BJP has exposed itself thoroughly

The BJP’s ignominious attempt to grab power in Maharashtra, illegally and illegitimately, has come to an end, at least for now, with the resignation of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday evening. Fadnavis had no option but to quit after Ajit Pawar of the NCP, who had promised to the BJP the support of the Sharad Pawar-led party and had been made the deputy chief minister, resigned in the wake of the Supreme Court directive to hold a floor test on Wednesday. The court did well to order the early test, though the BJP wanted two weeks’ time to prove its strength in the Assembly, which itself was a sure sign of lack of majority in the House. The court could have issued the order for an immediate trial of strength as soon as the matter came before it because the issues to be decided were clear and simple even then. Unfortunately, and unnecessarily, the issue got prolonged and perhaps more complicated.

The BJP has been thoroughly exposed in the process as a party-ready to adopt any wrong and illegal means to secure power. It had used such tactics in other states also in the past, but the attempt was more ambitious and on a bigger scale in Maharashtra. It did not flinch from using the most opaque and underhand tactics and staging a midnight coup, misusing the offices of the President, the Prime Minister, and the Governor. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s high praise of the Constitution sounded so hollow and hypocritical on Tuesday in view of the blatantly unconstitutional acts and postures of his party in the last few days, and his own role in them. A party in power that uses everything at its disposal like money, control over government agencies and other coercive steps to break the opposition and to ensure that no party other than itself comes to power cannot claim any democratic credentials. The humiliation of Fadnavis, who had to quit after a three-day reign, should give a lesson to the party, which refused to learn anything from a similar humiliation of BS Yediyurappa last year in Karnataka.

There are many unanswered questions about the drama that unfolded in Maharashtra in the past few days, especially about the role of Ajit Pawar in it. They may be answered in time, but it is doubtful whether they will bring credit to the parties and individuals involved in the murky and sordid series of events. It may be assumed that the stage has now been set for the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combination to come to power, but there may also be more surprises to unfold.