In India, there is a trend; just before elections, many leaders switch parties irrespective of their ideologies.
Over the last few years, a pattern has emerged in ED and CBI cases, against opposition leaders and the switching of parties. Here are some prominent examples of opposition leaders joining the BJP.
- Four out six Rajyasaba MPs of TDP (Telgu Desham Party), Including Y.S. Chaudhary, joined BJP. The BJP once called him the Vijay Mallya of Andhra Pradesh! He faces many charges of corruption. AI think this clearly exposes, the ‘commitment’ of the BJP to crackdown on corruption.
- In West Bengal, most of the leaders, including Dilip Ghosh, Mukul Roy, etc. were once in TMC. They were the flag bearers of secularism and accused BJP of inciting communal violence in West Bengal. Mukul Roy, a close aide of Mamta Banerjee and Railway Minister of UPA-2, joined the BJP in 2017. He is one of the accused in the Sarada chit fund scam, and the BJP was constantly attacking him. Now, Mukul Roy is the face of the BJP in West Bengal. These ‘imported’ leaders might help BJP to gain some votes, but the credibility of the party is in question.
- In Karnataka, how the BJP formed the government, is itself, questionable. Politics have downgraded to a level where elected leaders are traded by political parties.
Over the last few months, a lot of leaders joined the BJP. These leaders are awarded by either prominent posts in the government or candidature in various elections. Such a practice is slowly destroying the idea of the formation of the BJP party. In Indian politics, we have seen multiple examples of parties diverting from their ideology; from Janta Dal to Congress. But, when this happens, it becomes very difficult for them to survive. When a leader gets elected by the people, it is because people have faith in his/her ideology, economic policies, etc. When he/she switches parties, it is a breach of the voters’ trust.
Also, when BJP gives candidature to a ‘parachute candidate’, (A leader who gets tickets without doing much work on-ground), disappointment amongst local leaders starts to grow, which up to some extent, affects the local leadership of the party.
In the past also, leaders used to switch parties. But at that time, no party dared to openly boast about how they influenced opposition leaders to join their party. On the other hand, Narendra Modi announces such moves in public rallies. This is the new low Indian politics is facing. Lastly, I believe poaching opposition leaders will be the last nail in the coffin of the BJP.