Politics

Why Yashwant Sinha's attack on Arun Jaitley over economic crisis has hit Modi

Rajeev SharmaSeptember 30, 2017 | 15:43 IST

You may find it strange but the fact is that BJP veteran and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha's frontal attack on the Narendra Modi government can be better understood if you juxtapose it with the BJP's unprecedented victory in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections six months ago.

Sinha's ambush of the Modi government was neither the first, nor is it likely to be the last. BJP insiders such as LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Subramanian Swamy, Shatrughan Sinha and Arun Shourie - not to speak of junior leaders such as Kirti Azad and RK Singh, who is now a union minister - had also crossed the Lakshman Rekha and hauled the Modi government over the coals at some point or the other. But their outpourings never posed a political challenge to the Modi government. This time it may be different.

The key word here is "ambush", the dictionary meaning of which is a surprise attack from someone lying in wait in a concealed position. But if we were to extend the scope of this word literally, it may also mean a Trojan horse kind of an experience in which a person or an inanimate object joins the ranks of the opposition force to destroy the enemy from within.

Therefore, in many ways veteran BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, performed the typical role of a Trojan horse as enunciated in Greek mythology to attack the Modi government. Yes, Sinha is virtually akin to the demonetised notes of Rs500 and Rs1,000 that are no longer in currency in today's BJP ruled by the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo for the last 40 months. Such demonetised notes have only one home in the current BJP setup, the Margdarshak Mandal, a political equivalent of an old-age home where the inhabitants are being accommodated ripped off any political clout they once had.

The Modi-Shah duo perhaps may be realising now in retrospect that their UP victory may prove to be pyrrhic.

However, what differentiates Yashwant Sinha's criticism of the Modi government from the attack of the seven BJP men named above is the sheer timing. Sinha's ambush has left the BJP far more bloodied than any of the attacks by the seven gentlemen named above.

This brings us to the point about UP elections that I had mentioned earlier.

The Modi-Shah duo perhaps may be realising now in retrospect that their UP victory may prove to be pyrrhic. Perhaps this astounding political trophy fell into BJP's lap much too soon. Perhaps, the BJP rose a bit too early. Because when the BJP registered its unbelievable electoral win in UP, the general elections were still a good two years away.

Analytically speaking, the BJP rose too early as it comfortably pocketed a big state such as UP which has given the maximum prime ministers to India. Nothing more important was left to win for the BJP till the next general elections after the win in UP. From there on, realistically speaking, the saffron party could only go down, not up.

Such a perception has gained currency as the poor state of the economy has now taken centre-stage, giving fodder to the Opposition parties, particularly the Congress.

Even before Sinha chose to vent out his thoughts, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had made this the central theme of his critique of the Modi government while he was touring the United States and made the faltering economy the fulcrum of his public speeches, which he continued on his Gujarat trip earlier this week. Not unsurprisingly, the Sinha column was treated by the Congress party like a crucial run out in their chase to the 2019 general elections.

That's why Sinha's critique of the Modi government carries far greater weight and lethality than the venting out of all BJP leaders before him put together. His remarks have come at a time when the worrisome state of the economy and the alleged dark scenario of negative growth in job generation have started haunting the Modi government. That was not the political narrative during the UP elections.

What differentiates Yashwant Sinha’s criticism of the Modi government from the attack of the seven BJP men named above is the sheer timing.

Talking of UP, the Sinha episode has given rise to yet another epic clash between father and son. At the time of UP elections, an important political drama being played side by side was the father-son clash within the then ruling family - Samajwadi Party. Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh were fighting a very public battle.

But now the Yashwant Sinha episode shows that the problem has shifted to the BJP camp as the ruling party at the Centre used son Jayant Sinha, a union minister, against his father Yashwant Sinha.

However, unlike the Mulayam-Akhilesh spat, this time the Yashwant-Jayant war through columns is not going to throw the ultimate winner anytime soon. The current clash has no traction and doesn't fire up the imagination of the electorate. First, because it lacks the typical film drama and second, because the next big election, the general election, is still far away.

It remains to be seen if Jayant Sinha's defence of the Modi government in the face of his father's attack will be a factor in the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections, but it is highly unlikely.

Yashwant Sinha has dented the image of the Modi government like no other BJP leader had done before. It doesn't save Modi any blushes even though Sinha senior hasn't attacked Modi directly.

An effective response from the Modi government won't be to field a battery of ministers to counter his charges; only a real turnaround in the economy and an impressive jobs growth in double quick time will be. But if wishes were horses.

Also read: How Tom Alter made me learn to love life

Last updated: October 01, 2017 | 22:35
IN THIS STORY
Read more!
Recommended Stories