What happened in May 2014 was unprecedented
for 2 generation of Indian voters, After 30 years India got a single party government.
Many political pundits have written many a books on it & given their
individual take. The most notable reasons cited by the media, Political and
intellectual elite of this country can be summed up in the following 3 points..
a. “Narendra Modi ran a fantastic campaign since Dec
2012..” : Rajdeep Sardesai
b. “Rahul Gandhi is a non-serious politician
& poor communicator..” :Public intellectuals
c. “Corruption and policy paralysis of Dr MMS
govt led to a situation wherein people were angry at the government and wanted
to teach a lesson..” : Narendra Modi & his rich, elite, English speaking
supporters
Look at the irony that I am qualifying
his supporters as being “..rich, elite..” by adding English speaking and myself
writing in the language. Well that’s because there is barely any Hindi keyboard
for us to type. Also what separates me is over 9 decades of political
experience that sits in my family and almost 100 years of cumulative
legislative wisdom that I interact with or have lived with. Add that I speak
strictly Hindi and other local dialects outside my work.
Let me begin by addressing Mr Modi ( I
hope it reaches him) & his “..Vikas Vikas..” touting supporters who clap
and jump everytime he vows to cleanse the country of Congress party, “..Congress
mukta Bharat..”, for it’s perceived ills
of nepotism, dynasty cult and failures, The war is not between BJP and Congress
or between Hindutvawadi and “ Sickular”, pejorative term for so called secular (read muslim appeasement) parties. The war
in 2014 and now too, is between the frightened and what they fear. It is being
fought by the people who perceive themselves as controlling nothing. They are
besieging the people they perceive as controlling everything. We are in the
midst of a Perception Insurrection, or, depending on how you perceive it, a
Loser Mutiny.
True it was a revolt against the elite
as many western thinkers have commented “.. revolt against the elites targets all manner
of pre-eminence—political elites, business elites, media elites, institutional
elites, and, kind reader, you. You're reading an article in a language which not
many understand. This marks you as an elite..” in this hullabu of pundits going
into coma due to shock of their predictions & resultant explanations, more
to save their reputations, we missed the emotions that led us to May 2014. Most
important, pre-eminence certain religions got under Congress led govt’s policy
framing.
Politicians tend to forget nowadays
that ‘development’ aka “..Bikas.. Bikas..” as Mr Modi keeps on harping, is a
given. Right from Nitish to Akhilesh to Rahul Gandhi, all talk exactly the same
language. As for corruption, lesser said the better. Corruption was not and
still not a political issue in India, sadly though. Otherwise, lot of known,
convicts would have been sent to political isololtion and not being feted as
national leaders, defeating BJP candidates.
“If it's any
comfort, people all over the world are saying, "We're sick of the elites.
We're tired of the experts. To hell with the deep thinkers who think they know
what we should have better than we do and who—while they're at it—are grabbing
everything we've got."
Great
Britain's political, business, and trade union leaders were opposed to Brexit.
That is, the people who supported the Iraq war plus the people who caused the
2008 global financial crisis plus the people who nationalized the British
automobile industry were all in unprecedented agreement on one issue. Voters
felt they couldn't go wrong betting against this trifecta.
Everywhere in
the world, the same phenomenon is repeating. Columbia, Brazil (where a leftist
leader is being prosecuted despite giving free doles) to Australia (5-6 prime
ministers) and recently Donald trump. In between Canadians did the unthinkable,
they elected a clone of Justin bieber.
So Mr Modi,
if you think giving doles and more doles or screaming “ ..I am tightening
screws on the corrupt..” when you explain demonetisation or other complex rules
for income taxation, you are just trying to become Indira Gandhi inciting class
hatred. In India, as in America, its not wrong or bad to be rich, that category
of demonisation of middle class/rich is exclusive preserve of communists but
can you tell me how many seats they won in India? Well lowest ever,In single digits.
Now put
yourself in context, take a moment for introspection and explain gain why do
you think you won the election & with that majority and why do you think
you can win again in 2019? Jut by giving more doles? An American writer said
somewhere,
“Among poli
sci savants, such contrariness at the ballot box is defined as
"populism." But it's a definition that does nothing to define the
phenomenon. Populism is just a name for an opinion common in most democracies:
There exists a large herd of the clueless, and running circles around them is a
small pack of wiseacres. Populist opinion has an effect even in political
systems where the opinion of the populace doesn't matter. Vladimir Putin
harnessed populist outrage at the kleptomaniac incompetents who took possession
of Russia after perestroika. Xi Jinping's neo-Maoism makes use of populist
anger at the all-the-tea-in-China scale of corruption among the Chinese elites.”
Not to be outdone, citizens of the Philippines gave themselves a dose of electoral homeopathy. Overwhelmed by violent lawbreaking, they elected a violent lawbreaker president. Rodrigo Duterte, former mayor of crime-plagued Davao City, is nicknamed "Duterte Harry". That explains why the Lalu, MSY or other Bahubalis won in india.
There
are even populist aspects to Islamic terrorism. Fanatical interpretation of
"jihad" is antielite. Islamic terrorists hate elites so much that
they have suicide squads of elites who go around killing themselves.
Let me
explain to you my view. We're culturally, spiritually and politically
polarized, but not in a way that would startle an old-school history professor
and jolt him awake from his nap in the faculty lounge. It’s not that someone is
attacking somnath again.
Yet people are fearful, and they blame their
fears on the leadership elite. This is because the leadership elite haven't
done a very good job and Congress party has been ruling for 60 years out of 70
years so they get all the blame. Issue is emotional, spiritual and religious
appeasement. Issue is temple control of government boards and closing down of
Indic majority run schools under RTE wherein minority run schools are
mushrooming and parents being fearful of children losing their cultural values
in missionary run schools.
Demons have
been unleashed in the Kerala, West Bengal or Rohingyas in jammu. They have a
global pattern starting with Middle East. Your studied silence trying to be
statesmanlike or proving that you are not “..Communal..” is simply putting you
in league worse than Dr MMS. Atleast people knew that he is ineffectual and
real decisions were made by Sonia Gandhi and her son. You Mr Modi, have no such
luxury.
You know
what? Your English speaking voters, whom you nowadays almost despise, spent
their own money and time to create wave read what’s happening in the world
around. They see how elites failed to address the problems that caused the
demons to be unleashed in Kerala, WB, Kashmir or even Middle East & latest the
European refugee crisis. It may come as shock to you but you too are elite now.
What do the
elites care? The refugees aren't crowding the halls and jostling the elites in
the corridors of the European parliament in Brussels. The refugees aren't
building shantytowns on the tennis courts at the elites' country clubs.
Young
radicalised muslim men commit assaults in public places, like the Cologne train
station, on public occasions, like New Year's Eve. That's the public's problem.
These things don't happen at the private parties elites give. That will happen in
Saraswati Puja, Jammu or Kerala streets.
Sir, you
elite fail and don't suffer any consequences from your failures. As it is with
elite carelessness about violence on Tamil nadu, Kerala, Bengal street or
firing across the LOC, so it is with elite carelessness about immigration of
Rohingya and Bangladeshis. People don't have to march in
lockstep anymore. People are becoming persons, not masses. Also Sir, people
don't live largely in a world of net economic good. We live in our own little
worlds, often practicing gross economics wherein spiritual wealth and ancestral
beliefs make an important component.
On this
aspect there is no difference between you and the grand old party of India,
Indian national congress. In fact there is barely any perceptible difference
between the government you lead and the one Dr MMS lead before you other than
the absence of alrge scale corruption of Congress. Lalu,Mulayam, Jayalalita,
Mayawati Mamta are proof enough of indian electorate’s apapthy for corruption.
It was the
common Hindu who felt under siege with plethora of NGOs and laws who were
questioning Lord Ram to Ram setu to besmirching Shiva, Sita, Durga. His temples
are under govt control, school shut down under RTE and politicians wooing a
religious group. What have you done to assuage? Remember we practice gross
economics not net economics. This mala of Vikas Vikas will be not able to fill this deficit of
spiritual and cultural bleed you continue to ignore. As I said, there is no difference in the language you speak from the language, Congress or assorted bunch of it' allied regional, venal and corrupt leadership speaks yet wind elections.
Therefore all
of us idiots, we the people, who make up the populace, which leads to populism,
are alarmed by our circumstances and are angry at our leadership elite for not
being able to change them. Even more amazing is the complete ignorance of issues that elected you in first place. You have gone back on almost everything that was the election rhetoric i.e. Damaadji (Still enjoying life at home, not in jail), Pink revolution, Jayanti tax, UID (lol you have implemented it), Building military strength for deterance (lowest ever GDP to def budget ratio in independent india is in 2017), law to jail corrupt politicans within 1 year(promised on 15th Aug 2014)..
To soothe
populist discontents politicians have only one piece of equipment—politics. In
an attempt to get enough popular support to achieve or retain their elite
status, politicians keep making the machinery of politics larger by making the
state a nanny, mother and now grandmother. Free, more free and exclusively make
deals with a group rather treat citizens as an individual unit. You are doing
exactly what congress did, starting from Indira Gandhi.
It
is
over when the fat lady sings. Politics has become an obese operatic performer,
warbling so loudly that none of us bit players can be heard, and so fat that
we're shoved into the orchestra pit.
Political
power has grown in expense. One-third of the world's GDP is now spent by the
politicians in governments. One out of every three things you make is grabbed
by governments. Your jumla (Unfortunately I supplied that..” minimum
government, maximum governance..” ) is let down by you only. If your cat has
three kittens, one of them is a government agent.
Political power has grown in scope. Politics cast
their net over every little aspect of life. Nothing is so private that it isn't
tangled up in politics. From school, food, job, to Eashwara, all are at mercy
of government.
Good luck in
2019 Sir.
