‘Democracy in danger’ drama

The Congress’ narrative around ‘democracy in danger’ is as ineffective electorally as its previous constructs. Yet, it continues a negative communication strategy

Even as I was negotiating the curious alleys of the iconic Bhulbhulaiya in Lucknow on a family trip last Friday, I received a frenetic call from a friend, who told me with a burst of anxiety, “Did you watch TV? Democracy is in distress and deep danger.” I retorted, without a blink, saying that our democracy is not fragile and let’s not be naive and belittle the endurance of India by a poorly staged drama by a few actors. Referring to a marvel by the Nawab of Avadh, Asaf-ud-Daula, who had built the Bada Imambara complex, including the Bhulbhulaiya, I added, “The beauty of our democracy is such that we ceaselessly celebrate credible diversity — be it of art, culture or religion — and relish it forever.” However, I told my friend, anything not credible like the ‘democracy in danger drama’ does not endure, and for reasons not too difficult to comprehend.

The ‘judiciary is in crisis’ narrative that the Congress desperately attempted to fuel after the flippant Friday show should be seen as a sequel in the series of intensely negative campaigns by the party. One can’t forget how the Congress was “deeply distressed” by the “intolerance” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Government led by it. It relentlessly taunted the Prime Minister for leading asuit boot ki sarkar, when beyond a point it realised, it didn't cut any ice beyond some screaming TV headlines. The Gabbar Singh Tax too was a poor humour that failed to inspire. The Babbar Sher Make In India ridicule certainly did not go down too well with many; neither did the Pidi tweet or the sarcasm around unemployment or agriculture. The Sach Bharat simile to Swachh Bharat is another poor construct that fail to trigger a wow feeling. The neech remarks against Prime Minister Modi by a senior party member was nothing short of an expression of exasperation at the Congress’ vanquishing political equity.

In fact, the Friday drama displays one of the worst forms of desperation of the party to demonise the BJP, and the ruling Government. The speed with which the party responded to the Press conference by four judges of the Supreme Court left many wondering if the Congress should have been so enthusiastic in its stance. Many quipped if by doing so, the Congress has sown the seeds of politicisation of the Supreme Court of India — something that has the potential to haunt the party more than anyone else.

Barely had the curtains come down on the Friday drama when the Congress communication strategists got the party another moment of glory with the #Hugplomacy tweet, mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving a welcome hug to visiting Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In their zeal, and now they are habitual at it, the Congress social media strategists ignored the legacy of hugs in diplomacy and must have been bewildered when confronted with similar pictures of late Prime Ministers. In what was a most befitting riposte, Member of Parliament Meenakshi Lekhi posted an apt tweet with pictures of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi hugging likes of Fidel Castro and Ziaul Haq and took an apt swipe with the remark “hugs were meant only for dictators instead of leaders from democracies.”

What’s incredibly perplexing is the determined bid by the Congress communication strategists to pursue the path of political Harakiri. For a political party, the key parameter of success is electoral victory, and the Congress failed miserably in this. Common sense will suggest that when neither your narrative nor your strategy works, you would like to change these two. Intriguingly, the party is seen to be doing none. On the contrary, it is constantly intensifying its negative narrative strategy even as the party bleeds. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath rightly said on Monday that the Congress president should “shun negative politics and instead focus on politics of development.”

Posterity would recall this period of Indian history with anguish and would wonder at the unprecedented acrimony and manufactured crisis, triggered by a tiny fringe of skeptics. This group has, for myopic and selfish gains, vitiated the idea of India, at least in the mainstream discourse. Silver lining, such intense negativity is thankfully only confined to the mesosphere of a snobbish, urbane and Twitter-hooked India, even as millions in Bharat continue to go about merrily negotiating the Bhulbhulaiya-like alleys of their lives. For Bharat and its inhabitants, the narratives around Modi’s Swacchh Bharat, Jan Dhan and Beti Bachao resonate far more effectively than scary and hollow democracy in danger like constructs.  

(The writer is a strategic communications professional)