The Coronavirus pandemic has not only been a test of mettle for those in power, but it has also shown how the opposition and those previously in power have acted as pressure groups. While the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has taken the betrayal of Uddhav Thackeray on his chin and is out in the streets and media exposing the flaccid policies and apathetic governance of Maha Vikas Aghadi in times of Coronavirus, other BJP leaders who have lost their seats in recent times are not as proactive as one would like them to be.
The two-time CM from Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje has been MIA (Missing In Action) ever since she lost the elections in Rajasthan last year. Although the trend of Rajasthan has been such that there is a change in government every five years, it still cannot be a reason to ditch the political battles and shun yourself till the next elections are announced.
Another BJP heavyweight three-time CM Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh has also been waiting in the pavilion and instead of walking out in the middle to take his guard, he has been caught napping.
A cursory glance at all the three political leaders’ social media footprint is enough to tell you the difference. The first post itself of Devendra Fadnavis on Twitter gives you an idea about how hands-on the former Chief Minister has been in the state.
Owing to Fadnavis’s effective governance style, he was handed the mandate by the Maharashtra voters but Uddhav Thackeray had other plans of abandoning his alliance party and sitting in the lap of his opponents by marauding his father Bala Saheb Thackeray’s ideology.
#Lockdown is just an intervention and can never be a policy!
We also need to think of bringing momentum in economic activities.
We are with Government since day 1.
My interaction with media after visit to NESCO #COVID19 quarantine centre.. pic.twitter.com/oYllwvsFuf— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) June 1, 2020
Fadnavis has been holding protests, talking with the constables who are fighting the COVID-19 battle at the forefront, and being subjected to cruel treatment by MVA government and at the same time exposing the blatant lies of Uddhav Thackeray.
Recently, in an interaction with Rajdeep Sardesai on India Today, Devendra Fadnavis slammed the Uddhav government for its handling of Coronavirus pandemic in Maharashtra. In the 24 minutes long interaction, Fadnavis exposed the failures of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state, especially while dealing with the pandemic.
While Fadnavis is on an overdrive, both on social media and mainstream media, Vasundhara Raje and Raman Singh have a timid presence on the micro-blogging platform. Both the former CM’s are only using the platform for diplomatic channels and to retweet the statements and decisions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It more or less feels like the account is just being handled by the social media team to keep up the appearances.
Raje and Raman being dormant does not augur well for BJP’s chances in the state. At a time when the global pandemic has taken lives of over 300,000 worldwide with over 5,000 coming from India alone, the public might be looking up to its yesteryear political stars to come amidst them and help them get over the torrid times.
The example of Shivraj Singh Chouhan who is fondly called ‘Mama’ in Madhya Pradesh should act as a guiding tool for both the leaders.
After being in power for thirteen years (2005-18) straight, Shivraj was shown the doors by the public but instead of going in a hole, he emerged as a leader of renewed vigor. Chouhan did not give the Kamal Nath government any breathing space for the limited tenure it was in. He continuously applied pressure from the outside which widened the already present fissures within the Kamal Nath government that led to the ultimate fall of the Congress government within a year.
The Rajasthan Congress under Gehlot has been on a topsy-turvy mode with the Bhilwara model one day being the ideal model and failing the other day. After the pandemic subsides, Vasundhara can capitalize on Ashok Gehlot’s incompetency but it can only happen when she shows her presence amongst the masses and gives them the feeling that the ex-CM is willing to slog it out in the middle.
Similar is the case with Raman Singh, in times of a crisis, any leader that takes the side of the downtrodden and cares for it, the public returns the favour by pressing the EVM button.
It might sound a quid-pro-quo deal but that’s how Indian politics work. With the election landscape changing with the advent of social media, the leaders need to work continuously even when not in power. The work put in when not in power will sow the seeds of returning to the Vidhan Sabha for leaders like Raje and Raman Singh. Time is now and they need to up their involvement in the people’s cause.