Political slogans have always been integral to Indian elections, both in Parliamentary and Assembly elections. From 'Samvidhan Khatre me hai' to 'Ek hain toh safe hain', all political denominations have resorted to one-liners and catchy phrases to strike a chord with the electorate. Despite the generous use of sloganeering in Indian polls over several decades, the year 2024 will be an outlier for several reasons — the strongest among them will be an explicit attempt by the political class to appeal to the primal instincts of citizens.
A year that saw aggressive politics over mandir and masjid coupled with the use of specific slogans by political leaders, only creating an enabling atmosphere for the broader audiences to add their own interpretations and sensitivities.
When an election slogan becomes a war cry
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) five-word catchphrase “Ek Hain Toh Safe Hain (together we are safe)” before the Jharkhand and Maharashtra Assembly elections, had sparked a wide range of interpretations and debates across various platforms.
Political commentators are of the view that in recent times, no political party has based an election campaign around a single slogan, especially in the context of simultaneous Assembly elections in two states. The slogan became the centrepiece of the Bharatiya Janata Party's campaign. The slogan is a refined version of another one given by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath: “Ek Hain Toh Nek Hai...Batenge Toh Katenge”.
In the lead-up to the polls, Opposition in Maharashtra-- the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) —comprising the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) vigorously attacked the BJP. They questioned the meaning of the slogan, asking who is considered "safe" and who is "unsafe", who is making them unsafe, and why a particular community is being targeted.
Sloganeering as a counter-narrative
The hidden undertone and the messaging was succinctly communicated by Maharashtra's new CM Devendra Fadnavis when he described the electoral contest in the state as 'party versus force' as against 'party versus party'. Implicitly referring to the Congress, he said that the narrative created by the 'force' needed to be countered via a counter-narrative and the election outcome in the state is a reflection of a successful counter to that.
The slogan “Ek Hain Toh Safe Hain” is, in many ways, a counter to the caste census or Rahul Gandhi's “Jitni Aabadi, Utni Hissedari” pitch. In previous elections, the Congress and its allies had somewhat dented the BJP's support base among OBCs and Dalits. However, the Haryana election results showed that this impact was short-lived, with the BJP quickly regaining lost ground.
Establishing Constitution's primacy in public imagination
One of the lasting lessons form the Parliamentary elections of 2024 will be the re-assertion of the Constitution’s primacy in public imagination. From the Opposition’s campaign based on safeguarding the Constitution with the catch-all phrase of "Samvidhan Khatre me hai", to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s timely retreat, denying any intention to change it, the fundamental founding principles of the Republic have been reinforced. The June mandate, to many observers, solidified the the simmering concern of a real or a perceived change to the Constitution.
'Samvidhan Khatre me hai' (the Constitution is in danger), was one message that the Congress amped up in the run up to the Lok Sabha election. Sensing that it might have had some resonance with the voters, Congress leaders, especially Rahul Gandhi, have used the Constitution for most attacks against the BJP-led government.
Realising that the improved showing at the parliamentary elections weren't enough, the Opposition, led by the Congress kept up its concerted attack on BJP on the issue of the Constitution. The recently concluded Winter Session of Parliament witnessed intense bickering over the 'sacred' document. Multiple disruptions, unending protests inside the Parliament premises finally led to a consensus between the Opposition and the treasury benches for a mature debate on the Constitution. However, the debates did not go as expected as each bloc accusing the other of undermining the document and disregarding the contribution of BR Ambedkar-- the chief architect of India's constitution.
Going by the recent indications, it seems unlikely that the government and the Opposition are in any mood to relent.
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