The 90s are back with alliances in Indian politics, Mamata. only it’s a shiny rag

Form of words:
a-
A+

IIn this annual season of Christmas consumerism and shopping, the big fashion trend in the West is undoubtedly a return to all things 1990s! From acid-washed jeans, neon colors to scrunchie hair, it’s a hard blast of the past. Even closer to home, it seems the ’90s are back with a vengeance. And not just the high-waisted jeans that the fashion conscious youth are sporting. The all-important and high-octane world of Indian politics is followed with the ghost of making or breaking political alliances.

decade of alliance

If you’re (lucky enough) to be born in the new millennium, maybe the hustle and bustle of various regional leaders capturing news headlines, memes and photos this week may not only seem new, but maybe an exciting drama as well. could. As the political elite they aim to corner the once invincible Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent hectic flight schedule – jetting from Kolkata and Mumbai to Delhi followed publicized meetings with Sharad Pawar like Swara Bhaskar and the really young Aaditya Thackeray and possibly disgruntled Congress leaders or the so-called G-22. The faction has left a definite mark that the Didi of Bengal has set her eyes on Delhi. After leaving the Congress in 1997, she has emerged as a formidable and populist regional leader who initially gave pension to communists and, more recently, left the BJP in Bengal.

In raising her political ambitions, Mamata Banerjee seems to be reiterating the old playbook of alliances, which became the norm of Indian politics in the 1990s as Congress hegemony came undone. Mandal-temple joining in that decade was actually a battle between caste politics and Hindutva. Discovered and anointed as the major new voting bloc, the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) emerged as a bulwark of regional parties, both small and large, against Hindu nationalism and the Grand Old Party. Marked by a distinct absence of charismatic leadership, the ’90s saw a multitude of prime ministers, for less than a fortnight, as India’s democratic matrix called it ‘the second democratic rise’. A term that refers to the expansion and intensification of suffrage and the assured arrival of a new political elite. The decade ensured that India became a multi-party democracy. So far, very ’90s.

Read also: Mamata biopic, possible party name change, TMC aims to make ‘national appeal’ ahead of 2024 polls

This 2021. Is

In the new century, India’s political matrix has been redefined, and the new political map defies and opposes any easy repetition of 1990s-style party politics. For one, the major national party against which such a coalition could come to power is a pure political giant. Unlike the Congress of the 90s, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in the face of significant anti-incumbency, is a large, rigid and obedient ship of party cadres with a strict and effective intra-party control and command. Second, caste politics has changed since then. Not only are there a large number of OBC parties, both national parties, the BJP and the Congress, have co-opted the OBCs at their national level, with varying degrees of success. In short, the number of contenders for the OBC vote is huge and it simply erodes the safe baseline from which the coalitions of the 90s came to power. Third, Dalit politics has matured and is undergoing a renaissance, initially at the expense of the first Dalit party, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Fourth, and still with caste, the well-known upper caste claim is back, not only in the new form of Yogi Adityanath but many small and big players who can indulge in the politics of resentment. Didi and her ambitions depend on the electoral players, of whom Prashant Kishor is a mere crusader and who will undoubtedly be able to garner some small sums of money in the hope of a new big electoral math. But this is not only that.

Above all, Indian politics is now properly bipartisan. Didi wants to bypass the Congress, or may even succeed in breaking through and valuing its disjointed edges as she detours through Congress party units from Tripura to Goa and all the way to the G-22. proceed to. To be sure, this is an adventure, if obvious, then go ahead. And it makes for great political gossip. But the move is based on the idea that being anti-BJP or anti-Modi would be enough to stitch together a ‘common minimum program’ (another ’90s cliché) between these regional parties, which often clash with each other. with bitterness and competition. ,

Read also: Yes, UPA is dead. But here’s what Mamata, PK are saying about Congress and why it is also true

2024 and two thoughts

The irony is that the political initiative against Modi rests with the Congress party. Occupying a national footprint and a significant voter share, it is not a regional power. Unlike in the 90s, there is not a single national party against which a regional front can challenge. However, marked by an increased asymmetry of political power, the BJP and the Congress are two national parties that combine two visions of India’s past and future.
We all know what the BJP means and its rise to power over the past three decades has been honed in its decades of preparation. The Congress started out as a party of protest and mobilization for its first years and easily morphed into a party of undisputed power for the next 50 years. The lifecycle of Congress is now opposite to that of BJP.
If you, like me, see if you don’t follow fashion trends, you know that rips are available, accessible and can be worn for a while and will last as long as they do. Comes with something classic worth the power of. For now, it’s clear that the political ’90s comeback is a shiny rip-off with little staying power.

Author’s new book ‘Violent Fraternity; Indian Political Thought in the Global Age is now out of Penguin India. She is an Associate Professor of Indian History and Global Political Thought at the University of Cambridge. She tweets @shrutikapila. Thoughts are personal.

(Edited by Neera Mazumdar)

subscribe our channel youtube And Wire