With poll predictions giving a gloomy picture and allies trying to jump out of the sinking boat, repackaging dynastic leader, encouraging anarchic lessons and creating the ghost of ‘secularism under threat’ seems to be the strategy of the decimating Congress.
With special package of media management, signboard presence of the dynastic leader has increased. His PR team also pushed him for an open interview, first time in his political career. This ploy has miserably failed as the entry into power corridors without any groundwork obviously stands exposed. Lack of experience is not a problem but claiming the legacy without any responsibility is hypocracy. The “natural leader” is neither naturally tuned to cultural psyche of Bharat nor a leader who can connect to the imagination of the contemporary India. Family sycophants maybe defending him tooth and nail but his inability to present any vision for minimising the damage done by the family run Government is the real failure. The prince scoring a ‘self goal’ is absolutely fine to entertain people but rubbing salt on the wounds of 1984 victims for political gains is worst form of divisive politics. Through invoking so-called sacrifice by his family members, he tried to present a brave face for fighting elections, but in the process he depicted a cowardice mindset of instigating communal flare. It was a clear attempt of creating ground for controversial ‘Communal Violence Prevention Bill” before the parliamentary session, which is continuation of trademark ‘appeasement politics’. The outraged protests by the Sikh community and viral mockery through social media depicts that the incantation of post-Godhra riots has boomeranged.
The ad hocism, subsidy regime and anarchic thinking, supported and perpetuated by the non-accountable National Advisory Council has given birth to the AAP. “Learning lessons from AAP” is not accidental but extension of the covert support to the “Populist Anarchy”. The dramatic posturing and self-righteous attitude does not reform the system unless individuals constituting the system are reformed. Threatening the Republic Day celebrations for cheap publicity is suicidal. Tacitly supporting such tendencies is the grave danger to democratic polity, of which grand old party of India will be the first victim.
The entertaining interview overshadowed systematic attempts of ‘Demonising Hindutva’ and creating fear psychosis among the so-called minorities. ‘Indian Constitution in danger’ and ‘inclusive fabric of India is under threat’ has been the crying call of the pseudo-intellectuals who forget that India is inclusive because it is culturally Hindu. The geographical portion disconnected from the Hindu cultural ethos is neither democratic nor secular. It is fashionable to call the globally recognised strengths of our society like spirituality and yoga as Hindu Communalism, while promoting minoritism through communal reservations and anti-national terrorism has become ‘secularism’. This ball is also ricocheting and strengthening the nationalist forces.
Number games and election strategising is just a part of the democratic process. The real issues of decisive leadership, national security, inclusive growth, corruption free society and pride and participation of the common masses in rebuilding the nation are neither surveyed nor discussed. The Gandhi scion does not have sensibilities to address these issues and publicity stunts of chaotic mobs cannot manage them due to internal contradictions. Therefore, India needs thinking of ‘India First’. Any attempt of negating or undermining this approach is bound to boomerang in the atmosphere of turmoil.
