Fifth column: Menacing hyper-nationalism defined BJP’s election campaigns and voters rejected it | The Indian Express

Fifth column: Menacing hyper-nationalism defined BJP’s election campaigns and voters rejected it | The Indian Express

Written by Tavleen Singh |Updated: October 27, 2019 10:03:21 am

Tavleen Singh, a leading Columnist associated with The Indian Express. Find all Columns from Tavleen Singh here.

Fifth column: Menacing hyper-nationalism defined BJP’s election campaigns and voters rejected it

The BJP may well form governments again in both these states but the truth is that in this seeming victory lies hidden a warning that Narendra Modi would do well to heed.

In fact, since 2014, the single most important factor in explaining election outcomes over and above everything else has been the leadership skill, personality and image of PM Modi. (Express file photo)

There is no genteel way to say this so I am going to spit it out: menacing hyper-nationalism does not win elections. It was menacing hyper-nationalism that defined the BJP’s election campaigns in Maharashtra and Haryana and voters rejected it. The BJP may well form governments again in both these states but the truth is that in this seeming victory lies hidden a warning that Narendra Modi would do well to heed. The warning is that even a prime minister who has just won a second term must never start thinking of himself as invincible. Delusions of invincibility have been sadly much too evident ever since that second term began and they became manifest in a very ugly way during the recent election campaign.