Get off that fence!

Ah! The joy of sitting on the fence. No decisions to make, no commitments to have, just sit and watch the world go by. It is indeed very peaceful to be a fence-sitter. No bitter arguments, no high-pitched debates, just sit and listen. As we go deeper into the election season, my analysis is that fence-sitters form a sizeable vote-bank. These fence-sitters weren't always fence-sitters. They, too, whole-heartedly supported one party or the other; they may have been ardent admirers of politicians, and may very well have loathed a few others. However, today they are fence-sitters mainly because they are a confused lot unable to make up their minds.

Sure, they voted for growth, development, 'sabka vikas', etc. in 2014. They rallied around that central figure of change, Narendra Modi, who promised with utmost sincerity to transform India. Most of us know that five years is too short for any kind of metamorphosis but it definitely sows the seeds that yield results in the years to come. But today those supporters are dumbfounded (I know because I have spent the last many weeks speaking to scores of BJP supporters who for the first time seem uncertain about their vote). In spite of the good that the current BJP government has achieved (yes, there are a few positives – India's international brand-building, greater ease of doing business, low levels of corruption in governance, the intent behind Swacch Bharat Abhiyan etc.), this group of people is unnerved by the incidents of communal disharmony, lynchings, the assumption of the reins of India's largest state, Uttar Pradesh, by a priest, India's jobless growth etc.

The doubts that were forming gradually in the last couple of years have witnessed brisk growth in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. The promise to implement NRC nationwide, pledging to introduce stricter sedition laws, and the icing on the cake --- giving an election ticket to Malegaon terror accused, Pragya Singh Thakur (Sadhvi Pragya), to contest from Bhopal. In fact, we must demand the Parliament and the Election Commission to rethink the decision to allow convicted criminals contesting elections in the first place.

This group of voters has already become fence-sitters as they have no justification for their favoured party's actions. A couple of years ago these very people would stop parties and gatherings to wax eloquent about how our 'libtard' spectacles were so Congress-hued that they wouldn't accept a non-Gandhi leading the nation. They had so many defences for Prime Minister Modi and his government, and many of us, grudgingly also believed that irrespective of personal ideologies, Modi cared about this international persona so much that he dares not allow attacks on India's tolerance and diversity. That garb of decency, every last bit of it was shredded to pieces with the party deciding to field Pragya.

This so-called sannyasin has served nine years in jail, was released on bail citing health reasons and still faces several criminal charges, and has just badmouthed 26/11 hero Hemant Karkare! BJP cannot be so bereft of talent to be out recruiting ex-convicts! The party has had political leaders of distinction, erudite men and women that have been respected if not supported across political ideologies. The only plausible explanation is that this time since the party can't truly boast of economic progress, it is polarising the elections by pushing hard-line Hindutva ahead of its development plank. What a sea-change from 2014!

My request to all those fence-sitters (many of whom are thinking of pressing the NOTA button) is to weigh the pros and cons before voting. This group of BJP supporters who are sitting uncomfortably on the fence must decide not only for the nation but also for their own party. Is this the India you want where 'vikas'(development) replaces 'vinash' (destruction)? There is enough criticism of Congress and its dynastic legacy and I know no one asks this question but -- Dear BJP supporters…Is this the BJP you want? Perhaps it is time to get off that fence and let your leaders know your decision.

(The writer is a journalist and media entrepreneur. The views expressed are strictly personal)