A Curious Case of Indian Politics

…Mayawati reinforcing her base, Advani not letting his Iron Man image shatter, Prakash Karat favouring Vijayan over CM Achuthanandan, show us politicians’ ambitions for future, fears of past, practicality of present, detachment from displeasures of past-present duo. They want most advantageous position, but losing public trust…

Saurabh Dharmeshwari

Post poll political scene in India has been a story of disappointment hitherto. Of the big two, the familiar scamps in starched cotton and patterned saffron, one is content with spoils of power and other shaken, muddled up with aftermath of defeat. The lady reconciler of dalits, the messiahs of poor, their trade brand Lal Salaam unfortunately, or, accidentally, seen in Lalgarh, and the socialites having a friend circle replete with capitalists and elites, all those who fought unsuccessfully for a non-BJP, non-Congress alternative for country’s good, as they put it, are today self-righteous, strung by a common thread.

In the recent months marked by party-political turbulence and personal ambitions, much light fell on certain parties and politicians; take for instance BJP and LK Advani, CPM and Pinarayi Vijayan- VS Achuthanandan, BSP and Mayawati etc. At a point, I thought we were being both tortured and entertained. The particular instances are the two latest controversies on Kandhar Hijack episode and Mayawati’s statue installation.

Maywati cozily forgets that erection of living personality’s statue is grounded on the single premise that the person is not just unmatched in his field but conforms to higher standards set by his or her predecessors, something we cannot certainly think of Mayawat in her field, and this all is neither done on a large scale as a big business, nor is it sponsored by tax payers’ money.

Though still in court, it’s within anybody’s caliber to judge the right side of the case that UP government’s statue installation is; so my concern here is not that if public money can be splurged, morally, in the face of hunger and poverty, on statues of dalit icons – whom a political party claims – even if approved by a state cabinet as the Supreme Court has ruled legal. Of late, there’s one more package of torturous entertainment. Living persons’ statues can be installed, and so Mayawati’s, UP government tells the court, like Atal Bihari Vajapayee’s (to my mind, he is the unparalleled personality of his field), Amitabh Bachchan’s (ditto about him), and those of stars and cricketers of the West (all celebrated for their unmatched expertise).

I think you share my doubt that Mayawati’s stature (if she is considered an unparalleled living dalit in her field) is anywhere near what BR Ambedkar’s was when he was alive (His statue was not installed in his life time perhaps).

Yes, in her attempt to become a living goddess, Maywati cozily forgets that erection of living personality’s statue is grounded on the single premise that the person is not just unmatched in his field but conforms to higher standards set by his or her predecessors, something we cannot certainly think of Mayawat in her field, and this all is neither done on a large scale as a big business, nor is it sponsored by tax payers’ money. There’s one more foolish justification, Kansiram, her mentor, wanted her statue to be erected by the side of his. Mayawati is being too assertive on the issue.

I’ve taken up this topic in this column for the state she rules has been a political trend setter in the country, has the maximum bearing on national politics, is one where netas’ activities influence the masses most and form an opinion among them. Lately, in spite of all the wrongs associated with Mayawati’s venture, it has drawn huge support of dalits in her favour, who are treating the matter as one of dalit pride. They are impressed by her, by her venture, and by her zeal of tiding over any legal opposition by lopsided arguments as her government has produced.

We no longer see in her the leader who successfully brought together dalits and Brahmins in 2007, or one who was decently in race for prime ministership. She is merely achieving strengthening of dalit sense in dalits, mobilizing votes, and setting wrong examples.

While Mayawati’s whole episode has to do with her personal ambition, with her political career, LK Advani’s unvarying shyness from the truth of Kandhar hijack episode is relatively beyond comprehension, in particular, at the dusk of his political career. Everybody knows it doesn’t matter if Advani was aware of freeing the three terrorists in exchange for passengers of the plane, or whether he had protested against the decision, but merely for the sake of upholding his artificially created, false image of Iron Man (he has wept in public, Iron Man does cry even in solitude), he is not owning up the truth. With nothing more to be achieved in politics, what purpose does a drama of sticking to false image serve, which coming generations would laugh at?

Though Indian politicians, unlike their counterparts in the West, are not known to admit their faults at any point of time in their life, LK Advani could have at least set a precedent by doing so and undo some of the unpleasant patches that his political career has.

Jaswant Singh had raised the issue during Lok Sabha elections, too, the same remarks with a little difference: Advani protested against release, that is to say, Iron Man didn’t bend. It caused no befuddlement in BJP then but invited criticism from the Congress. Priyanka Gandhi termed it ‘all political talks’ to save Advani’s face. Advani preferred silence. However, this time around BJP, taking a U-turn, opined that Jaswant cannot be trusted. Sadly, saffron party doesn’t understand that a simple confession is the most respectable way out of the issue.

Besides these two controversies of securing the future by Mayawati and defending the past by Advani, there is a controversy more relevant to the present. Pinarayi Vijayan and Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan fight in Kerala and CPM’s unjust stand on the issue. Prakash Karat ignored many comrades and took a prejudiced decision on infringement of party discipline by the two, chastising Achuthanandan by suspending him from politburo, and leaving Vijayan untouched.

Whether there is factionalism inside or Karat could end infighting by acting against both is not my concern, but the biased stand that he took in favour of Vijayan on Graft Scam needs attention. Karat, or the CPM, has taken the stand that SNC Lavalin scam is politically motivated and nobody in the party should go against this party line.

The whole episode breaks two myths about the CPM. One, it’s one of the most democratic parties in the country, for handling of Pinarayi-Achuthanandan fight is purely discriminatory and undemocratic; two, it’s an anti-corruption outfit (except Vijayan, no party leader ever ran a corruption case). Vijayan seems more powerful within the organization than Chief Minister Achuthanandan.

The whole episode breaks two myths about the CPM. One, it’s one of the most democratic parties in the country, for handling of Pinarayi-Achuthanandan fight is purely discriminatory and undemocratic; two, it’s an anti-corruption outfit (except Vijayan, no party leader ever ran a corruption case). The case, unlike Mayawati’s or Advani’s, is about the present, Vijayan seems more powerful within the organization than Chief Minister Achuthanandan and so Karat went with him, I guess.

The last is one who regrets both the past and the present. Amar Singh, overlooked by the UPA, is upset for receiving criticism within his party for extending support to the Congress last year on nuke deal. For him, that was a historic blunder. Now he wants BJP, SP’s biggest rival, not to disintegrate for the sake of democracy.

Mayawati reinforcing her base, Advani not letting his Iron Man image shatter despite the party he built getting demoralised, Prakash Karat favouring Vijayan over CM Achuthanandan and Amar Singh, while extending support to the existing UPA government, banking on a beleaguered, rival BJP, is a curious case of Indian politics, showing us politicians’ personal ambitions for future, fears of past, practicality of present and detachment from displeasures of past-present duo. In these aforementioned instances, politicians want to retain seemingly most advantageous position, but losing public trust and self-image.

The ambition, the fear, the discrimination, the disappointment, and the spoils of power – all this present a bleak picture of Indian political stage at the moment. Like most sensible people, I’m long past harbouring any illusion of practice of morality, or, righteousness from our netas or their organizations.