Jinnah’s entry in UP poll fray: Opposition’s gamble bound to backfire

Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the man behind India’s partition died in 1948. More than 70 years have passed since then, but the spectre of India’s bifurcation in 2 countries has now made its way into political discourse, as the country’s most populous state prepares for Assembly polls next year.

Jinnah came alive in UP’s political battlefield after Samajwadi Party (SP) leader said at a public meet, “Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Jinnah… became barristers and they got us independence”. The tactful poll pitch by SP leader was seized upon by the BJP and set the stage for bitter political face-off.

Political observers believed that bringing Jinnah in UP’s political battle was indeed a thought-out strategy, owing to SP’s politics of appeasement. Now, it has become a political fodder and one of the issues dominating the political discourse in state.

The slugfest over Jinnah in 21st century UP elections clearly shows the crisis of new ideas among political class, lack of development issues and Opposition’s deliberate attempt to divide the electorate on religious lines. Their charge of BJP pursuing Hindu votes may hold water but in spite of cornering government on progressive issues, they too are resorting to religious agenda. Clearly, the parties are trapped in competitive communalism and it’s not going to benefit either – political class or public in general.

Congress, till late, kept itself off religious rhetoric but its comparison of Hindutva vs Hinduism has given fresh handle for accelerating the religious divide.

Jinnah’s ghost will pave way for BJP return

Akhilesh’s invocation of Jinnah is based on gratuitous assumption that Muslim voters have soft corner for Pakistan’s founding father and will inevitably gravitate towards the party. Orchestrating such a narrative is itself questionable but political parties don’t refrain from this for consolidating their vote banks.

Akhilesh-led SP may be able to garner Muslim votes but this gives BJP, a mix of opportunities on the platter, to explore issues of distractions & ignore those of economic importance.

Ayodhya’s Diwali celebrations and Ram Temple will invariably mobilize Lord Ram devotees and set up clamour for return of BJP govt. Jinnah’s ghost will only add momentum to the right-wing faction’s endeavour in soliciting and consolidating Hindu vote base. And, issues like Corona crisis, mass graves of Covid deaths and bodies floating on Ganga could well be drowned in the religious clamour.

With Akhilesh putting Jinnah in the same category with Mahatma Gandhi & Vallabhbhai Patel, it has created a proverbial storm in a teacup. Electoral benefit of the move is yet to be seen but the issue has enough potential to queer the political pitch by reviving the identity politics and fault-lines of religion, thereby undermining the economic issues. BJP knows its strength in such issues and knows how to cash in.

Other opposition parties like AAP, Congress are already unnerved over ruling party’s Hindutva slogan but have no solid alternative to counter. No wonder, they are seen pandering to Hindu beliefs and customs. Kejriwal has a list of religious pilgrimages while Gandhi siblings are going extra mile to project themselves as devout Hindu. Despite these outreach, BJP’s Hindutva coupled with nationalism remains a default poll-winner. While Akhilesh-led SP is wooing the Muslim vote bank, other rivals are following BJP’s footsteps in garnering votes.

SP, being the dominant opposition party, has stepped up poll blitzkrieg but it largely remained dormant in past 4.5 years. Priyanka Gandhi is leading the Cong charge from front but her ‘guest appearances’ hasn’t cut ice with the voters yet and one has serious doubts about Cong’s revival.

The divided Opposition and lack of a coherent strategy pose no challenge to Yogi govt, which came to power in 2017 with thumping majority. Going by current poll surveys, Yogi-led BJP is making its way back to power with clear majority.