Principle, not caste, is at stake in presidential poll

Principle, not caste, is the issue in the presidential election. And, the principle at stake is on which side of the divide a political party stands in this battle for the next President of India. At stake are two competing ideas of India. The one bequeathed to us by our founding fathers and framers of our Constitution which led to the establishment of a free India based on liberal democracy, equality of all faiths and pluralism.

This established idea of India is being challenged by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government with, as the Prime Minister himself called, “New India”. This New India is nothing but euphemism for Hindutva. The core principle of the Hindutva ideology is ‘’one nation, one race, one culture’’ which translates into a Hindu Rashtra, an idea of India that the RSS had been working even before Independence.

So, India is at a crossroads because the established idea of India is being challenged by the new idea of India couched in Hindutva ideological package. Every election, in this backdrop, turns into a battlefield for these two competing ideas of India. The ongoing presidential election is no exception.

So, the Opposition parties need to convey to their followers where they stand in this battle for the idea of India. If an Opposition party takes a principled stand, there would be no hesitation and fear of being labelled as anti-Dalit on its part. Because the presidential poll is no referendum on which caste group nominee enters the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The Dalit card being played is nothing but mere tokenism. The BJP gameplan in nominating a Dalit as the NDA nominee for the next presidency is primarily aimed to confuse the Opposition groups. Dalit tokenism is being used to wreck Opposition unity now. The long-term plan is to drive a wedge between the Opposition ranks to stall a mahagathbandhan from taking shape before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s call for unity among all non-NDA Opposition parties must be seen is this context. Each Opposition leader must guard against the Modi trap wherein he wants to confuse Opposition leaders into a Dalit versus non-Dalit game.

Putting up a Dalit candidate is sheer tokenism. Ram Nath Kovind, as the next President of India, can in no way stop the centuries-old Dalit social discrimination. Can Kovind stop another Saharanpur or an Una where Dalits were badly beaten up under the BJP government’s rule? No, he surely cannot even if he becomes the President of India.

So, the Opposition parties must stand firm on principle in support of the idea of India that is reflected by our Constitution.

But, sadly though, some of the Opposition leaders seem to be playing their own political games. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, for instance, seems to be pushing his ambition to force Opposition leaders to accept him as their next joint prime ministerial candidate in the 2019 parliamentary elections. He wants a bargain for supporting the joint Opposition candidate for the presidency. He looks to be standing for power rather than principles.

Some other Opposition parties like the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party are said to be under pressure for their past deeds. Even the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party is said to be under pressure to go with Kovind in the guise of backing a Dalit.

The 2017 presidential election is a different kind of election. It is somewhat like the 1969 presidential poll wherein the then Congress Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ensured the defeat of the official Congress nominee Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. At that time too, India was divided between two ideas.

Indira was leading a progressive, modern and liberal camp while the Congress organisational wing was led by the right wingers. Indira defied her own party bosses and gave the call for ‘conscience vote’ which led to the Congress rebel V. V. Giri’s victory in 1969 which consolidated the idea of liberal India.

Opposition leaders need to have her kind of courage of conviction to defend liberal India as opposed to Hindutva India. History will judge those amongst the Opposition ranks who support Ram Nath Kovind in the guise of a Dalit candidate.

Because the 2017 presidential election is a battle of ideas and not a battle against any caste injustice, it is not the time to get confused but the time to stand up and defend the liberal India that our founding fathers bequeathed us. Be it Nitish, Mulayam, Mayawati, Pawar, all opposition leaders need to rally round around a common Opposition candidate against Kovind.

Else, the history will label them ‘betrayers’.