Mouthpiece

I’ve seen a lot of TV in the past twenty-four hours, mostly NDTV 24×7. One can’t help but notice how much telly-time is dedicated to the election campaign. The TV people are constantly talking about how everyone wants to woo Nitish Kumar, except Lalu Yadav maybe. How Nitish Kumar and Modi have done great work in their states  and how the Indian urban-middle class is growing afraid of both HINI virus and Mayawati, though there’s hardly any chance that any of these will get hold of them any sooner. 

And then there’s Varun Gandhi. I am flabbergasted by the way he’s rising in his stature, no matter how blemished and negative it is. There’s a case in point that BJP is inept at handling the humongous Republic of India because its bosses try to sell hatred. It’s Maha ally Shiv Sena is a professional in ousting outsiders, hating anything not Maratha. It’s Gujarat wing commander sculpted a dead albatross around our history’s neck. And no missing the RSS and VHP which have failed to impress even Hindus for which they (allegedly) stand. All this because they sell hatred.

While Congress, on the other hand, is an ideological khichdi. Although i don’t mind its dynastic commissioning, but that doesn’t take away the brickbats it deserves for opportunism and inaction. This is an era of coalition politics, no problem, but let this not take the load off the politicians’ shoulders.

Intelligentsia across the media repeatedly underline the fact that these politicians are chosen by the people, implying don’t blame them, blame yourself. The whole system is a failure. Indian democracy is a tandav, participated in by criminals and millionaires. Once in a while someone like Manmohan Singh shines on the horizon, only to be eclipsed by Left-over clouds or raging Hindutva tornadoes.

Governance in India inspires no hope. Everything in India that we’re proud of is either natural, ingenuous or else, private! The governance and bureaucracy is like an ailing elephant, which eats a lot and delivers only shit. And, as The Economist puts it – let’s just let the elephant lumber on!

India needs a leader. But because people get the leader they deserve, India needs its people. India needs to stand erect, until then we’ll have to make do with its electile dysfunction(coined by Bachi Karkaria).