Nehru’s democratic socialism must be reflected in Opposition’s manifesto in 2019: RJD MP Manoj Jha

As the opposition parties firm up their agenda for 2019 elections to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a broad consensus is emerging across party lines to make ‘Nehruvian ideals and values’ the theme of the parties’ manifesto to counter the narrative of the government.

“We have to prepare a manifesto to ensure that ideas of democratic socialism, championed by Nehru, come back,” said Manoj Jha, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (MP) MP in Rajya Sabha.

“Nehru had said that, if in India, democracy has to have a permanent position, it has to be democratic socialism,” said Jha, as he argued his point during a panel discussion on ‘Opposition in 2019’ in New Delhi on Saturday.

“I have been saying this that you may be able to defeat the BJP arithmetically, but you can’t defeat them in the realm of psychology,” added the Rajya Sabha MP, remarking that even though he was from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), “but I follow Nehru in true spirit.”

The forum, featuring politicians cutting across opposition party lines, academics and civil society activists, was organised by New Delhi-based think tank Centre for Policy Analysis (CPA).

Jha pitched for a “People’s manifesto” to be prepared in the lead up to 2019 Lok Sabha elections next year.

Invoking the legacy of India’s first Prime, the Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar lamented the state of Muslims under the current government, noting that rising “Muslim disenfranchisement” mocked at the idea of secular democracy that India’s founding fathers had envisaged.

“All political parties, including my own, have become wary of awarding tickets to Muslims. That should worry all of us,” he said.

“That is why I believe that we have allowed the BJP to be very successful in the realm of ideas,” added Jha.

Reacting to Jha’s proposal, former union minister and senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar noted that different parties had come together in 2004 to form a Common Minimum Programme.

Former Union Minister in the Chandra Shekhar government and former Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Morarka also mounted a scathing attack on the Prime Minister for belittling the stature of India’s first Prime Minister.

“He has just been denigrating Nehru for the last four years. And they are not particularly concerned about Sardar Patel or Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He has just been using these freedom icons to diminish the stature of Nehru,” said Morarka.

The outspoken former minister further mocked Modi for “knowing nothing about Nehru.”

“One advantage is that the Prime Minister doesn’t read at all. He doesn’t know anything about Jawaharlal Nehru or about Mahatma Gandhi,” he said.

Another speaker at the event, noted political scientist Neera Chadhoke, made a rather passionate appeal to the opposition parties to not copy the BJP on “mandir politics.”

“It actually broke my heart that a major political party, which is Nehru’s inheritor, hasn’t said a word on Sabarimala, despite the most objectionable comments against women being made,” said Chadhoke.

“You can’t beat the BJP in their game and please take inspiration. Invoke Nehru, invoke Gandhi,” she remarked, identifying people from her generation as “Nehru’s children.”

TKS Elangovan, the DMK MP in Rajya Sabha, also made some pertinent points about the increasing religious intolerance in India since the coming to power of the BJP in 2014.

“I am an atheist. Many of my party colleagues are atheists too. But that doesn’t mean we stop others from practising religion. In fact, we have actively encouraged different communities to observe their festivals,” said the Tamil Nadu Parliamentarian.