It’s easy to say what the Opposition parties including BJP and outsiders like IAC should do. However the real vignettes can be gained by looking inside the brains and machinery of Congress.
Congress is currently crumbling under the huge load of self-inflicted shame. They perhaps thought they could buy off the veneer with stolen money or nobody will notice it. Unfortunately for them, people have noticed it. The sheer magnitude and frequency of them will make it hard to be forgotten in living memory.
Congress has following pathways wherein they can survive into the future.
First, they should stop fighting. More they dig-in in their indefensible defense more it becomes irrelevant and unreliable. Their entire credibility will hinge on it. However, assuming some really big players are involved, Congress is unlikely to accept the defeat or guilt. More they try and defend the indefensible more they fail.
Second, Congress should ensure that Opposition is not united. Congress is at its weakest in decades and the last thing it will want is a strong opposition. It can do this by dividing opposition on several issues - important or irrelevant. All and any distraction that can buy it some time to survive would be very helpful.
Third, Congress should really control the media; nothing like being a victim of propaganda and even negative-media. Frankly, Congress cannot allow media to run free and paint it in bad light. Word of mouth fire more quickly than you can imagine. They will also not be able to quell the fire and its spread. What they badly need are some new faces who can step up to the plate and start defending the party and giving new promises. Only way they can survive is to by being credible and confuse the opposition. There are no way the assertions of usual suspects like Manish can ever help Congress. Even if they do a good job, it will still hurt Congress.
Fourth, the main issue for the Congress is to keep its flock together. In the season of distrust, where grass-roots don’t see any political, financial or social future in the political party, they are very likely to defect. Though they are still a substantial party, they are weakened. Congress leaders should give more motivation and inspirations (aka blue sky dreams) to workers of the future years. Hard task for them but they got to do it.
Fifth, Congress should forget about getting reelected in next term but should concentrate more on surviving the organization without irreparable harm. Congress should connect more with its grass root workers and revive the loyalty to its leaders, and spend time trying connecting with general popilation who would sway. Also, a strong grass-roots level workers will ensure the voter base is not substantially eroded.
Sixth, I would guess they have enough money to splurge on elections and supplementary expenses. They should go all out for it. Spend as much as they can, buy as much and what all they can buy, and live to see another day.
Seventh, it would also be good for them to detach from the tainted leaders. Very likely it is an opposition party or an opposition coalition that would form the government, and they will go all out witch hunt. Opposition will try and dig in as much dirt as possible to ensure the fallibility of Congress is alive in memory and court cases. Congress would do well, to “retire” few top guys who have made enough dough in last few years.
From the perspectives of Opposition, it is equally important to organize themselves to attack the possible maneuvers of Congress. Luckily for them, they have some serious advantages. They just have to play along with the likes of Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev, Arvind Kejriwal and likes to appear on the right side of people versus politician fight. More than anything else for parties like BJP this is the best opportune moment to go for the kill and permanently damage the visibility and standing of Congress. For their own sake, BJP and other political parties (or coalitions) should ensure Congress never regains the stature it has held before or even what it holds now.
What can these parties do? There are lots of possibilities, and following are some of them.
A. Divide
Who is Congress? Congress is a party with lakhs of workers represented in New Delhi by committees.
BJP and other parties should encourage Congress party workers to split off and join them. They have to careful however as to how the newcomers will gain from the defection i.e. the present loyal workforce should not be overshadowed nor should their aspirations be ignored.
If BJP and other parties can make the "surrender" guilt and ridicule free, they will start of a steady stream of defectors who will eventually lead to crumbling edifice of Congress.
Opposition should hit Congress when they and their grass-roots are confused, demotivated and disillusioned – that is NOW.
I would suggest BJP or some other parties orchestrate a poster-child defection (or play up a smaller defection into a big-time story). Somebody highly ranked and respected in Congress machinery, which will send out cracks in every system of Congress' edifice.
It’s also not necessary that Congress party workers join the opposition parties but it’s just that the agreement is made to support them from “outside”
Point: More Congress splinters, weaker it becomes. Opposition parties should hit the Congress when the iron is hot. This is the time to move in for a kill.
2. Ally
Time for the opposition parties to form opportunistic alliances. If they remain divided on issues – big or small – they will lose the window of opportunity. It’s time for them to forget petty differences and form and create a larger picture where they play major roles.
They can ally on the ideological platform of Anti-corruption, and need not really worry about the intricate secularist or capitalist ideologies for the moment. This coming together will enable these parties to carve a better future for themselves.
Point: United, the opposition succeeds (brilliantly!), divided it looses it last bit of credibility to be taken seriously.
3. Drama
Opposition parties should also make some show-sacrifices. If any of its ministers or members are corrupt, the party should stop supporting them - at least in open. For instance, somebody like Yeddyurappa should be cut loose. Bad apples in opposition, reduces the impact of opposition's rhetoric and credibility. Any overt move played to galleries will reinforce the “white knight” image for these parties to play up in next polls.
Simple, we need more drama than opposition is playing out. We need them to roll on the ground, crying writhing in pain until the referee gives the rival a red-card.
Nothing gets attention like drama.
4. Connect. Connect. Connect.
Perhaps the most important, BJP should really really connect with people.
Its time and a right opportunity for BJP to invent itself out of the Hindutva constrained ideology. This anti-corruption and integrity platform would work well for them. They should take out the rath-yatra type campaigns and should hit hard.
Its hard to feel what they will loose by trying to reach out to people and fan their frustrations against an inefficient incapable governments. Every opposition parties should rise against and defeat their important enemy.
More they appear as the messengers of doom inflicted by Congress, more sympathy they will garner in the minds of masses. More they connect and convey the misdeeds of the present ruling Congress led governments, more they will be able to convince the masses they are their only hope of redemption.
Point: BJP has to step up to the plate. They have a chance to make a difference and become premier party for next several decades if they play the moves well.
To Conclude: Opposition should:
- Fortify their voter bases,
- Reach out to newer Congress bases,
- Try create as much defection in Congress forces as possible,
- Weaken Congress by constantly keeping the management engaged in fire-fighting while simultaneously preparing for polls;
- To ensure they connect and convey the message directly to the voting bases,
- To play up the drama by campaigns like rath-yathra and
- Portray clean image of themselves and their allies.
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