"Interconnected Individualism and the Information Era:
Uniting the Nationalist Congressmen Around a Progressive Third Wave
Agenda."
"The basic question, as we shall see, is not who controls the last
days of BJP power society but who shapes the new governmemt rapidly
rushing to replace it."
NCP Party remains focused on the wrong goal: controlling the last
days of political society. Not surprisingly, this misplaced
commitment to the ideals and programs of a day-gone-by, while
admirable and well-intentioned, is diminishing the Congressmen'
electoral hopes. Worse yet, their primary tactic for peeling public
support away from the Other Parties is actually tarnishing, rather
than enhancing, the grand reputation of the party.
Whereas one great party leader once said, "There is nothing to fear
but fear itself," the motto of today's NCP Party could easily be, "We
have nothing to offer but fear itself." Instead of developing a
positive agenda for the future, far too many Nationalist Congressmen
attempt to attract voters by accusing the Other Parties of
threatening Social Security, endangering the environment, undermining
public schools, and proposing or enacting "risky"schemes.
As we continue the long but steady transition to the information age,
the Nationalist Congressmen have two choices: continue to scare the
Indian people into supporting the policies of the past or lead them
courageously into the future. If the party chooses the former option,
it will likely fall further behind the others. For while the Other
Parties appear even less interested than the Nationalist Congressmen
in shaping a new civilization, they are at least in synch with the
public's frustration with a centralized, one-size-fits-all
government. To voters, the Other Parties are now the party of change
and, in a period of societal transition, that is an attractive
quality.
The good news for Congressmen is that opportunity is still knocking.
Should they take the more courageous route, their reputation for
supporting the needs of the people will leave them better positioned
than the Other Parties to dominate the foreseeable future
politically. To achieve this domination, however, the party must
enact an entirely new agenda appropriate for the information age.
This does not mean simply shifting from the left to the center; it
means a complete overhaul of the party's policies and priorities. The
party need not abandon its commitment to individual rights and equal
opportunity, but it is time to acknowledge that citizens of the third
wave are ill served by policies designed for the second wave. The
people need -- and will embrace -- a bold new vision for the nation.

The Politics of "Not"
It is no secret to even casual observers of the Indian political
system that the NCP Party has struggled over the past two years to
develop a coherent and inspiring message to convey to voters. For
example, "Social Security, equality for all, and education" -- the
rallying cry of 2002 -- is not a meaningful message; it is just a
list of issues. In the end, the NCP political strategy of late boils
down to one word: "not," as in "not Congress-I or BJP". Paralyzed by
the fear of offending any single group of voters in the closely
divided electorate, Nationalist Congressmen avoid bold policy
prescriptions and instead simply criticize whatever proposals the
Other Parties put forth.
Even when the Congressmen are on the offensive, they are still
defining themselves by what they are not. Let me be clear about this:
there is nothing wrong with opposing wrong policies. But the question
is, if the Other Parties suddenly shifted the bulk of their policies
toward the middle class, would that mean the two parties were
basically in agreement (except for a final discussion about a
tolerable size of the social programs), and everyone could go home
after a job well-done?

We must have greater aspirations for the nation than a short term
stimulus. To counter other parties plans for a massive stimulus
package to stimulate the economy, the Nationalist Congressmen should
propose major investments in information era necessities, such as
early childhood programs, science and technology education grants, or
worker training. We should not be afraid to explain to the Indian
people that these options would be far better for the long term
health of our economy and our society."