Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Odisha and Assam early next week while BJP pushes for the ‘rath yatra’ in West Bengal.
New Delhi: After recent electoral losses in the heartland, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is even more determined to look eastward as the year ends.
Its much-disputed ‘rath yatra‘ in West Bengal, which the court has stopped for now, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Odisha and Assam visits next week form pieces of a concerted strategy.
On Friday, the Calcutta High Court set aside a single-bench Thursday order that gave a go-ahead to the party to hold the rally. The order came after the West Bengal government approached the court.
Modi is scheduled to visit Odisha Monday and Assam Tuesday. In Odisha, along with inaugurating some projects, the prime minister is scheduled to address a rally. In Assam, where the BJP is in power, Modi will inaugurate the Bogibeel bridge and could also address a public meeting.
The ‘east’ emphasis
Ever since coming to power in 2014, the BJP has been looking to expand its footprint in newer territories, including the east and Northeast. However, after its losses in heartland states last week and bypoll losses in Uttar Pradesh this year, the party believes it has become pertinent for it to focus on these regions.
According to sources in the party, BJP is aware it will face losses in the northern/western/central states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, which it wants to offset to an extent from gains in eastern states like Odisha and West Bengal as well as the north-eastern states.
The states in the Northeast — Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland and Tripura — account for 25 Lok Sabha seats, of which the BJP currently has only 8.
While Odisha has 21 Lok Sabha seats, West Bengal has 42. The entire eastern region has as many as 88 Lok Sabha seats, of which the BJP currently has only 11.
Given its potential to gain in these areas, the BJP is going all out to get its strategy in the region right.
The West Bengal ‘rath yatra‘ for it, thus, was crucial and the party was ready with a blueprint for this exercise.
Also read: 3 key developments that make BJP happy despite its election defeats
The rath yatra strategy
Senior BJP leaders in West Bengal said the dates of the three yatras covering all 42 parliamentary constituencies was to be launched by party president Amit Shah on 28, 30 and 31 December.
However, the high court has thrown a spanner in the party’s plans. The BJP is now looking at its legal options, but the state unit said there is “no chance of its dropping this plan”.
“All preparations have been made. Raths have been brought to West Bengal. We will push for the yatra till the very end,” said a senior state unit BJP leader on condition of anonymity.
Sources in the party state unit said while Shah was scheduled to be present for the yatras, the party had chalked out a detailed plan for senior central leaders — including ministers — to throng the state and address gatherings.
Armed with allegations of political killings against the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee government, these leaders were then supposed to charge up the atmosphere for the electoral battle ahead, a senior minister said.
In the course of the journey, small public gatherings, to be addressed by senior leaders, were scheduled. Sources said Shah had specifically instructed the ‘save democracy’ yatra to not be left to just the state leadership.
‘Why silence now’
The party leadership also attacked the Trinamool Congress government for trying to stop the yatras. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley took to Twitter Thursday to slam the West Bengal government.
“Why are Human Rights activists and opposition parties silent on denial of a right to a political party to organise its’ programme in West Bengal,” tweeted Jaitley.
Why are Human Rights activists and opposition parties silent on denial of a right to a political party to organise its' programme in West Bengal.
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) December 20, 2018
“If any NDA/BJP Government had stopped an opposition Programme, it would have been called an “Undeclared Emergency”. Why Silence now?” another tweet read.
If any NDA/BJP Government had stopped an opposition Programme, it would have been called an “Undeclared Emergency”. Why Silence now?
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) December 20, 2018
“It is the Trinamool Congress that wants to communalise this yatra, we are looking at it as a purely political exercise,” said BJP state president Dilip Ghosh.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, BJP won just two of the state’s 42 seats but for 2019, Shah has set a target of 22 seats.
Besides the overt political push, the BJP is also attempting to pitch itself as pro-development party in these regions. The optics of Modi launching development projects in Odisha and Assam on two consecutive dates have been carefully designed and the party hopes to go to the electorate of these states with this narrative forming a key part of its campaign.
Also read: Raje, BJP high command headed for another showdown as ex-CM eyes state unit chief post
This article reminds me of an old Hindi proverb: “Saw sonar ki, ek lohar ki.” Sonar (Goldsmith) has a little hammer, which he delicately keeps pelting on a piece of gold to shape it into the desired shape. A lohar on the other hand (a blacksmith), has a massive hammer, which he pounds hard on a piece of iron to shape it into the desired shape. So, the proverb says, one stroke of a blacksmith is equal to a hundred strokes of a goldsmith!
And so is the situation with the election math. All of India east of Patna has 85 seats, and one U.P. alone has I think 90 seats! Then there is other part of Hindi belt like the three states in which elections was held recently. And then there is Telangana where due to Yogi ji’s great effort I think BJP won two seats, and the rest of the south. In short, the BJP is a goner. Shri Ram has made up His mind to humble the two extra-smart gentlemen from Gujarat.