Arundhati Roy:
> None of the pundits and psephologists predicted the results. The
> rightwing BJP-led coalition has not just been voted out of power, it
> has been humiliated. It cannot but be seen as a decisive vote against
> communalism, and neo-liberalism's economic "reforms".
Compare the difference in votes polled by BJP led coalition and Congress led coalition in this election. The respective shares are 36% and 37.7%, mere 1.7% difference in the votes polled.
>The Congress
> has become the largest party. The left parties, the only parties to
> be overtly (but ineffectively) critical of the reforms, have been
> given an unprecedented mandate.
The share of the Left has gone up from 9% in 1999 to 10% in 2004. Hardly an unprecedented mandate.
>But even as we celebrate, we know
> that on every major issue besides overt Hindu nationalism (nuclear
> bombs, big dams and privatisation), the Congress and the BJP have no
> major ideological differences. We know the legacy of the Congress led
> us to the horror of the BJP.
Why the Left could not take advantage of the "legacy" of the Congress?
Ulhas