The ‘Fear Factor’ in Politics

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On the face of it, the message being sent out by the President of BJP is quite purposeful and positive. Who wouldn’t want an India that doesn’t vote on the basis of religion? But then, when it comes to the foot soldiers of the party who actually ‘contact’ the consumer in the field during elections, the gospel of equal distance between religions somehow gets transformed into an invocation of the lurking ‘fear of the other’. Just look at what Varun Gandhi, grandson of Indira Gandhi and great grandson of Jawharlal Nehru had to say while campaigning in his constituency in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh. If nothing else, it was a clear assertion that you can’t trust Muslims and that a vote for Varun Gandhi will mean the protection of Pilibhit Hindus from Pilibhit Muslims. Much has been said and written about the ethics and morals of the now notorious Varun Gandhi speech. But beyond the rhetoric, the brutal fact remains that the ‘fear factor’ will once again be decisive if Varun wins and turns out to be a smart marketing strategist.

In fact, the rise and rise of BJP and its prime ministerial candidate L. K. Advani can be clearly linked with the power of the ‘fear factor’. It was the Shah Bano controversy during the mid 1980s that created genuine misgivings amongst millions of moderate Hindus about the alleged appeasement of Muslims. BJP successfully parlayed this apprehension into a powerful marketing strategy. So successful was the strategy adopted by L. K. Advani and his team of strategists that the BJP actually emerged as a ‘national’ rival to the Congress.

The Left too has its own version of fear factor to play around with. Says, CPI leader D. Raja, “Our line of campaign is entirely different… We speak for the poor people, we fight for the interest of the people, for sovereignty, for secular values.” The message outwardly is positive. But at the ground level, much of the real message is visceral distrust and dislike of the United States of America. The Left still thinks that Uncle Sam is a malevolent imperial power and that the people of India would be scared enough of Uncle Sam to vote Left. No wonder, their appeal has dwindled over successive elections, except the unexpected bonanza in the 2004 General Elections.

And what of the Congress? The party was clearly the pioneer of the ‘fear factor’, using it dramatically & successfully back in the 1984 elections when Rajiv Gandhi won a historic mandate. But those glory days are well and truly gone and Congress represents a tired national brand whose market share is being constantly nibbled away by aggressive regional players. In state after state, the core competence of Brand Congress has been hijacked by regional parties and it has not been able to retaliate. In that sense, Brand Congress is like Brand Bajaj. Till the 1980s, both the Congress and Bajaj completely ruled the market. Their ‘hegemony’ was virtually unchallenged. To buy a Bajaj was to be an Indian. Contrast that with the situation today where Bajaj has become the No.3 two wheeler company of India. Can both Congress and Bajaj reinvent themselves and find a new positioning strategy?

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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