Haryana is reputed for its political uncertainties. Not long after the surprising victory of the BJP in state assembly poll and Khattar’s taking over as chief minister, there were dissenting voices by some party leaders having long experience of legislature’s functioning claiming eligibility for chief ministerial chair. But Prime Minister Modi’s personal choice of the first time MLA Khattar as party’s chief ministerial nominee dampened the aspirants spirits. Given this backdrop, Khattar presently does not face any challenge from within the party. But it is the health of the ruling party which should be a cause of worry for the chief minister.

The BJP’s central and state leaderships must be conscious of the fact that their party has always remained marginalized in Haryana and has never been able to come to power on its own strength. Whenever it occupied the ministerial chairs, it was as a junior partner in coalition governments. The party’s poor health has mainly been because of its weak organizational structure and negligible mass base which has been shrinking over the years. Despite these constraints it secured a majority in the 2014 assembly elections thanks to the Modi wave which, however, now stands substantially waned.

Even after assuming power in the state there are no signs of consolidation of the party’s structural network and its support base which had helped it capture power. Nor is there any indication about expansion of the party’s organizational and mass base notwithstanding the verifiable claims of having enrolled a record number of new party members during its recent nation-wide membership enrolment drive.

Amid these shortcomings, the saffron party can derive consolation only from the fact that the opposition parties are also in a bad shape. The Chautalas-led INLD stands deprived of the effective leadership of its main vote-catcher Om Parkash Chautala and organizational strong hand Ajay Chautala. Both are in jail undergoing ten years imprisonment in the infamous J.B.T. Teachers recruitment scam. The senior Chautala and both his sons Ajay and Abhay are also facing far more serious cases of disproportionate assets. If there is an adverse verdict from the court it may jeopardize any attempt to rejuvenate the party which can put a question mark over its playing an effective role in the state’s politics in foreseeable future.

The less said the better about the health of the factionalism-infected Congress. The party stands vertically and horizontally divided. Recently there were indications that the party’s central leadership has been able to impose peace between the feuding factions to stop them from publicly making adverse comments against each other. But defying voices are again being heard in the state party. Notwithstanding the claimed rejuvenation of Rahul Gandhi during his few months ‘elopement’ from active politics, he has not yet been able to pull the party out of ICU.

No doubt, the Gandhi scion, wielding unchallenged power in party matters, has been trying to build up a second rung leadership of young people to run party affairs in the states. But if he believes that this can be done by ignoring the established and experienced state leaders, he is grossly mistaken. To give just two examples: Can former Haryana and Punjab Chief Ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Capt. Amarinder Singh who enjoy mass support, as has been demonstrated by the crowds attending their public rallies, be replaced by any one from those whom Rahul has abortively tried to build up? Apart from the INLD and the Congress, there is presently no other mass-based party in Haryana which can pose any challenge to the BJP in the state. The support base of Kuldeep Bishnoi-led Haryana Janhit Party which had claimed some pockets of influence like Hisar has been shrinking.

As Haryana’s mainstream opposition parties will not be able to pose any challenge to the Khattar government whose tenure will end after four years, it is his government’s lackluster performance which will erode its credibility in due course of time. The poor quality of governance can be exemplified by some of its decisions which have apparently been taken without an in-depth application of mind little caring about their negative implications.

Among such decisions is fixing of minimum educational qualification of Class X for male candidates and Class VIII for woman candidates for contesting upcoming panchayat elections. Intention behind the decision is laudable. But by ignoring the state’s ground realities and apparently without in-depth application of mind for its implications, its implementation will invite criticism of its being “Tuglaki” decision. Besides, it will also create paradoxical situation for Indian democracy as while its lowest level elected bodies will have Class VIII and Class X members and some of the members of the apex elected bodies like Parliament and state Assemblies are lesser qualified or are even uneducated.

Haryana’s former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has said that keeping in view the figures of previous panchayat polls, 60 percent men and 81 per cent women of the general category will lose their right to contest panchayat elections this year if the decision about minimum educational qualifications is implemented.

Another controversial development that has taken place during the BJP rule is conferring of doctorate degree by Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki on Ram Dev. The issue has raised many eyebrows. The Khattar government had earlier made Ram Dev as its brand ambassador for Yoga.

No doubt, he has made yoga popular among the people. But some of his actions and derogatory comments made against some senior national leaders have generated controversies which will negatively impact not only Ram Dev’s but also his mentor BJP’s image. Among the most unbecoming comments he had made were when he was campaigning for the Chandigarh BJP candidate Kiron Kher who was BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Chandigarh in 2014. Addressing Chandigarh newsmen he had said that “Nehru was the biggest khalnayak. I don’t think he will be in heaven”. Citing Ramayana and Mahabharat, he had said “Sonia and Rahul were worst than Ravana, Sarupanakha and Pootna.”

“Some people make headlines while others make history”. Haryana’s ruling elite has to decide in which category they would like to be. (IPA Service)