Political Issues, Phrases of Oneness, and Ideological Wars – with Devendra Fadnavis
Devendra Fadnavis, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and a top BJP leader, spoke to The Indian Express in an open interview on issues which marred Lok Sabha elections and the criticisms of the approach and narrative of the BJP in Maharashtra. Well, sensing the spate of defeats, Fadnavis addressed the media on countering opposition’s narrative, stand he would take over contentious slogans to achieve unity, and the role of ideological allies in consolidating BJP’s position in the state. Let us look at Fadnavis’s perception of the changing political scenario, preparation by his party for future battles, and his thoughts on keeping voters united.
Reviewing Lok Sabha defeat and countering the narrative
It was times of Lok Sabha elections, when the BJP traditionally led with a strong narrative and resonated very well within its development agenda. Still, Fadnavis admitted shortcomings in conducting an effective counter-organization against an opposition narrative questioning the party’s intention with respect to the Constitution. According to him, it created some vulnerabilities, especially in Maharashtra. He said this deficit arising from an “overconfidence” in the BJP ranks and the absence of proper machinery to take on what he believed were “anarchist” and “ultra-leftist” forces in favour of movements like Bharat Jodo.
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Fadnavis elaborated upon how the opposition forces wove hyper-local narrative into battle questions in front of the BJP’s commitment to preserving the Constitution and the reservations system. The BJP was caught off guard as no quick response was mounted. However, after Lok Sabha defeat, Fadnavis started working in tandem with BJP-alligned ideological groups and overturned this narrative and reinstilled public confidence. “All these fellows have assured me that with the help of these ideological allies, BJP has regained the political conversation with them and can now directly respond to the opposition’s rhetoric,” Fadnavis said.
Building Ideological Ally Support
For his part, Fadnavis emphasizes the crucial ideological work affiliates have done in strengthening the BJP’s narrative after the elections. Recognizing that the BJP was more accustomed to fighting other parties than deeper societal forces, Fadnavis sought to build organizations within what he describes as their “vichar parivar,” or their ideological family, as a kind of counter-force to the opposition. In this context, he underscored that, whereas political forces can only partially resist the discursive power of anarchist narratives in specific social and professional domains, these nationalist groups are able to prevent the course of such narratives.
Fadnavis did not mention the RSS as one of the organisations that have “specifically” played an “interventionist role”, but he gave away that there are close to 30 organizations working on similar lines that have lent their support. Those organisations, he said, are strong in their own orbits, yet traditionally don’t go in for political canvassing. Their intervention has, however, become crucial to counter the forces the he believes are destabilizing and perpetuating false narratives. He believes that this joint approach has enabled BJP to reclaim the narrative and reject negative notions about BJP’s view on the Constitution as well as reservations policies articulated by the opposition.
The Significance of Unitary Slogans: “Batenge toh Katenge” and “Ek hain Toh Safe hain
While most leaders from Shiv Sena camp were spending their campaign time speaking over slogans, Fadnavis seemed more in defense of phrases “Batenge toh katenge” and “Ek hain toh safe hain”. According to him, it is a positive affirmation of unity as it tries to form collective cohesion against divisive forces. He said that in the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress allegedly used the strategy of voting polarisation, which he called “vote jihad”. According to him, the example is Dhule and similar constituencies where polarising tactics allegedly went to the advantage of the rival parties with the Muslim vote being pushed in specific pockets for the rival candidate’s benefit. Such strategies, he said, divided society on religious and caste lines.
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He continued pointing that when the opposition parties try to make some differences, it calls for an effective response in the form of slogans for unity. In this context, Fadnavis alleged that by making slogans for Hindu solidarity, BJP is only stressing the need for social cohesion and is not doing any great job to circulate divisive philosophies. His claim shows that Fadnavis understands the policy as a scheme to group together Hindu voters with a message of unity that he believes needs to be nurtured to make the stability in Maharashtra survive.
Maratha Reservation Problem and Personal Reputation
While speaking about Maratha reservations, a long-pending contentious issue in the state of Maharashtra, Fadnavis expressed annoyance with opposition parties like NCP and Sena that try to blemish his reputation among Marathas. Here he argued that parties deliberately painted him as an anti-Maratha juggernaut when he himself had single-handedly attempted to do reservations for the community as Chief Minister. But Fadnavis believes that the large number of Marathas in Maharashtra still support the Hindutva ideology and agrees with the stand of BJP.
His record has been good enough, said Fadnavis, adding that he had been carrying forward the cause of the Marathas with good intentions, which had brought him goodwill amongst people. According to him, it’s this sympathy from people which helped to disregard the negative perception that opposition parties managed to create against him. He was quite confident that this electorate was well aware of his track record and would continue giving him support on the ground of past achievements rather than rhetoric of opposition parties.
The inner contests within Mahayuti Alliance and readjustments of strategy
Commenting on reports of infighting between alliance members, Fadnavis played down the issue, describing it as a one-off rather than a big controversy issue. He accepted that in some constituencies traditional rivalries have ensured candidates from other factions of the Mahayuti alliance contest each other. He, however, said that overall cooperation spirit remains strong and the examples would not reflect the dynamics of a bigger alliance. Fadnavis pointed out that such contest can happen only in alliances, which have a single objective to achieve and therefore the Mahayuti coalition.
Role of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and Regional Challenges
Speaking about Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, Fadnavis said the opposition narratives have weakened it and thereby lost ground in some areas. “Now Prakash Ambedkar is working in an organized manner to regain lost support and this could turn the tables in the elections,” he said.
He said that vote jihad was what the BJP was prime concerned against, a polarizing factor which he believed had gone into the making of the Dalit and tribal vote in Vidarbha and Marathwada. Fadnavis felt that strategies of opposition that branched out voters along caste and religious lines have changed the voting pattern in the Lok Sabha polls. However, he claimed that the BJP has been able to reach out to those communities as well and they are slowly recovering their lost ground.
Hope for Elections and Development
Fadnavis Optimistic about Elections and Promises Development
Speaking about the elections, Fadnavis said there was hope. He claimed that the government headed by the BJP will again come to power with a majority. “People are hopeful about this government. There is no major anti-incumbency against this government which will be beneficial for the BJP,” said Fadnavis. He admitted himself that something like the problems of farmers in Maharashtra have, indeed thwarted the prospects of the BJP in Lok Sabha polls, especially in areas where crops such as soybeans or onions were affected by environmental conditions. However, Fadnavis said the government had corrected the mistakes and that development remained the core of BJP’s poll plank.
In sum, the party from Fadnavis’ interview reveals its focus on the betterment of its narrative, alliances, and countering divisive tactics that the opponents had adopted. The passion for unity and understanding, his grasping collaboration with ideological allies along with his emphatic focus on development-a full-proof strategy for winning over voters while working against misunderstandings-reflect a complete strategy to ensure BJP’s success in the next elections. Further, as Maharashtra moves towards the next election, the political future of the state will largely be defined by BJP’s approach under Fadnavis’s leadership.