RAMYA KRISHNAMURTHY writes from Bangalore: I was watching the tug-of-war, sparked by Narendra Modi‘s latest disgrace, on different TV channels last night, when I was struck dumb by one simple fact: our politicians, be they pseudo-secularists or pseudo-nationalists, are the only humans proudly defying the most basic tenets of the human spirit.
A school child wants to score more marks than her best friend. A mother wants to bring up her children better than her neighbour. A father wants to excel in the assignments at his work place. An athlete wants to get stronger than other athletes. An engineer wants to build taller buildings. An industrialist wants to set up a bigger facility.
A singer wants to shine in a concert. An Udupi waiter wants to serve faster. A doctor wants to earn a good name. A shopkeeper wants to serve his customers better and earn more. A sweeper wants to keep his street cleaner and earn the compliments. A journalist wants to do different stories to catch reader’s attention.
More. Better. Stronger. Taller. Faster. Bigger. Excel. Shine. Different.
When was the last time you heard those nine words, in any combination, from the mouths of your politician?
As I watched the smug, supercilious lawyers of the BJP and the Congress masquerading as spokesmen splitting hairs deftly last night, I was left with the uncomfortable feeling that our politicians are the only humans who are not aspiring for something better, something different.
They are the only humans in our midst who are trying not to excel or shine. The only brand-managers trying not to put out a better product in the electoral marketplace.
This may seem like a cynical outpouring. It is not. It shows what we are fast losing as a democracy in the midst of the finger-waving and name-calling. Our politicians seem completely contented being what they are. It’s as if they have reached the apogee of achievement; nothing higher, nothing larger, nothing nobler guides them any longer.
# If the shameless Congress guy points a finger at Gujarat 2002, the shameless BJP guy won’t cringe in shame or embarrassment. What about 1984, he says. And what about Nandigram.
# If the shameless Communist guy says, “Modi said for every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction,” the shameless BJP won’t express regret. “Didn’t Buddhadeb say, ‘Our boys were paying back with the same coin’. Didn’t Rajiv say, ‘When a big tree falls, the earth shakes’?”
# And if the shameless Congress and Communist guys say, “Minorities have never felt more vulnerable in Gujarat,” the shameless BJP guy won’t seek to reassure. “Where were your feelings for the thousands of Pandits who were driven out of Kashmir?”
Be it corruption, communalism, casteism, criminalisation or coalition, our parties have achieved a neat balance of terror. They are proud of it. They are unapologetic about it. And they give a damn to what “We, the People” think of it.
There is no grand, democratic, inclusive, optimistic vision about India i.e. Bharat. It’s all about the here and now. They are everything we try not to be, and they seem very happy about it.
Looking at them, you might almost be led to wonder: are they human?
In all fairness, these comments are true. If all of us have skeletons hiding in the closet, then shouldnt the focus be to highlight something else, which happens to be
1. Development.
2. Education
3. Administration
4. Corruption and the list goes on.
It will be interesting if any CM apart from Modi can boast of a respectful figure in any of these.
I agree with SN. Modi was like King Solomon when some ‘secularists’ burnt 57 Hindu pilgrims on a train. An egregious act of violence begets an exponential response. But Modi being the CM killed more Hindus in the subsequent riots than the Muslims! Vote Maadi Modi
this time it is not modi’s fault that he unleashed verbal volleys at sonia gandhi . she instigated modi by calling him merchant of death.it was totally unnecessary. this will polarise voters on caste lines.
CONGRESS sumne iralaagade hula bittu kondaru .
Despite all the so called secular principled blokes calling names at Modi, he is the best CM today. He has done wonders to Gujarat, whilst many have been involved in cheap deals.
Till about a few days back, both the Cong and BJP in Guj were not talking about 2002 and more worried about development and local issues. I saw an intvw with a Cong candidate and he said that 2002 was a thing of the past and we do not want to rake it up. Immediately after that, the CNN IBN correspo concluded that people do not want to talk about justice to minorities post 2002.
Well, it was really good to see both the parties not talking about 2002, Cong especially (as they would loose out on Hindu votes). And then, the most ‘secular’ channel called NDTV had a show with two groups, pro and anti Modi. The show was mainly to bring back the 2002 issue, bring back the miseries to people who had suffered, even though they wanted to forget all that and move ahead.
With Sonia opening her mouth, Modi had to give it back. Perhaps, her speech writers should have used their kidneys in the head.
And finally, when Modi justifies Shorabuddin killing, the seculars are worried, but when MK praises an LTTE terrorist, the same set of jokers in the UPA try to defend.
Ramya,
Good post.
Netagiri is now a profession. On par with loan sharking, illegal real estate development, smuggling, pimping etc.
It is probably in the best interests of the netas to keep the majority uneducated, poor and weak.
“corruption, communalism, casteism, criminalisation or coalition” – the netas can keep playing the people using these tools of trade, as long as people dont even understand these issues.
Years back, I overheard some elders talking about the state of affairs in my ooru.
“Aa nan makkalige vodhodhu, bariyodhu helkodabaradhu. Helkotre nam mele thirugthare. Yell iddhaaro alle irli.”
I guess the politicians say that about us among themselves now.
Maybe the solution – education – may lie outside the political system?
Dear Ms. Ramya,
Your post betrays a certain idealistic naivety about politics in general and Indian politics in particular. But it is something to be cherished…
I disagree with you on your point that Indian politicians do not strive to be better in their jobs. Politics stands for the art of obtaining political power and holding on to it, and our politicians since independence have definitely honed their skills in this art and taken it to a new level! Who else but Indian politicians could conceive and execute something like a Bahujan/Brahmin alliance in Uttar Pradesh?
We only get the politicians we deserve. “We, The People” are selfish, greedy, corrupt, casteist and communal. Our politicians know it and play their cards accordingly. We have only ourselves to blame.
“…our parties have achieved a neat balance of terror..” Perfect!
So, finally we have all parties equally corrupt and hopeless. The schmucks in the media are in bed with political parties. The ‘Common man’ has given up all hopes as the scumbags he voted to power are running the country to ground.
Jai Bharatmaata….