Okay, UPA is doing everything wrong, but what's BJP's alternative?

Bangalore, Sept 2: The

's attack on the

is a routine affair, which bears little fruit. On Monday, the principal opposition party slammed the

-led central government over ideas to shut petrol pump in the night, the decline in agriculture and of course, the Food Security Bill.

The BJP has every right to counter the government on measures it feel would do no good to the country. But it has also yielded finally, like many other parties, which shows that populism is the only formula that works for the Indian political parties. The government yet draws ire for initiating populist measures for election victories but the opposition plays a nice game of opportunism amid all the ruckus permitted by a democratic system.

The BJP hasn't made any alternative proposal to show to the people of the country that it would do better than the UPA in economic matters. Only staging a 'street protest' in the Parliament is not going to reach the country anywhere. The problem is: The BJP has not spoken on reasons that could lead to a crisis but has always opposed the consequences of a government measure. Just looking at a Narendra Modi model as a medicine for all ills is not going to help the BJP.

BJP has only protested the consequences of UPA's policies, which isn't enough

The BJP, one might feel, has found itself disconnected from its economic ideology after it came to power in the mid-1990s. Populist politics, the oxygen for those in power, taught it that the belief in economic nationalism would not serve any practical purpose. It came a long way towards liberal economics in the days of NDA rule and once voted out, began opposing the same policy pursued by the arch-rivals Congress. There is little doubt that if it comes to power again, neo-liberal policies will be the foundation of its economics and not Swadeshi slogans. The latter certainly don't work in today's world, but still the BJP could have emphasised on them to show that it at least has an alternative. But it has been left nowhere.

The ideological dilemma is coupled with the leadership issue for the BJP. The current leaders have no capacity whatsoever to overlook the competitive vote-bank politics and import a new outlook, economic or political. The BJP is claiming that the farmer is crying but has it prepared any alternative plan for securing the lifestyle of the poor and the needy sections who are feeling increasingly marginalised in our society?

Reckless competition for votes has made all political parties of the country extremely irresponsible and insensitive. Yet, at the time of election, the people of this country will cast votes against some party (not for) and reluctantly make another the winner. The actual problems will remain unattended, in the meantime.

OneIndia News