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Behind key rethink, BJP’s more vocal allies
On Sunday, the LJP chief and union minister Chirag Paswan backed caste census, an issue that has been raised by the opposition INDIA bloc.
On Sunday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in a post on ‘X’ said, “The ‘U’ in UPS stands for Modi Govt’s U turns! Post June 4, the power of the people has prevailed over the arrogance of power of the Prime Minister. — Rollback in the budget regarding Long Term Capital Gain / Indexation — Sending Waqf Bill to JPC — Rollback of Broadcast Bill — Rollback of Lateral Entry We will keep ensuring accountability and protect 140 Cr Indians from this despotic government!”
Also Read: Congress's ‘U stands for Modi govt's U-turn' jab at Centre's Unified Pension Scheme
His reference was to the government announcing a Unified Pension Scheme as an alternative to the unpopular New Pension Scheme.
The BJP was quick to react. Former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the decisions were an illustration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ear to the ground. He said the Congress which had initially backed the New Pension Scheme introduced during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s premiership, should answer why the party has not implemented the old pension scheme in states where it is in power.
“The Narendra Modi government takes decisions based on its own understanding...” Prasad said.
To be sure, the NDA had already set up a committee to review the New Pension Scheme in 2023, but there have been some positions it has had to change and senior party leaders admit that these were not just in response to the opposition seizing issues with wider resonance and running with them , but in line with the party’s oft repeated claims of ensuring ‘gathbandan ki maryada’ or dignity of an alliance.
That is also a requisite now given the arithmetic in the Lok Sabha where the Bharatiya Janata Party is dependent on the support of allies for a majority.
Thus, the BJP’s acceptance of the opposition’s demand to send the Waqf Bill to a joint parliamentary committee is attributed to the nudge from its key allies, the Janata Dal United and the Telegu Desam Party that called for wider consultation on the issue. Pressure from allies such as the Lok Janshakti Party in Bihar is credited for the government’s unambiguous stand against ‘creamy layer’ within quotas for SC and STs and rolling back a scheme for lateral entry into the bureaucracy.
Also Read: Nitish Kumar's JDU joins key BJP allies in questioning Waqf (Amendment) Bill
On Sunday, the LJP upped the ante with its leader and union minister Chirag Paswan backing caste census, an issue that has been raised by the opposition INDIA bloc. Addressing the media, Paswan said a caste census would give the government information about the population of various castes so that it can ensure that the benefits of its schemes are universal.
Senior BJP leaders who spoke on condition of anonymity said there is no denying that the allies are being heard, but that the government is equally aware of the backlash from the masses.
“The outcome of the 2024 polls was a lesson...we realised that the outreach towards SC and STs was undone by the opposition’s fake narrative against us on the issue of reservation. While that itself was the biggest reason for the numbers shrinking, we got feedback on how policy decisions such as sticking to the new pension scheme alienated a significant group of people,” said a senior party functionary.
His reference is to the narrative pushed by the Opposition that the BJP was seeking 400+ seats in the Lok Sabha so as to change the Constitution and deprive underprivileged sections of the benefits of reservation.
On the issue of ironing out differences with the allies, the functionary added, there is improved communication on key issues.
“Party president JP Nadda has begun meeting the allies frequently; it will be a monthly or bi-monthly exercise in the coming days. In the last such meeting we exchanged views on issues such as One nation, One election and other subjects that will require the allies to be on the same page,” said the functionary.
The BJP and the Prime Minister have been vocal about the need for simultaneous state and central elections, although the party’s reduced numbers in the Lok Sabha will make the passage of the constitutional amendments required for this challenging.
Given their role in determining the longevity of the government, are the allies flexing muscle? A senior leader from JDU said while they do not intend to create problems for the government, their party will ensure their concerns are onboarded.
“For instance, on the Waqf issue we were clear that the government should speak to those who are affected... by doing so we protect our constituency, but without being at loggerheads with the government,” the leader said.
In the last decade, the BJP was accused of riding roughshod over the allies and slighting their concerns. A case in point being the fallout with its oldest ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal over the now repealed farm laws. The shrinking size of the NDA--it lost several allies including Shiva Sena, PDP and the AIADMK--itself was seen as BJP subsuming the identity of the smaller parties and not taking their views on board for crucial policy making.
