsibility for this defeat, but also reduces the importance of the factor of basic issues of the masses in this defeat. Because, if the factors like joblessness, poverty and price rise, are important in this defeat of BJP, then Modi and the central leadership of BJP cannot escape the responsibility for the defeat. Because, all of these problems are direct fallout of the policies pursued vehemently by the Modi Government in last 9 years in the interests of big bourgeoisie of this country and also imperialism. It is true that the congress also pursued the same policies during its tenure. Not only that, the then congress government was responsible for ushering in of these policies in 1991 in the name of new economic policy.
But, the vehemence in which the BJP government has launched an all-pervasive attack on the working class and other toiling masses with Modi at the helm of the affairs, influencing the masses using his charisma as a messiah to the poor, is really unparalleled and it has made Modi a darling to the big bourgeoisie. Indirect taxes have increased immensely with the introduction of GST and huge increase of taxes on petroleum products, which has given rise to huge price rise of all the necessary commodities. Withdrawal of subsidies on different items like LPG has also contributed to the price rise. Increased automation of production processes in industry as well as in agriculture has given rise to joblessness. Introduction of such policies like allowing contractual appointments in the interests of capitalists has also forced the workers to work with paltry wages and immense workload without any security of employment. So this joblessness, poverty, price rise, increased exploitation of workers and other toiling people are all product of the neo liberal policies pursued by central and state governments. The BJP has all along tried to deceive and divert the workers and toiling masses, especially of Hindu community, from their basic issues by its politics of Hindutva and communal polarisation.
This election of Karnataka probably is showing some initial, early signs that the workers and other toiling people are starting to come out from the influence of Hindutvabadi, communal politics of BJP-RSS. It is too early to predict that it will go unabated in future elections of other states. The effects of Hindutvabadi politics on the masses will obviously be different in different states and regions. But, it can be said that the Charisma of Modi and their politics is beginning to wane.
Definitely this election is a setback for the fascist onslaught of the RSS-BJP towards conversion of India into a ?Hindu Rashtra?. But, such setbacks are temporary and limited in nature because firstly, this defeat is only in Karnataka. BJP is still in power of central government and many populous states like UP, Gujarat, MP etc. and this defeat does not foretell that BJP will be defeated in other states and especially in next parliamentary election of 2024. Secondly, there are two other reasons. All opposition parties, especially Congress, follow same neo-liberal policies to further the interests of the big bourgeoisie and imperialism, thus intensify the basic problems of livelihoods like unemployment, price rise, poverty etc. Furthermore, these parties are corrupt, equally if not more than the BJP. These experiences again drive people towards BJP. Secondly, the Sangh Parivar is definitely using the governmental power to intensify its fascist aggression, by infiltrating the organs of state power with Hindutva elements, thereby converting the state structure from within towards their aim. But, the fascist aggression of Sangh Parivar is essentially an extra-parliamentary movement whose aim is to destroy the bourgeois parliamentary structure as a whole. So, the slight extra advantage of using governmental power may be not there when BJP is thrown out from the government of a state, but it cannot stop their fascist aggression. Their fascist aggression cannot be stopped by the struggle within parliamentary arena, and that also by the same opportunistic, corrupt, ruling class parties like Congress and others. The fascist aggression can only be stopped by the development of revolutionary class struggle of working class and toiling people.
So, the task of the communists is to organize the advance section of the workers and toiling people on revolutionary plank so that they can agitate among the workers and toiling people to develop their resistance struggle, so that they can convert the growing disenchantments into powerful struggles in revolutionary direction. Fighting the fascist aggression is not a separate struggle, but part and parcel of the class struggle of working class. The revolutionary struggle of workers and toiling people like agricultural labourer and poor peasants under the leadership of working class will not only be able to show the way for complete emancipation from all exploitation, but also will be able to resist the fascist aggression. It is undoubtedly true that the working class has still not recovered from the defeat of international socialist movement; it is still fragmented, disorganized. But, it is the only force which has the ability or power to resist the fascist aggression, which is not possible by the electoral struggle of the bourgeois and petty bourgeois opposition parties. It is the task of the communists to help, guide the workers to get them organized on class line and develop their independent struggle. The communists should uphold the banner of independent class politics at any cost, however weak that may be presently. The task of organizing the advance section of working class is gaining further importance due to the growing disenchantment and dissociation from the influence of BJP as it is shown by the Karnataka election.
But, unfortunately, the communist revolutionary groups are taking a different path in the bourgeois elections. Rather than upholding the banner of independent class politics of the proletariat in the elections as it is of paramount importance to any communists worth their name, they are collaborating with the petty-bourgeois intellectuals and other sections, to build up a campaign to defeat the BJP in the elections in the name of fighting fascist forces, and effectively helping the opposition parties in their struggle to get into governmental power. We have seen this trend in the last assembly elections of West Bengal and also we have seen it in Karnataka this time. They may feel contented by the defeat of BJP, but they must understand that they are doing great injustice to the cause of independent class movement of the working class. Sooner they understand the futility of their effort, better will be for the communist movement of this country as a whole.
19th May, 2023.
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