The Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) has thrown down the gauntlet. It has made an open offer to the MGP “ if you want our support, break the alliance with the BJP before September 30. This is not exactly an offer that the MGP cannot refuse, but it is something that it will have to consider in the next 30 days or so. The BBSM has also announced its plans to float a political party. The party constitution is being drafted and plans are afoot to get it registered. The new party will probably have a new name since the BBSM would like to remain in the background like the RSS is to the BJP.
You have to give the BBSM some credit for taking its movement to the logical conclusion, which in a democracy is, elections. Organising public meetings and addressing press conferences to articulate one’s platform is a part of the democratic process, but since this did not convince the BJP to change its stand on the medium of instruction, the BBSM was constrained to contest or offer support to a like-minded political party, in this case, the MGP.
This ultimatum creates problems for the MGP. Although there is a clamour within the party to break ties with the BJP, the MGP does not seem to have garnered the confidence to break away. In any case, decisions of this type are taken closer to the elections so that the party can continue to enjoy the advantages that come by virtue of being in power. Secondly, to break away, the MGP will have to create a political crisis and then walk out. The MGP was party to the MoI policy of the government and it would seem lame to make it an issue at this stage. Also, the MGP needs to count its seats before it snaps ties. A recent survey showed that the MGP could stand to lose more if it were to sever ties with the BJP.
At present it is the BBSM that has nothing to lose, while the MGP could gain or lose horribly. The BBSM is a relatively new force built around a single issue. Elections are seldom fought on a single issue unless that issue stirs up deep passion. In that sense the MoI has limited acceptance for three reasons. First, it is limited to a few constituencies in the interiors. Second, it is divisive. Third, the BBSM is attempting to divide the State along communal lines and voters generally detest communal politics.
It is now clear that the BBSM has decided to go it alone. As a single entity it might not be a potent force because it still has to prove that it has the ability to convert the crowds of well-wishers and supporters into votes and it seems that it needs the MGP more than the MGP needs it.
