UNABLE to sustain its narrative around Pulwama and Balakot and more importantly no tangible achievements to trumpet about, the BJP is back to its time-tested stratagems. BJP president Amit Shah, candidate from Gandhinagar constituency, in a road show at the start of his campaign thundered “Kashmir hamara hai” (Kashmir is ours). This, in a constituency, which, ever since its creation in 1967, has returned the BJP nine out of fourteen times, is a giveaway. Those elected from here include Shanker Singh Vaghela, Atal Behari Vajpayee and L K Advani.

Combine this to the fact that Amit Shah, currently a member of the Rajya Sabha had to contest to boost the BJP’s chances in Gujarat, exhibits the despondency within the state BJP.                    A report in the widely read vernacular Gujarat Samachar suggests that the BJP had to use its clout in the milk cooperatives to mobilise women for Amit Shah’s road show and rally. The same paper in an editorial on April 10 had claimed that the RSS is not campaigning for the BJP!

Things have changed since 2014 when evoking strong regional, chauvinist and communal feelings and harping on ‘Gujarati Modi for PM’, the BJP swept all the 26 Lok Sabha seats from the state. Three years later, in the assembly elections, the BJP’s vote share fell by 11 per cent while the Congress gained by 8 per cent. The BJP was down from 60.11 per cent to 49.05 per cent while the Congress was up from 33.46 per cent to 41.44 per cent.

Most of the issues that resonated during the 2017 December assembly elections are back to haunt the BJP. Distress in the agrarian economy, fall out of demonetisation and GST leading to large scale unemployment are plaguing the state. Farmers are out on the streets in many places, among other things demanding timely purchase of their crops; payment of crop insurance and water for both irrigation and drinking. Police resorted to lathicharge in places like Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Banaskantha etc to suppress agitating farmers. In places like Radhanpur, farmers are agitating as compensation has not been paid for land acquired for the Narmada canal. 

Unable to convince voters, BJP leaders are resorting to intimidation. BJP MLA, Ramesh Kataria from Fatehpura in Dahod was threatening voters against casting votes other than for the BJP. He proclaimed that Narendra Modi has installed cameras inside polling booths to find out “who votes for the BJP and who votes for the Congress”. 

Gujarat cabinet minister Kunvarji Bavaliya faced the ire of agitated voters in many places. Elected on a Congress ticket in 2017 from Jasdan in Rajkot district, Bavaliya resigned, joined the BJP and was rewarded a cabinet rank.  Elected on a BJP ticket in a bye-election later on, Bavaliya when confronted by people in Kanesara village while campaigning for the BJP candidate from Rajkot had the audacity to tell villagers that he could have invested for providing facilities there had only they voted for him. Impudent as he may sound, he is not alone in facing the heat. BJP MLA Kanu Patel who was canvassing for Amit Shah in the villages of              Sanand had also to face the wrath of local people. So did BJP state secretary Pradeep Vaghela. In all these instances, shortage of water was the main issue agitating people.

Inadequate rainfall has led to many areas being drought affected in the state. This has led to nearly 25 per cent of the cultivable land remaining unsown. Out of total 7,82,805 hectares, this time, summer crops were sown only in 4,46,984 as against 6,57,797 last year, a reduction of nearly 2.10 lakh hectares. The BJP’s attempt to pacify the agitating farmers with a promise to give a loan of a lakh rupees at zero per cent interest upto five years, has met with a tepid response. They seem, instead, asking for the promised Rs 15 lakhs!

The Congress, which has faced a string of defections from amongst its newly elected MLAs, got another jolt with the resignation of Alpesh Thakore from the Party. Alpesh, in negotiations with the BJP was eyeing a berth in the state cabinet. But since he had, not long back, led an agitation against migrants, the BJP, fearing a backlash, is hesitant.

The immediate trigger for Alpesh’s resignation was the denial of ticket to his nominee from Banaskanta. The Congress gave it to Bhatol who had defected from the BJP.  In Kheda too, the Congress rewarded a turncoat from the BJP with a ticket leading to dissidence within the party. While the Congress has given tickets to four turncoats, the BJP has given tickets to seven defectors from the Congress.

However, with just a handful of days left for the campaign to end, the lackluster response from the people, have both the BJP and the Congress, the main contenders in the state, worried. Gujarat goes to the polls on April 23 in a single phase.

Interestingly, a writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the constitution of a court-monitored Special Investigation Team “to investigate the irregularities” associated with the immovable property of prime chowkidar Narendra Modi. A former journalist who had preferred the petition has alleged irregularities arising out of a policy for allotment of land by the Gujarat government to public servants including MPs, MLAs, etc at heavily subsidised rates.

A plot of land in Gandhinagar was allotted to Modi by the Gujarat government for a paltry sum of Rs 1,30,448. Modi’s affidavit for the Gujarat assembly election in 2007 reflected this asset. However, this information was concealed in subsequent affidavits that Modi filed. Instead, Modi declared one-fourth ownership of another plot of land in the same area, which the petitioner claims is not contained in land records. Wah re chowkidari!

Meanwhile, when head chowkidar Amit Shah arrived at Ahmedabad airport on March 30 to file his nomination, 12 aspiring chowkidars reported theft of their mobile phones or purses.  On the same day in Vadodara at CM Rupani’s rally, a dozen other chowkidars reported that their pockets were picked. The son of Gujarat’s chief chowkidar, BJP state president, Jitu Vaghani, was caught copying in first year repeater’s exam in M K Bhavnagar University. No comments!

For the record, according to information provided by the chief election commissioner on April 11, after the model code of conduct came into force, drugs worth over Rs 500 crore, liquor worth over Rs 9.12 crore, apart from cash – all totalling Rs 514.82 crores have been seized in Gujarat. The state tops the list, with more than 25 per cent of the Rs 2000 crore seized countrywide, of such unaccounted cash, drugs and liquor. The home ministry is the most sought after cabinet post in Gujarat. Not without reason. In prohibition imposed Gujarat, bootleggers have a field day, with coffers right from the bottom to the top being filled, with no questions asked. Liquor consumption licences, both temporary and permanent come at a price. Many a riot, owes its origin to rivalry among bootleggers from different communities.

These neo-convert chowkidars have become the butt of jokes in Gujarat. One wonders when there will be a ghar wapsi and they will be back to vending tea. The chowkidars are worried that bread and butter issues as against divisive issues are dominating the campaign. With its tricks failing to fool people, the chowkidar sena has also roped in 52 teams of magicians for its campaign. But would the tricks of these bhaade ke chowkidars be able to cast a spell on Gujarat’s electorate? The voter should have the last laugh.

Tailpiece: The next time you see a real chowkidar, please do not call him prime minister so and so….