1. Democracy, in India, is a word most people do not understand and can not understand/practice given the vast difference in social, technological, economic and academic difference within the electorate, which always leads to a situation of "My vote is on sale if....i get a loptop/bottle/''gamchha''/reservation etc ". And the very idea of democracy based on the merit of the candidate (ADR is a champion, here) and his (candidate's) promise for allround development is defeated and hence democracy itself is defeated or actually convoluted! It either degenerates into populism (mostly) or chaos (Argentina).
2. For academic purpose, i may portray AAP as a stunner or whatever (though TDP and Assom Gan Parishad too had totally swept their debut elections, but without this fanfare and lofty appraisals that AAP enjoyed). But, can we rule out the fact that if the media can be made complicit in the act of cornering the power in few ideologues/group ( also shared by a group of media and now "civil society"), the public perception can be moulded suitably. The 24x7 positive coverage of AAP wasn't corruption of the grossest nature, right in our faces. The congress had become too naked and dishonoured to be able to talk about development and honesty. The vacuum was evidently to be filled by the other major party and another corruption happened by painting all political parties with the same brush of corruption. Every incident was utilised to launch a new alternative --AAP, to fill that vacuum easily available to BJP. AAP was presented as the most honest and democratic party. Eg the Nirbhaya incident was, forgive me for using the word, "milked" to the fullest for political gains, in manipulating the anti-corruption movt and channelising it with a clear foreplan to suddenly form a pol party. Thus, the corrupt soul of congress, like a phoneix, morphed into AAP and gave the typical left-leaning seculars a new broom to beat BJP with. Unfortunately, few of my good friends and teachers are still refusing to see what many have seen that the democracy is AAP was just a sham, the honesty was a bigger sham with no action on many many allegations on prashant bhushan, somnath bharti (repeatedly), kumar vishwas, shishodiya, damania and almost all prominent ones.
I know many saw AAP as an opportunity to capture power, as seen in delhi. And many saw it as a route to the NAC. Whatever happened to ethics and all that!!
3. Perhaps Indians still believe in man-worship which can be seen from the fact that inspite of Rahul Gandhi's drama, he is still projected as a leader of the nation (claim to leaderhsip?? his pedigree or his dimples?). There has been such hate-propaganda carried on against Modi for more than 10 years but the man-worshipping Indians are thronging to his rallies actually thinking he will be the new saviour from immense corruption, communalism, price rise, insecurity and hardships.So, majority of the Indians in cities and villages just want to off-shore their troubles into someone who should give them a solution. Either ways there are people supporting these two. Our hero Kejriwal is another such new-formed god, in whom many have vested their faiths and believe he is the only saviour. And each camp is strictly pitted against the others. Especially in AAP i see no agenda just allegations. Perhaps that is the agenda- to keep the scene murky till the elections and hold as many away from MOdi as possible!
And there is a reason, when Modi comes he will come with his own set of media czars (or build new ones), business tycoons, civil-society champions and so on... the whole establishment will be shaken and reformed. Those who see benefit in investing in Modi are doing so. For me, i do not see any personal benefit in him, except that when he comes he will try to end the present strong communal and casteist politics. He will put India's interests before everything else. And hopefully he will contain corruption better than the incapable, irresponsible and manipulative AAP.
Further, I respect MJ Akbar's honesty and courage when he writes this: http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/TheSiegeWithin/entry/party-s-over-for-socialists
~bLUECZAR
2. For academic purpose, i may portray AAP as a stunner or whatever (though TDP and Assom Gan Parishad too had totally swept their debut elections, but without this fanfare and lofty appraisals that AAP enjoyed). But, can we rule out the fact that if the media can be made complicit in the act of cornering the power in few ideologues/group ( also shared by a group of media and now "civil society"), the public perception can be moulded suitably. The 24x7 positive coverage of AAP wasn't corruption of the grossest nature, right in our faces. The congress had become too naked and dishonoured to be able to talk about development and honesty. The vacuum was evidently to be filled by the other major party and another corruption happened by painting all political parties with the same brush of corruption. Every incident was utilised to launch a new alternative --AAP, to fill that vacuum easily available to BJP. AAP was presented as the most honest and democratic party. Eg the Nirbhaya incident was, forgive me for using the word, "milked" to the fullest for political gains, in manipulating the anti-corruption movt and channelising it with a clear foreplan to suddenly form a pol party. Thus, the corrupt soul of congress, like a phoneix, morphed into AAP and gave the typical left-leaning seculars a new broom to beat BJP with. Unfortunately, few of my good friends and teachers are still refusing to see what many have seen that the democracy is AAP was just a sham, the honesty was a bigger sham with no action on many many allegations on prashant bhushan, somnath bharti (repeatedly), kumar vishwas, shishodiya, damania and almost all prominent ones.
I know many saw AAP as an opportunity to capture power, as seen in delhi. And many saw it as a route to the NAC. Whatever happened to ethics and all that!!
3. Perhaps Indians still believe in man-worship which can be seen from the fact that inspite of Rahul Gandhi's drama, he is still projected as a leader of the nation (claim to leaderhsip?? his pedigree or his dimples?). There has been such hate-propaganda carried on against Modi for more than 10 years but the man-worshipping Indians are thronging to his rallies actually thinking he will be the new saviour from immense corruption, communalism, price rise, insecurity and hardships.So, majority of the Indians in cities and villages just want to off-shore their troubles into someone who should give them a solution. Either ways there are people supporting these two. Our hero Kejriwal is another such new-formed god, in whom many have vested their faiths and believe he is the only saviour. And each camp is strictly pitted against the others. Especially in AAP i see no agenda just allegations. Perhaps that is the agenda- to keep the scene murky till the elections and hold as many away from MOdi as possible!
And there is a reason, when Modi comes he will come with his own set of media czars (or build new ones), business tycoons, civil-society champions and so on... the whole establishment will be shaken and reformed. Those who see benefit in investing in Modi are doing so. For me, i do not see any personal benefit in him, except that when he comes he will try to end the present strong communal and casteist politics. He will put India's interests before everything else. And hopefully he will contain corruption better than the incapable, irresponsible and manipulative AAP.
Further, I respect MJ Akbar's honesty and courage when he writes this: http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/TheSiegeWithin/entry/party-s-over-for-socialists
Party’s over for socialists
Revolutions, famously, are devoured by their children. It was characteristic of Indian socialists that they waited until senility to gobble up the caste-and-community insurrection conceived by Dr Ram Manohar Lohia in the 1950s and 1960s. There will be many stories within and around the 2014 general elections. A principal occurrence will be the earthquake that swallows the socialists. Its epicenter will be Bihar, but the perimeter of devastation will extend across Uttar Pradesh.
The last three heirs of Lohia, Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav surely know in their hearts what their minds might refuse to admit. The party’s over. Ever since they first sipped power at the fountain of coalitions in 1967, one fact has been transparently clear. Indian socialists have always been far better at politics than government. Such talent should not be underestimated in a democracy. It is difficult enough to win elections even after delivering on the promise of incremental prosperity. To do so through sheer emotional arithmetic is genius.
Since that high point of emotion in 1989, when temple, mosque and caste dominated the debate, Lohia’s children have ruled Bihar with a tenacity that remains a formidable tribute to their rhetorical craft.
Their formula began to seem infallible: the Chief Minister’s loyal castes were rewarded with a stake in power, allies were kept onside with marginal benefits, and the vital Muslim vote was patched on with a debilitating concoction of illusion and fear. Muslims got prayer and tokenism; jobs went to others. Religion became the opium of the people.
Nitish Kumar’s brief encounter with glory had little to do with the quality of governance. He was the much-needed relief vessel after the Lalu shipwreck. His years in power were primarily consumed by a relentless search of sub-castes to knead into a political dividend. It was vote bank politics, but with rural banks, a low capital base and insufficient transactions. As a long-term business model, it offered little chance of success. Now that Nitish Kumar has run out of time and ideas, the alibi game has begun. It won’t work.
His problem was compounded by the disability that Indian socialism, like its cousins across the globe, simply did not have the legs to stride into the 21st century. Nor did its leaders possess the imagination to re-invent their philosophy, and adjust dogma to new demands. Its office-bearers became its pall-bearers.
Today’s voter is sick to the stomach of deceptive jargon. Politics, unfortunately, has become a malevolent word. Indians want jobs, security and empowerment through economic growth. They are equally tired of the misuse of secularism to justify corruption, dynasty and piteously weak administration. In any case, when the opening sentence of a book on Narendra Modi’s views states that secularism is the equality of all faiths before the law, when he avers in his speeches that the only religion of a politician is the Constitution of India, there is not much left to discuss apart from riots. Voters then compare facts. They know that a former Gujarat minister is in jail, while no one has been punished for the Sikh massacres of 1984 or the vicious Mumbai riots of 1992-93.
This is why Ram Vilas Paswan, who left the BJP coalition a decade ago over riots, will become a partner in 2014 and address a rally alongside Modi in Bihar. This is why America’s ambassador Nancy Powell goes with conciliatory flowers to Ahmedabad. This is why BJP is picking up new allies each week. Once Bihar changes, you might say, there is nothing left to change.
The long-term consequences are significant. For four decades, Indian socialists have denied BJP primacy in the crucial Ganga-Jamuna belt. BJP was successful in displacing socialists in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (Lohia’s home province), but could never quite get their act together in UP and Bihar. The party touched nadir when two years ago Mulayam Singh Yadav won UP by unprecedented margins, and Nitish Kumar chose this psychological moment to distance himself from BJP, and start a flirtation with Congress. Today, instead of being wooed, Nitish has been isolated. And Lalu Yadav, who was so certain about his own resurrection and Paswan’s subservience that he began issuing ultimatums, has been hit by a thunderbolt from blue skies.
If Bihar’s personality-driven socialists cannot recover, and it does seem unlikely, then the confrontation in UP and Bihar will become a direct contest between BJP and Congress. This process might take a little longer in UP, since Mayawati remains a formidable third force, but the trend cannot be missed.
No party can achieve a majority in the Lok Sabha on its own without significant support from UP and Bihar. 2014 could be the starting point of the return journey to stable government in Delhi.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
~bLUECZAR
