BJP Turning AP Into Saffron Socio-Political Laboratory

Andhra Pradesh BJP under new chief Somu Veerraju, an ideological hardliner, seems to be working hard to implement its socio-political formulae proved to be successful elsewhere. The BJP has adopted location-specific solutions across India to boost its electoral fortunes, ranging from adept social engineering to politico-religious mobilisation.

The pan Hindu political mobilisation against a perceived enemy is at the core of its pan Indian political strategy. The enemy here is the Christian family backdrop of the Chief Minister.

Targetting the YS Jagan government on the alleged attacks on Hindu shrines and traditions is its aggressive political strategy. The TDP echoing its line comes in handy for the saffron brigade.
Social engineering has brought rich electoral dividends for the party in many states, including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the North to Karnataka in the south.

For instance, the BJP mobilised non-Yadav OBCs, especially most backward caste(MBCs) in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and non-chamar Dalits in UP. Lingayats under its strong man BS Yediyurappa have always been indispensable for the party’s electoral fortunes in Karnataka.

BJP is experimenting with such a strategy in weaker states. For instance, the BJP eyes Vanniyars by embracing Veerappan’s daughter and Ezhavas in Kerala through the alliance with Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP).

In Andhra Pradesh too, a similar strategy is hatched out by scouting for Kapus. The appointment of Somu Veerraju now and Kanna Lakshminarayana in the past, embracing Pawan Kalyan, parleys with Chiranjeevi, part chief reportedly meeting Mudragada are few illustrations.

In states like Assam, the party tried with imported leaders and registered impressive gains. Sarbananda Sonowal from AGP and Himanta Biswa Sarma from congress joined BJP to catapult to power in the North east, considered difficult terrain for saffron parties. But, inducting leaders like Kanna Lakshminarayana, D Purandeswari, etc, did not help revive the party’s prospects. Thus, the BJP preferred indigenous breed than genetically modified ones.

The party championed Assamese identity politics, which gave it a foothold in the sensitive state. Its similar tactics by joining the Telangana movement did not fructify at least in the Assembly election.

The BJP forged successful electoral alliances in Bihar, Haryana and several north eastern states. Earlier, the party’s electoral alliances were successful in Punjab, Maharashtra and even in Jammu and Kashmir. It was a junior partner to TDP in Andhra Pradesh. But the marriage did not last for a full term. The BJP TDP alliance failed in Telangana only to come to a cropper later.

Now in Andhra Pradesh, the BJP is experimenting with Jana Sena. But, the experiment is unlikely to succeed as both the parties have a marginal presence.

In Tripura, the BJP replaced Congress as the sole anti-left force as the latter failed to stall Marxist juggernaut. This strategy yielded remarkable success for BJP in a state that it could never have imagined. The BJP is implementing a similar strategy by vying to replace TDP as a main opposition party.

The BJP’s political project in India reveals that aggressive Hindutva politics were primary, and factors like social engineering, electoral alliances, etc. were add-ons. The BJP is attempting a similar model in Andhra Pradesh by turning it into the latest socio political laboratory.

By – Prof K Nageshwar

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