The GOP’s Challenge – NREGA and RTI
By: Amit Bhushan Date: 11th Jan 2018
The GOP seems struggling to counter the ‘Hindutava’ in many of the areas where it is pitted against the same. There are murmurs in support of soft Hindutava line as the party evaluates its options. Where it seems to have not worked in things like NREGA on where the funds are flowing, if these have been moving smoothly and transparently towards approved works and workers or to the Gau-Rakshaks and their Samitis. Additionally where it seems to have faltered miserably is in not bringing in or demanding that the PSU Banks be covered under RTI, on which ‘projects’ (public as well as private) are getting funding and if such funding is being serviced appropriately. The lack of connect of the rural ‘un-empowered’ with the funds as well as their lack of information about the same. It should have taken note on the success of RTI activists in forming ‘a political party’ which could counter ‘other’ parties with success in some of the small states. However its interests seemed to ‘lie in curbing the same’ at that point of time in ‘history’.
It wants to build up a ‘worker base’ in the form of Sewa Dal. This might be with no idea on what ‘services’ would be ‘delivered’ by such a grouping especially the ‘connect’ with the party’s program. The lack of motivation for such a grouping is telling and any coherent unit seems very far away on account of the same. No wonder the idea seems nixed at the conception level itself since no clear ‘empowerment’ of the booth-level worker seems to be at site. Thus in the information age, ‘liberalism’ seems to be vanishing (with the social media seems to be a likely candidate for the woes of the party) and the party seems totally ‘clue-less’ about the vested interests which have kept such developments under check. The ‘ticket’ seeking candidates seem happy now to sport ‘tilak’ and ‘talk’ about majoritarianism although it would be about the caste-connect, rather than ‘Religion/Sangh-connect’, but that’s about the differences between candidates and their track-record in public mobilization and ‘maturity in the information age’. The party seems to be at cross-roads and is in need to rectify the crippling blow to the Education system due to its own apathy and tolerance of corruption towards the system. For any sort of development of the kind, its Netas as well as its supporters will have to ensure that they are ready to support such a move in states ruled by them and adopt a suitable template which can be extended further or ‘championed for.
The ‘secular/liberal’ Bengal also seems to be in throes’ of the ‘wave’ and unable to decide on whether to counter ‘socialist/communists ideals’ or the ‘wave’ rising on the back of ‘vikas’ plank. Often the Netas, when they are unable to answer ‘how’ part of the tough question tend to ‘join’ the counter-narrative rather smoothly than ‘put up a struggle’. That for tough questions, answers would be equally tough and complex seems to be some ‘foreign idea’ which they seem not quite used to. In fact a ‘small party’ in a Western state could at least create some headway is commendable, although how much empowerment it nurtured in the villages/block basis its efforts seems to be a question and if the gusto can be sustained to nurture some smaller Netas who can rally people. When political themes are changing (say only in competition), it does call for an introspection to see if changes are required within as well. This is true about business as well as in politics. These may be structural changes in the support base as well as new set of Netas and/or reformed Netas, inner party processes, function amongst other things. Taking a narrow view about the ‘changes in polity’ would tend to limit the options as well as opportunities both for the Leaders as well as for its supporter base. Let’s see the ‘Game’ evolve…..