What one photo says about the BJP as a political party

So, what explains this phenomenal success of the BJP in repeatedly winning the trust of the people across the length and breadth of the country?

A viral photo from Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani’s Twitter timeline, taken during the swearing-in ceremony of Yogi Adityanath, holds an important clue. The picture shows Nitin Gadkari, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and J P Nadda in one frame, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. One current and three former presidents of the party are sitting with a prime minister who has won the biggest return mandate in five decades, at the swearing-in ceremony of a second-time chief minister. None of them is from the same family, not one of them is even a second-generation politician. They are all first-generation karyakartas who have risen to the very top by sheer hard work. All of them come from humble backgrounds and represent diverse social bases and castes. From Maharashtra to Gujarat and from Himachal Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh, they represent the diversity of India. In their idiom and mindset, they are rooted in the Indian civilisational ethos, rather than trying to find validity through imported concepts. And, most importantly, all are high achievers in their personal lives, yet they all subsume their individual egos in the larger cause of their party as a vehicle for national development.

मेरा परिवार #भाजपापरिवार 🙏 pic.twitter.com/AapXyh0iCf

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) March 25, 2022

However, the message from that picture is not about the individuals in it. The image is merely a metaphor for what the BJP’s contribution has been to India’s resurgence.

What are the ideals that we expect from our political parties in a normative democracy?

First, political parties must enable the best talent in each generation to rise to the top based on their hard work and commitment. Second, they must represent the diversity of the country in all its forms — regional and societal. Third, political parties must foster a common national purpose rather than act as personal advancement vehicles. Fourth, they must put the nation first while the personal interest of the political activist must be the last priority. Fifth, parties must hold some timeless values, irrespective of the transitional nature of political power. Sixth, political power must not be the end goal, but merely a means to change society and the nation for the better.

Commentators are excited if a political party exhibits even one or two of these six traits. But consider the BJP. Is there any other political party in the country which comes even close to it in broadly imbuing all of these traits of an ideal political party? When every other party, without exception, has reduced itself to being the personal vehicle of a family or an individual, it is the BJP alone that stands tall, representing the true ideals of the freedom fighters who fought for a democratic nation.

The history of the BJP itself is its message. The Jana Sangh, the precursor to the BJP, was formed for a cause that was neither regional nor parochial nor based on a personal grouse. Political power of any significance eluded the founders for many decades. And yet, the party never wavered from its ideological path. The founders never chose greener pastures for quick political gratification. The BJP leadership and thousands of faceless workers chose to work hard on the ground rather than compromise on their principles. It is this ideological commitment, and the character imbibed from the ideals of the RSS, that makes the BJP the only political party in India to have never split. It is the only political party in India that has six living former national presidents, all still with the party. All of them had selflessly stepped aside when the time came for the next generation.

Sushma Swaraj’s last tweet thanked PM Modi for fulfilling a long-cherished dream within her lifetime — the abrogation of Article 370. She was not a minister then, not even a party office-bearer. Yet, it is the national achievement that excited her, not her personal position. That is how the BJP has changed India fundamentally — by changing its politics. The BJP has offered a template to the romantics, showing them that it is possible in politics to put principles above power and yet be successful. The BJP collectively, and PM Modi personally, represent the ideals that we expect from our political parties and politicians. That is why the BJP repeatedly inspires trust in the people. For, the BJP is the only party that makes the people feel that it is one of them. For it is from among them. If they can do it, others can too. If there is one message that we can distil from the recent elections, it is that the voters, for all of the above reasons and more, are saying, “#IamTheBJP”.

The writer is CEO, Bluekraft Digital Foundation and was earlier director (content) MyGov