[ad_1] On stringing together an Opposition A lot of people put this on me that I’m out there to stitch a coalition or bring together people who can possibly challenge the existing political setup. But in my own head, I’m not driven by this idea of ‘defeating someone or containing someone’. I do what I think seems right to me at that point in time. I think like any other person, I would like to be successful. And success, the way I define it in my head, is your ability to influence people’s lives. The more successful you are, the more is your ability to influence that many lives. It’s very easy to say that I’m here to change mankind. I mean no disrespect but in a beauty contest, when people ask why are you contesting, many contestants say some lofty things. Ultimately, they want to find a place in modelling or in Bollywood. I don’t want to fall into that category. Success varies from person to person. On whether the BJP will come down on its own Actually not. Because all those who think that what goes up will come down, it may be true to say so in the medium to long run. There are two parts to it. The BJP as a formidable electoral party is going to stay in India for many decades to come. Once you secure more than 30% of votes at the India level, nobody can wish you away. It’s not something which will come down on its own. That said, it doesn’t mean that they will continue to win every election. What it means is that for the first 40-50 years, the politics in India was around the Congress— either you were with Congress or opposed to it. In the next 20-30 years, I see Indian politics will revolve around the BJP — you are with the BJP, or you are opposed to it. Those who think that they will come down on their own, it’s probably not the right assessment. That doesn’t mean that it cannot hap- pen five years later or two years later. But it is quite possible that it might take 20-30 years as well. This desperation that just because there is a BJP, there has to be an Opposition and, hence, some Opposition will emerge, is wishful thinking. With the right approach, it could, maybe, emerge in two years. But if you do not do the right things, you might have a situation where a political outfit or a formation with a pan- India influence and electoral reach mayor may not be there for many years to come. On what caused the decline of the Congress Congress in the present form, which is the Indira Congress, came out after 1967. They have been in a decline as a political outfit since 1985.The last time they won India was in 1984. A lot of people do not pay attention to this, that since 1984, the Congress has not won India on its own. In the interim, they have ruled the country for about 15 years. Once, as a minority government, when Narasimha Rao was the prime minister, and twice as a coalition government. All of us accept that in 1989,the Congress lost the election. But Congress as a party won 198 MPs, if I recall correctly. In 2004,we think the Congress won and UPA- I was formed. But Congress is a party of 145 MPs. As a political party, the Congress’ decline literally started from 1984-85 onwards. No party gets more than 40% votes at the India level. That tells you that even on your good day, when you won India, there were more people opposed to you than those who were convinced by you. That’s why, in India, you must not ever underestimate the Opposition. However, having an Opposition doesn’t necessarily mean that the Opposition parties are strong, and they are able to translate that voice of dissent or opposition into electoral gain or success. The Congress, which is the principal Opposition party in this country, has been the ruling party for decades. Somehow they need to learn how to be in Opposition, and how to behave like an Opposition party. When the Congress goes on the street today, and they do something, they don’t get similar media attention or traction (like they would, when they were in the government).Their natural reaction or response is, how do we do anything because the media doesn’t cover us, they completely blank us out. This shows the mindset, the DNA of a ruling party, which is yet to come to terms with being an Opposition party. That’s the fundamental problem. I see in the thought process of the way the Congress responds to this situation. And this leads to a type of thinking that we have ruled the country for very long, and we know sooner or later people will get angry. And when they get angry or upset ,if we are there, they will vote for us. On the importance of the face vs the narrative A message that is part of the narrative, when delivered through a credible messenger, makes sense. These are what I call‘ the four M’ s to win elections . You need the right message to be delivered by a face or a messenger or a leader, who is trusted. And then you need the machinery, the party to con- vert that kind of support into vote. What you call ‘Coffee with Captain’ or hologram are the mechanics of the campaign. That’s the way to reach out. That’s the way to take the leader to the masses in a much more interesting and engaging manner. But if you don’t have three out of the four Ms right, you’re less likely to win. If you put too many faces(on the poster), if you put too many messages, it just gets cluttered. It’s just an idea to clear the clutter. You’re probably giving me too
