BJP increases clout in Rajya Sabha but work is still half done for them

With the BJP narrowing the gap with the Congress in the Rajya Sabha after the elections to 27 seats, the ruling party must seize the initiative to pilot more legislation through the Upper House. The BJP has so far refrained from an ambitious legislative agenda because of the uncertainty over garnering enough numbers in the Rajya Sabha. On key legislation like the GST and land acquisition bills, the Congress has played spoiler, while most of the regional parties have been hesitant to isolate the Congress despite its obstructionism in the House. From the budget session, where the Congress held 64 seats against the BJP’s 49, the BJP now has 54 members against the Congress’ 57. However, it is at the level of alliances that these numbers gain significance. For the first time, the NDA, with 74 members, has overtaken the UPA tally of 71. This will, no doubt, be a psychological blow to the Congress, but the onus is on the BJP to play its cards right, going forward. 

A strategic reorientation is important because regional parties hold nearly 90 seats in the Rajya Sabha and it is the BJP’s failure to win their confidence that has put it on the back-foot despite the commanding majority in the Lok Sabha. The BJP must recall how the Congress from 2004 to 2014, and before it, the AB Vajpayee-led NDA, from 1999 to 2004, tackled the Rajya Sabha, to understand where its tactics are going wrong. For nearly two decades now, no ruling party has enjoyed a simple majority in the Rajya Sabha, forcing them to build consensus with opposition parties to carry forward legislative business. Unlike the Congress, which could succeed in ensuring the backing of such disparate parties like the SP, BSP, Trinamool Congress, the Left parties, and even the BJP, on diverse legislation, the present ruling dispensation has struggled with its parliamentary strategy.    

The constant refrain of “Congress Mukt Bharat” by BJP leaders has contributed to a polarised atmosphere in which the main opposition party, smarting under continuous defeats, have spurned the BJP’s overtures for bipartisanship. The “Congress Mukt Bharat” chant has also not gone down well with regional parties who have been traditional opponents of the tendency among national parties to dominate and marginalise them. Most of the regional outfits emerged as a response to the high-handedness of the Congress and do not appreciate the BJP also heading down the same road. In addition, the failure of the BJP to silence the motor-mouths within its ranks who make incendiary statements has also contributed to the party’s isolation. Most political parties would prefer that the BJP keep its head down and focus on the economy and governance but have grown suspicious with the sporadic raking up of divisive issues. 

It is this resort to triumphalism that has come in the way of the BJP’s bid to build bridges with the AIADMK, BJD and the Trinamool Congress. All three parties were once NDA allies but other than extracting a vague assurance for issue-based support, the BJP can scarcely hope to rely on these parties in crunch situations. With no elections due in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu or Odisha, any time soon, these three parties are under lesser pressure than their regional counterparts in other states on the issue of striking an alliance with the BJP on the floor of the Rajya Sabha. But the AIADMK is opposed to the GST Bill and the Trinamool Congress and the BJD are wary about PM Modi’s expansion plans for the BJP in their respective states. The BJP is clearly in an unenviable position. Party president Amit Shah’s desire to ensure a pan-India footprint has forged an ambitious and hyper-aggressive BJP, but it is also coming in the way of building steadfast alliances.