Shifting allegiance

On one hand, Jitin Prasad's switch to BJP's fold is a more pronounced reiteration of the crisis lingering within the Indian National Congress and, on the other, it is a symbolic move on the part of BJP, particularly the Central leadership, aimed to consolidate the ever-decisive Brahmin votes in Uttar Pradesh for the next-year assembly elections. One could, of course, make calculations around the party-switching by the "young-brigade" Congress leader and assess how much is a loss for Congress and how much a gain for the BJP. But, any such calculation will only be a deviation from the crux of the matter — the way the two parties have been approaching and fighting elections. The fact that Prasad has been a losing figure in the past two Lok Sabha elections and one assembly election is no reason for complacency for Congress. It might also be taken that Prasad's influence in UP is not at any big scale. These facts and arguments may have an essence of reality but still, they mean little in the current political scenario. As it is rightly said that perception matters more than reality in politics — something which the BJP is trying to shape (which it does rather skillfully). The perception that Congress is losing ground and the BJP is gaining the same is indeed a great political difference; a general tendency among voters, particularly the rural voters, is to go by the perceived winning side. The BJP wins the first part of the election race by keeping its ears stuck to the ticking clock and making the start at the very first signal. In the past few years, the opposition in Uttar Pradesh had been partly able to frame the UP CM as an anti-Brahmin leader but now, in what could be called a balancing act, the Central leadership is more than active in its approach to doing the damage control. Brahmins are a dominant class in Uttar Pradesh constituting around 10 per cent of the population, and their votes have been instrumental in BJP's victory in the previous assembly elections and even before. The Congress had lost its grip on the Brahmin vote bank in the late 1980s due to the Ram mandir issue and has never been able to regain its spot since then. Priyanka Gandhi has shown some active approach in this direction lately but now she has full-fledged election machinery of opposition to deal with. Given the conflicts within the party and the dwindling morale of party workers due to recent election losses, the task ahead is uphill for the party. Prasad's party-switching will have a modicum effect on this larger scenario. His action is more of an effect of the existing organisational lacunae within the party, it should lest be seen as causing some serious damage to the Congress. That "serious damage" may come to the party but the reasons will obviously be different and obvious. However, there is a possibility that Prasad's exit will send further ripples to the party. Sachin Pilot has been already waiting for the past 10 months for his demands to be accommodated by the party leadership. It all depends on how much patience he is willing to show! After all, neither is Prasad's exit an unprecedented move nor will be Pilot's, if it happens so. The concept of shifting political alliance even across extreme political ideologies is no more surprising these days. While one may lament upon the dawn of this "mean" political age, the element of shock or surprise exists in the least quantum. The age of career-type self-centred politics has come out more openly than ever. It may be criticised for lacking sound political values but is part of the real picture and can't be left out of consideration. When rats are fleeing the "sinking ship" the sailor should not blame them, or for that matter, even count them. She should take up the responsibility of fixing the hole in the ship; the sooner the better. Whether or not Congress can be likened to the sinking ship, it must bridge the gaps by bringing in much-needed reforms within the party promptly — from the party's organisational structure to its approach of fighting elections. Turncoats don't matter if the foundations of the party are sound enough.