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Who is your leader?




Proud of the fact that I managed to stay away from the political discussions on social media so far. Though I have to concede that it was difficult. 

I've never been a blind supporter or hater of any political campaigns.
Call me old fashioned but I still believe that political practitioners need to be social servants first and elections are a way to empower them to do their bit for the society/ nation.
Needless to say, I've lost this battle of beliefs long time back.
More dismaying is the fact that politics and religion are now irreversibly entwined. I have seen WhatsApp discussions in my school group turning to "now we know the Hindus will only vote for BJP". 
Today my wife had another conversation with a neighbour which started off with "you must be very happy that BJP has won, right?"
What troubles me is that my neighbours and friends have now started seeing me as 'them'.
While I could see many anti-BJP Hindus, I'm not sure of the count of BJP sympathisers from other faiths. Many to my dismay, believe they can't support BJP openly due to accusations from their tribe for being a traitor! Seriously!?

Who is responsible for insinuating this sense of "Us vs Them".
The blame lies on both sides. One side taking advantage of the vulnerability and the other side being blind cohorts to their religious propaganda and beliefs.

Politics in India has always been a complex battle of opportunism - the variables being caste, community, faith and pure commerce. Education, sustainable development, inclusiveness, environmental concern are some of the superficial outcomes - mostly restricted to the election manifestos of political parties. We might choose the outcome over the variables determining it, but the reality is that we have no direct claim or control over it. Irrespective of the political parties, the outcome is always determined by the manipulation of these variables. And hence I don't think the political parties will voluntarily do away with these divides. It is only the collective consciousness of the people they represent that can change this. The more the electorate believes in this divisive variables and continue to benefit from them, the social and political narrative will also be increasingly determined by these.
Only when the social discourse changes to more egalitarian outcomes, will the political narrative also change. Till then justice, liberty, equality and fraternity will remain as a libertarian pipe dream.
Like Hans Raj Khanna, retired Supreme Court of Justice India, wrote in the conclusion of his book, Making of India's Constitution,
"If the Indian constitution is our heritage bequeathed to us by our founding fathers, no less are we, the people of India, the trustees and custodians of the values which pulsate within its provisions! A constitution is not a parchment of paper, it is a way of life and has to be lived up to. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty and in the final analysis, its only keepers are the people."

Now to those arm chair enthusiasts doubting the BJP wave, request them to please get up and feel the warmth on the seat they left behind. That's possibly the only comfort you might get.
To those who believed in the wave, get ready to join the queue and squirm at the news of the next mob lynching.

We will get a political leader that best represents the aspirations, hopes and character of the masses and not from the class of morons checking and posting libertarian opinion pieces on WhatsApp and Facebook,  swirling whiskey while checking out the next series on Netflix, flaunting face packs and six packs, shopping on credit and other elitist pursuits.

Next time you turn away from the sight of those urinating, spitting, defecating, begging and bribing in the open or those babus flashing their reservation status, pilfering from your due, forgetting to pave the roads they dug or those blocking our roads, cutting lanes & traffic signals or those adulterating your daily bread, or those erecting or torching the pandals, or those throwing stones or lynching -  look closer. 
Your next leader is amongst them!

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