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By:

Kiran D. Tare

21 August 2024 at 11:23:13 am

Bengal’s Ludwig Erhard

For decades, Swapan Dasgupta made a career of diagnosing India’s political ailments. As a columnist, editor, author and public intellectual, the erudite and scintillating Dasgupta dissected challenged orthodoxies and defended the intellectual traditions of the Indian Right. However, following his new appointment as the new Finance Minister of a West Bengal in economic doldrums, he perhaps faces the most demanding assignment of his career. His supporters however are confident that if there is...

Bengal’s Ludwig Erhard

For decades, Swapan Dasgupta made a career of diagnosing India’s political ailments. As a columnist, editor, author and public intellectual, the erudite and scintillating Dasgupta dissected challenged orthodoxies and defended the intellectual traditions of the Indian Right. However, following his new appointment as the new Finance Minister of a West Bengal in economic doldrums, he perhaps faces the most demanding assignment of his career. His supporters however are confident that if there is anyone most suited to sort out Bengal’s messy economy, it is Dasgupta. His appointment following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ascent to power in Bengal after overthrowing Mamata Banerjee’s TMC regime is among the more intriguing political transitions in recent Indian political memory. India has seen journalists cross into politics before. M.J. Akbar moved from the newsroom to the Ministry of External Affairs. Arun Shourie, one of India’s most formidable investigative journalists, became a reform-minded minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government. Others, from Manish Sisodia to Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi and Chandan Mitra, have made similar journeys. Yet Dasgupta’s case is distinctive. Unlike many journalists-turned-politicians, he was never merely a ‘reporter.’ Whether in debate or through his prolific and trenchant writings, he has always been an intellectual combatant, a scholar of political ideas with a sweeping knowledge of world history by which he leavens those ideas. Dasgupta has always been one of the most articulate exponents of modern Indian conservatism. Educated at La Martiniere College in Kolkata, St Stephen’s College in Delhi and later the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, where he earned a doctorate, Dasgupta cultivated a reputation for formidable scholarship. His books, including Awakening Bharat Mata: The Political Beliefs of the Indian Right and The Ayodhya Reference, revealed an uncommon ability to place contemporary political disputes within a broader historical and ideological framework. For his supporters, he was among the few intellectuals capable of articulating conservative ideas in a language usually dominated by the Left. To critics, he was a sophisticated polemicist. Yet, even his opponents seldom questioned the breadth of his reading or the sharpness of his arguments. However, the challenge facing Dasgupta now is no longer intellectual but administrative. The Bengal he inherits bears little resemblance to the state that once led India in industry, commerce and scientific innovation. As he himself quipped in trademark fashion with a sharp historical analogy, the state’s economy resembled postwar Germany. The figures are sobering. West Bengal’s state debt has ballooned to around Rs. 8 lakh crore during the TMC regime. Thousands of companies have relocated or curtailed operations over the years amid a hostile investment climate. The new BJP government has inherited not merely a fiscal challenge but a crisis of confidence. “We are left with a near-bankrupt treasury,” Dasgupta said. Equally troubling, in his view, is the erosion of trust among investors and entrepreneurs. Bengal’s relationship with business has been uneasy to say the least. First the long night of the Left, followed by the TMC’s anti-business, appeasement brand of politics has ensured that the scars of industrial disputes and land controversies remain fresh. In this dire situation, reviving private investment will require convincing businesses that Bengal has changed. In this respect, Dasgupta’s strengths may prove unexpectedly useful. Throughout his career he displayed an ability to engage with ideas, institutions and stakeholders across ideological divides. His early moves hint at a broader vision. Rather than confining pre-budget consultations to Kolkata, Dasgupta shifted the Finance Department’s attention to Siliguri in a moved suffused with deliberate symbolism. North Bengal has long complained of neglect by governments centred on the state’s southern districts. By engaging tea producers, agricultural interests, tourism operators and local business groups, the newly-minted finance minister appears eager to demonstrate that economic revival will not just be a Kolkata-centric project. That said, debt servicing consumes a substantial portion of state revenues. Welfare commitments are politically difficult to unwind and infrastructure deficits remain significant. While public intellectuals excel at identifying problems, governing demands compromises and the acceptance of imperfect solutions. Still, Bengal’s new finance minister possesses as fine an appreciation of history than any Indian politician around. He knows that states decline not just because economic mistakes but because they lose faith in their future. Restoring that confidence may be the central task of his tenure. For years Swapan Dasgupta chronicled India’s political story from the sidelines. Now he finds himself at the centre of one of its most consequential state-level experiments. Whatever the outcome of his tenure, few would deny that Bengal’s finances have acquired perhaps their most learned custodian in decades.

LDF battles voter discontent driven by anti-incumbency

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi with party leaders during a public meeting ahead of the Kerala assembly elections in Kallachi, Kerala on Tuesday. | Pic: PTI
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi with party leaders during a public meeting ahead of the Kerala assembly elections in Kallachi, Kerala on Tuesday. | Pic: PTI

Kerala: Kerala's assembly elections face surging anti-incumbency against LDF after a decade in power, fueled by corruption, nepotism, unemployment, and youth migration. Rahul and Modi intensify a tight triangular race with UDF slightly ahead.

 

Kerala's political landscape stands at a decisive crossroads. As the state heads toward elections for its 140-member Legislative Assembly, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) faces its most formidable challenge yet: a growing wave of anti-incumbency. After nearly a decade in power, public discontent against the government appears to be steadily consolidating into a broader electoral sentiment. Pre-poll surveys and the outcomes of local body elections both indicate that a significant section of the electorate is dissatisfied with the government's performance.

 

Adding further intrigue to this electoral contest is the high-voltage campaigning by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both leaders have turned Kerala into a central arena for advancing their respective political narratives, intensifying the tussle, and sharpening the stakes.

 

At the heart of this election lies the issue of anti-incumbency, which has emerged as the defining theme of the campaign. Survey data suggests that nearly 31 percent of respondents rate the government's performance as "very poor," while over 20 percent describe it as "poor." Such figures serve as a stark warning for any incumbent administration. A perceived lack of progress on the development front, limited employment opportunities, and the continued outmigration of youth have further deepened this undercurrent of dissatisfaction.

 

Corruption Allegations

Allegations of corruption have further fueled public discontent. The Karuvannur cooperative bank scam has dealt a significant blow to the government's credibility. In addition, controversies surrounding the gold associated with the Sabarimala temple, alleged irregularities in bar license renewals, and accusations of financial mismanagement in various projects have provided the opposition with ample ammunition to target the ruling dispensation. Seizing on these issues, PM Modi, in multiple rallies, accused both the LDF and the UDF of "corruption and opportunism," describing their approach as a "double game" in politics.

 

On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi has sought to corner the government by placing public concerns at the center of his campaign. He has launched sharp attacks on the LDF government over unemployment, rising prices, and alleged corruption. Notably, his rallies have witnessed strong participation from youth and minority communities, an encouraging sign for the Congress.

 

Meanwhile, the issue of nepotism has also emerged as a prominent theme in this election. The government has faced serious allegations over the appointment of relatives and close associates to ministers' personal staff. The opposition has branded this as the "Pinarayi model of nepotism." Both the Congress and the BJP have raised this issue aggressively, with PM Modi describing it as "dynastic politics" and directly placing both the LDF and the UDF in the dock.

 

Unpredictable Contest

From an electoral standpoint, the contest is equally compelling. Kerala has traditionally witnessed a relatively muted anti-incumbency effect, with a significant number of legislators managing to secure re-election. This time as well, the LDF has re-nominated around 56 of its sitting MLAs, while the Congress has placed its trust in several of its established faces. At the same time, both parties have shown signs of internal discontent and rebellion over ticket distribution, adding another layer of uncertainty to an already closely fought battle.

 

Tight Race

Pre-poll surveys suggest a slight edge for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), though both the LDF and the NDA remain firmly in contention. Approximately 8 percent of voters are reportedly still undecided, which could decisively influence the result of the election.

 

PM Modi's frequent visits and high-intensity campaigning have also pushed the BJP to position this contest as a triangular one. While the party's footprint in Kerala remains limited, its efforts to expand its vote share could significantly influence the electoral arithmetic.

 

Taken together, this election in Kerala is not merely about a change of government, but about defining the state's political trajectory. On one hand, the wave of anti-incumbency poses a serious challenge to the LDF. Another side, the Congress is striving to convert this sentiment into a tangible electoral advantage. The aggressive campaigning by high-profile leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi has elevated the contest to national prominence. All eyes are now on the polling and counting dates. It remains to be seen whether Kerala's voters will follow their traditional pattern of alternating power, or whether the LDF can defy the odds and script history once again.

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