BJP at numbers game, yet again

When Modi dangled Rs 1 lakh crore carrot, Biharis did not go for it. They preferred 'work on the ground' over the magical words of the BJP leadership. If BJP leadership thinks raining promises to the tune of a lakh crore and more would bring it votes, then it is a gross underestimate of Aam Aadmi's intelligence, more so in the case of Telangana where KCR is on a firm ground

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The wordy duel between the BJP national president, Amit Shah, and the Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandrashekar Rao, over Central funds to the State was uncalled for, in fact.

When it is 'elections ka jumla,' all is fair, as Amit Shah himself said. Several questions were raised over the claims made by him that the Centre had funded up to one lakh crore. This claim was similar to the one made during Bihar elections by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

The Prime Minister asked people at rallies then: "how much does Bihar require for development? How much does the Chief Minister here seek? Rs 10,000 crore? Rs 25,000 crore? Rs 50,000 crore? ...Rs 1 lakh crore?"
After a pause, as usual in his dramatic fashion, he lowered the pitch and said "will one lakh twenty five thousand crore do? Is it OK? This amount? Then take it. Here it is. I am sanctioning you whatever you sought and much more than it?"

Of course, people were not lured by the offer and went ahead and voted Nitish-Lalu combine to power as they preferred 'work on the ground' over the magical words of the BJP leadership.

A careful study of the package that was offered to Bihar later proved that the magnanimous one lac crore offer was in fact a mishmash of the cost of the projects being implemented, to be implemented and planned and those in pipeline and also proposed ones for Bihar.

Some time back, after the Bihar Assembly elections, as the State was still waiting for the Rs 1.25 lakh crore fund, an RTI query was filed. It also sought to know the details of action taken on the entire financial packages that amounted to Rs 1.25 lakh crore. It was filed by one Galgali of Mumbai.

The reply to the same was given by the Deputy Director in Finance Ministry, Anand Parmar, and he said, beating around the bush, “about the Rs 125,003-crore special package for Bihar, announced by PM for August 18, 2015, the projects/works will be completed in a phased manner.”

Take for example the case of Jammu and Kashmir, where the BJP-PDP rules the State, the BJP announced a Rs 80,068-crore aid package. An RTI query later revealed that it was intended to be used for long-term relief and development after the state was hit by devastating floods that year. In the case of Sikkim too, it was a repeat. That is all. An aid package of Rs 43,589 to enhance tourism infrastructure sought by Sikkim on June 15, 2016, is yet to be disbursed.

Of course, P K Chamling, the Chief Minister, ruling the State since 1994, knows that money won't come now or for that matter till the next Assembly elections in 2019. He recently remarked, “Modiji will come here and announce one lakh crore package before or after launching his election campaign. I am not in a hurry and prefer to wait," in private.

If the BJP leadership is of the firm opinion that raining promises to the tune of a lakh crore and more would bring them votes, then it is a gross underestimate of the Aam Aadmi's intelligence. It is performance that matters and nothing else does count when it comes to the voter. Of course, Modi-Shah combine is well aware of it and the two are far better than their rivals in the art of electioneering. But here and there they are bound to find their match just as a mighty Alexander did in Porus.

The story of David and Goliath should be read time and again by the leaders in our country to understand that when time and history conspire together, the latter would fall in the hands of an insignificant David.
Anyway, let me recall the story for the benefit of Goliaths. There was a war in the land of Israel. King Saul and the Israelites were fighting the Philistines among whom was Goliath. This giant used to come out every morning and taunt the enemies to face him. This he continued for 40 days.

David, a shepherd, was sent to the battle field to supply food to his brothers fighting in the Israeli army and he heard Goliath's challenge and prepared to fight him despite his brothers chiding him.

Goliath laughed and taunted David time and again in the confrontation. David picked up five stones and used his sling to shoot one, just one. It straight hit Goliath's forehead bringing him down. Thus ended the challenge.
Of course, elections could be a different cup of tea. Several issues count here, more so in this era of coalitions. Thus, any battle cry is OK, but it must be hemmed by performance at the ground level. Whether people would approve of KCR's leadership depends on his performance and his contribution to the making of 'Bangaru Telangana.' Amit Shah has every right to reel out the figures he prefers to in his speeches. But the tone and tenor does induce a reaction from his perceived rivals.

Having come to power sweeping the elections on his Telangana sentiment having achieved the goal of separate Statehood, the TRS supremo would certainly not take lying down a challenge from the national leadership of the ruling party. KCR may overestimate his strength, but he would not certainly, underestimate the strength of his rivals.

As of now, he is on a firm ground, a very, very firm at that. There is no immediate threat to him from any quarter, politically at least. But, this war of words could lead to a different plane altogether. Now-a-days politics have this tendency to go legal with friendly investigating agencies.

As long as KCR is concentrating on delivering good governance, he need not worry. The Chief Minister is a shrewd politician and understands the psyche of the voters very well. Every beneficiary of his programmes need not vote for him again and not all of them do. But, he has to take care of the chinks in his armor properly.

He has to be battle ready all the times and the latest tit-for-tat could be seen as such a measure. Of course, for those who stand by the BJP, the CM may have sounded petrified, but ask those who vouch for KCR, and they would say he had stung back valiantly - word to word, figure to figure and slash to slash.
Round one, if it is, it is advantage KCR. Several rounds still to go and each point shall be taken very seriously and fought with full skill.

KCR should be able, however, to confine this to the political level alone. The two players are not really rivals. They are like rivals playing for the same side with each trying to outwit the other, for a place in the final. Notwithstanding the outcome, they could be friends, any day.

And there is this observation among the political circles here: "Friendships are to be cultivated. People in power like to be visited. You don't do that, you cannot break the ice easily."

As of now, the BJP is claiming that Rs 1 lakh crore has been given. It's next move could be to ask "where has the money gone?" Well, there is no dearth of optics now-a-days in politics. There is a political context to everything. And KCR is good at evaluating it.

BJP leadership is watching and ...waiting for his next move.