Rajya Sabha choices: BJP does it better

The BJP national leadership’s decision to nominate two virtually unknown but long-standing party workers to contest the Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka could turn out to be a masterstroke as it is bound to inspire ordinary party workers by kindling new hope that their hard work could be rewarded someday. On the other hand, Congress and JD(S), by their choice of two old warhorses, Mallikarjun Kharge and H D Deve Gowda, have once again proved that they are incapable of thinking beyond their current crop of leaders, spent forces as they are, and infusing new life into their parties. No wonder they are unable to inspire commitment in their rank and file. Both BJP candidates, Ashok Gasti from the backward Savitha community and Eranna Kadadi, a Lingayat, have risen from the ranks, having worked for the party for over three decades. The rejection of the list of candidates submitted by the state unit is seen as a snub to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, while signalling the growing influence of party national general secretary and RSS ideologue BL Santosh, who has emerged as the pointsman of the BJP central leadership in Karnataka. But that’s the party’s internal affair and power dynamic.

Both Kharge, 77, and Gowda, 87, towering figures as they are in their own parties, lost the Lok Sabha elections last year. In short, they were rejected by the people. And, they are at the fag end of their extended political careers. While a case may be made that the Upper House would benefit from their experience, for the two political parties to persist with them rather than give the next generation of leaders a chance is political hara-kiri. By their choice of candidates, the two parties have demonstrated that political advancement is only for the entitled class while loyal and committed party workers will have to remain satisfied playing the role of ladders and crutches to their ‘leaders’ forever. The contrast in the message that goes out from the BJP to its workers and that from Congress and JD(S) to theirs is hard to miss.

The criticism that the BJP’s “novice” nominees will turn out be “yes men” is unfair to the two. After all, the same holds good for nearly all elected representatives, irrespective of the party. For that matter, BJP MPs from Karnataka have proved so meek that they have not mustered the courage to question the central leadership over the government’s failure to announce flood relief on time, the delay in release of GST compensation and reduction in the devolution of funds due to the state. A silver lining, this time, however, is that all the Rajya Sabha candidates hail from Karnataka.