READING COMPREHENSION
The State elections of 2017 clearly
demonstrate that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has replaced the Congress as
the principal national party in the country. It won massive victories in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and emerged as a big player in Manipur. In
Goa it remained the single largest party in terms of vote share despite a
hugely unpopular outgoing Chief Minister. The only disappointment is Punjab
where the party was routed with its senior partner Shiromani Akali Dal after
ruling the State for 10 years.
The spectacular performance of the BJP in U.P. should not detract from
its formidable achievements in the recently concluded local elections, where it
made huge strides in previously uncharted territory. In Odisha’s Zilla Parishad
elections, the party expanded its footprint from 36 seats in 2012 to 306 in
2017, snatching second place away from the Congress to become a formidable
contender to the long incumbent Biju Janata Dal. In Maharashtra, the BJP won
eight of 10 municipal corporations with its total number of seats nearly equal
to that of all other parties combined.
The
electoral success of the BJP raises an important question. Without being able
to meet expectations built up in 2014, in the absence of a surging economy, and
with the poor decision on demonetisation, how is the party achieving so much
success? There is one obvious reason: Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains very
popular while the Congress party’s leadership no longer resonates with voters.
However, leadership is not the only factor. The BJP is acquiring hegemonic
status in the Indian polity owing largely to ideological consolidation and its
creation of an unparalleled election machine.
The BJP’s ideology has more takers than
before because the party frames the main issues for the elections. Its
long-standing ideological association with nationalism renders nationalism an
issue on which it has a huge advantage over all other parties. Parties that are
able to successfully shape election campaigns around their own issues
ultimately succeed in winning elections. By placing a large emphasis on
nationalism, the party has cleverly tailored its ideological message to be able
to capture the imagination of a larger section of the public. It has opened
ideological battlefronts in many different spheres — from universities to movie
theatres — and promoted conflicts across the board. It has also placed a large
emphasis on other issues that it has traditionally been associated with, such
as national security and terrorism, patriotism and more recently, corruption.
For
a very long time the Jan Sangh and then the BJP relied almost exclusively on
the hard-line Hindu nationalists who reside with its ideological parent, the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). This is no longer the case. Hindu
traditionalists, those who are drawn to a conservative Hindu way of life but
are largely opposed to the hard-line Hindutva world view and its intolerance
towards other religions, have now shifted their support from the Congress to the
BJP. This allows the BJP to win elections without nominating a single Muslim,
as it did recently in U.P.
The
party has also revamped its
electoral strategy, one focussed on widening its appeal by stitching together
multi-caste coalitions. As is widely
known, the BJP’s traditional social base is predominantly upper caste. To increase its support base, it has
been building an electoral machine of its own at the local level in the form of
caste-based coalitions. Fully aware that the party would not receive much
support from the Muslims and perhaps even the Jatavs, the former traditionally
associated with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the latter with the Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP), its leaders targeted the smaller groups that don’t have adequate
representation in any of the larger parties. For instance, the BJP tied up with
parties like the Apna Dal and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, giving it the
support of a large section of the Kurmi and Rajbhar populations, respectively.
It also increased its ticket allocations to non-Yadav OBCs and non-Jatav
Dalits. Its campaign was led by a galaxy of local and national leaders,
together covering an eclectic set of caste groups — almost a Congress-style
coalition — but without the Muslims and
some Dalit communities.
The BJP’s active use of state patronage
has also played a big role in strengthening its national footing. In States
where the party has come to power, and even at the national level, it has
actively worked to break down the existing patronage machinery and replace it
with one of its own. For instance, in Maharashtra, a State ruled by the
Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for more than a decade before the
Devendra Fadnavis government assumed office, the BJP has been steadily
dismantling the patronage structures put in place by its predecessors. Through
ordinances and amendments, the government has managed to severely weaken the
hold of NCP and Congress leaders on the powerful cooperative bodies in the
State, including the cooperative sugar factories which have been under the
tight grip of NCP leader Sharad Pawar for decades. The government not only
created a provision whereby it could appoint independent members to the boards
of these bodies, but also imposed restrictions on the existing board members,
hailing largely from the Congress or NCP, from contesting elections to
particular cooperative banks. At the national level, the Modi government
removed scores of previous United Progressive Alliance-era political
appointees, particularly those notorious for their role in creating the large
NPA (non-performing assets) problem facing the public sector banks today, and
replaced them with its own people.
On
the electoral front, this has translated into the BJP aggressively co-opting
individuals and units of other parties to strengthen its leadership. From Rita
Bahuguna Joshi in U.P. to Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assam, the BJP has taken in
many rival leaders into its fold before elections. This resembles the strategy
followed by the Congress in the 1970s, at the peak of Indira Gandhi’s rule.
While in the short term, this strategy is giving the party immense electoral
success and helping it expand its footprint, just as it had done for the
Congress back then, in the medium to long term it poses grave risks. Many
politicians and smaller parties have joined the BJP bandwagon as it looks the
most lucrative option electorally, and they may desert it at next chance. In
addition, as the BJP continues to bring into its fold leaders and parties from
outside its ideological umbrella, it risks diluting the content of its ideology
over time. If uninhibited, this could also lead to tensions between the BJP and
the RSS.
The BJP has undoubtedly replaced the
Congress as the dominant national party and the cornerstone of India’s
political and electoral system. This development has squeezed the space for
centre-left forces in India’s polity and has given popular legitimacy to the
centre-right narrative on issues of nationalism, secularism and social justice.
As Yogendra Yadav has rightly pointed
out, the centre-left needs a new vocabulary on the issue of social justice as
the BJP has managed to convince a large section of society that the left’s
language on the issue reeks of biases based on caste and religion.
However, in order for the BJP to remain
the dominant national party for a sustained period of time, it too needs to
introspect to ensure it isn’t compromising long-term success for short-term
rewards. Going forward, it should continue to widen its social base while ensuring
it doesn’t lose its ideological identity. Otherwise, it will only remain
dominant as long as a Mr. Modi remains at the helm. As when individuals acquire
larger salience over ideology and organisation in parties, it leads to their
decline down the road. That is exactly what happened to the Congress.
1 What is the BJP’s ideology which has
given more takers than before?
A
The party has the raised issues for the elections only
B Its
short-standing ideological association with nationalism renders nationalism an
issue on which it has a huge advantage over all other parties.
C
not been able to successfully shape election campaigns around their own issues
ultimately succeed in winning elections.
D By
placing a small emphasis on nationalism, the party has cleverly tailored its
ideological message to be able to capture the imagination of a larger section
of the public.
E It
has opened ideological battlefronts in many different spheres — from
universities to movie theatres — and promoted conflicts across the board. It
has also placed a large emphasis on other issues that it has traditionally been
associated with, such as national security and terrorism, patriotism and more
recently, corruption.
a A `b `B c C d D e E
Ans E
t
2 How the State elections of 2017 have
demonstrated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has replaced the Congress as
the principal national party in the country?
A . It won massive victories in Uttar
Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and emerged as a big player in Manipur.
B In Goa it remained the single largest
party in terms of vote share despite a hugely unpopular outgoing Chief
Minister.
C The spectacular performance of the BJP
in U.P. should not detract from its formidable achievements in the recently
concluded local elections, where it made huge strides in previously uncharted
territory.
D BOTH A AND B
E `A,B AND C
Ans
E
3 What has given a significant win of BJP
win?
A The BJP did not relied on the hard-line
Hindu nationalists who reside with its ideological parent, the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
B This is no longer the case. Hindu
traditionalists, those who are drawn to a conservative Hindu way of life but
are largely opposed to the hard-line Hindutva world view and its intolerance
towards other religions, have now shifted their support from the Congress to
the BJP.
C Without nominating a single Muslim
D nominating Muslims as candidates
E adopting pure hindutva
Ans
B
4 On the electoral front, what has
translated into the BJP aggressively co-opting individuals and units of other
parties to strengthen its leadership?
A On the electoral front, this has
translated into the BJP aggressively co-opting individuals and units of other
parties to strengthen its leadership.
B From Rita Bahuguna Joshi in U.P. to
Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assam, the BJP has taken in many rival leaders into its
fold before elections. This resembles the strategy followed by the Congress in
the 1970s, at the peak of Indira Gandhi’s rule.
C While in the short term, this strategy
is giving the party immense electoral success and helping it expand its
footprint, just as it had done for the Congress back then, in the medium to
long term it poses grave risks.
D Many politicians and smaller parties
have joined the BJP bandwagon as it looks the most lucrative option
electorally, and they may desert it at next chance. In addition, as the BJP
continues to bring into its fold leaders and parties from outside its ideological
umbrella, it risks diluting the content of its ideology over time. If
uninhibited, this could also lead to tensions between the BJP and the RSS.
E
All the above
Ans
E
5
Did Mr Modi remains as the helm for the win and future of BJP?
A The BJP to remain the dominant national
party for a sustained period of time,
B It needs to introspect to ensure it
isn’t compromising long-term success for short-term rewards. Going forward, it
should continue to widen its social base while ensuring it doesn’t lose its
ideological identity.
C Mr. Modi remains at the helm. As when
individuals acquire larger salience over ideology and organisation in parties,
it leads to their decline down the road.
D A, B AND C
E `ONLY C
Ans
D
6 The
electoral success of the BJP raises an important question in what respect it
has given its result?
A Being able to meet expectations built up
in 2014, in the absence of a surging economy,
B Being with the decision on
demonetisation,
C There is one obvious reason: Prime
Minister Narendra Modi remains very popular while the Congress party’s
leadership no longer resonates with voters.
D The BJP is acquiring hegemonic status
in the Indian polity owing largely to ideological consolidation and its
creation of an unparalleled election machine.
E All the above
Ans
D
7
where BJP has given huge stride as compared to that of 2012?
A Odisha `b UP C MAHARASHTRA D PUNJAB E ALL OF THEM
Ans
A:
8
How the BJP has undoubtedly replaced the Congress as the dominant national
party?
A There is no development in the space
for centre-left forces in India’s polity
B There is no popular legitimacy to the
centre-right narrative on issues of nationalism, secularism and social justice.
C As
Yogendra Yadav has rightly pointed out, the centre-left needs a new
vocabulary on the issue of social justice as the BJP has managed to convince a
large section of society that the left’s language on the issue reeks of biases
based on caste and religion
D `leaving Muslims apart
E
All the above
Ans
C
9 “
The party has also revamped its electoral strategy, one focussed on
widening its appeal by stitching together multi-caste coalitions.” How far it
is true?
A the
BJP’s traditional social base is predominantly the caste.
B
`not to increase its support
base, it has been building an electoral machine of its own at the local level
in the form of caste-based coalitions.
C The
party would not receive much support from the Muslims and perhaps even the
Jatavs, the former traditionally associated with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and
the latter with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), its leaders targeted the smaller
groups that don’t have adequate representation in any of the larger parties.
For instance, the BJP tied up with parties like the Apna Dal and Suheldev Bharatiya
Samaj Party, giving it the support of a large section of the Kurmi and Rajbhar
populations, respectively.
D It
also increased its ticket allocations to non-Yadav OBCs and non-Jatav Dalits.
Its campaign was led by a galaxy of local and national leaders, together
covering an eclectic set of caste groups — almost a Congress-style coalition —
but without the Muslims and some Dalit
communities.
E both C and D
Ans E
Identify
Synonyms’ with reference to the passage
10 massive
A immense b colossal C enormous D huge E substantial
Ans
D
11 emerged
A appear B materialize C come out D surface E come forward
Ans
C
12 spectacular
A impressive B fantastic C `amazing
D fabulous E magnificent
Ans
C
Identify
antonyms
13
revamped
A overhaul b do
down C
renew D repair E
spoil
Ans
E
14
coalitions.
A `alliance B union. C Separate d partnership e. d affiliation
Ans
C
15 predominantly
A mainly
B largely C principally
D primarily E scantily
Ans
E
