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| The recent electoral defeats are grim indicators that the voters have lost trust in the Congress | | UPA’s credibility crisis | | Sunita Vakil | 10/22/2011 11:38:35 PM |
| Indeed, this year has not started off well for the congress party. And each week brings a fresh installment of bad tidings. Over the last many months, a cascade of scams and scandals ranging from the sale of 2G spectrum to the daylight robbery in the Commonwealth Games to the Adarsh Building racket continue to cast a shadow over the UPA government. There seems to be no end to the predilections of the UPA II. More skeletons tumble out of its cupboard with each passing day making a mockery of the Prime Minister’s claimed “Zero tolerance” towards corruption. Further, the by-poll results have come as a major jolt for the party that is facing increasing erosion of its credibility across the country due the non performance on issues like inflation, law and order, terrorism and corruption. The loss of deposit in Haryana and loss of face in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra by the Congress candidates are indicative of the all pervasive anti-UPA mood in the country. The result of the by–elections in four states is all the more glaring because the Congress is ruling in the three of four states where the elections were held. It was only in Bihar that the JD(U)-BJP combine is at the helm. So there were good reasons to hope for a good performance.
The results could be seen as an indication of the people’s disillusionment with the Congress for its lackadaisical attitude towards corruption. It goes without saying that there is a simmering frustration among the people at the Congress led regime which is steeped in corruption and displays a criminally callous indifference to the loot and plunder under the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s stewardship. People have defacted the party decisively for its attitude towards sensitive issues. They have had enough of scams and scandals. The government is not able to control the rise in prices. There is also procrastination on its part to unearth the black money stashed away abroad. Almost everyday Congress spokes- persons claim that their party has taken firm action against corruption unlike no other political parties when they were in power. But that is going to convince nobody, including the party’s rank and file. People definitely want a change to hope for a better future. Given a chance, the common man wants the present regime to go. Nothing underscores this more vividly than the fact in the Hisar Parliamentary election; the Congress lost its deposit. It is a verdict of the people. Also there is a message in this for the government and the party that dominates. If the party continues to be in slumber, it is sure to pay a heavy price not only in the coming by polls in different states like UP, Gujarat and Punjab but also in the 2014 general elections.
Predictably enough, the party’s spin doctors have gone on an overdrive to brush away the defeats as inconsequental. Yet, it cannot be ignored that the electoral loss comes at a time when a crisis of credibility has engulfed UPA-2. A party in denial may be tempted to dismiss these results as something not to worry about. But the Hisar verdict should be seen as precursor to what is in store for the Congress. Mr. Bishnoi's win, can therefore be, seen as a writing on the wall for the Congress. It is a clear indication of what the people want. The Congress can not brush away the defeat. It would do well to come out of its denial mode and deal with problems through right policy interventions. Turning to deaf ear to serious allegations of corruption will no longer help.
Congress poll managers are already trotting out the standard excuses to explain the electoral humiliation. Rattled by the growing disenchantment among the people with the Party, Congress attributed the defeats to various local factors along the expected lines. These factors certainly played a role and had an impact on the results. But the Congress should not discount the common man's disillusionment with the UPA's inept handling of corruption cases, the Lokpal issue and the rising cost of living. It can be safely said that India under the Congress led UPA is facing serious governance deficit. The PM has failed to evolve policies to curb the rising food inflation despite assurances. The UPA government has proved to be incapable of responding to challenges facing the country. While the PM Manmohan Singh leaves no opportunity to berate the opposition for highlighting the many failures of his government, he does little else other than shrug off responsibility for the deepening mess in which the government he heads finds itself with each passing day. He and his government have failed to counter effectively the allegations of corruption and misrule. The indifference with which Mr. Sing has responded to the issue of bringing back the money stashed away in foreign banks is stunningly shocking. The ruling party is floundering. It looks clueless in either managing its coalition partners or contain the drift within the party. The UPA needs to come out of its complacency mode and ponder on these results which could be symptomatic of a widespread disillusionment.
No doubt, an embarrassed UPA’s attempt to attribute the recent defeats to local factors is at once pathetic and laughable. These only make for good excuses in routine postmortems following an electoral defeat. They are indeed symptoms of much deeper malaise that the Congress leadership has failed to address, that is the continuing mismatch between governa- nce and politics. The UPA is being seen increasingly as a party that has glorified corruption as a virtue. The growing rift among its senior leaders can be seen as a manifestation of increasing worry in the party over decreasing public support.
Undoubtedly, corruption will rank as a major poll issue in next year’s Assembly elections to states like UP, Gujarat and Punjab. With about two years left in the UPA’s second term in office, the party has much to accomplish, if it is keen to go back to the electorate with confidence. There is a dire need for a midterm correction. Corruption needs to be reined in and economic reforms require a much needed impetus. But more than that, the party should look within.
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