Hindustan Times
The Podium of Political Polemics
There is politics in every job and job in every politics. So why blame politicians ?
Every day, we all speculate as to what will be the outcome of the general elections being held to elect the 15th Lok Sabha. And every day we end up wondering who will be heading the government if the mandate is so fractured and denies any political formation the numbers to stake the claim to put together a ministry. The Congress with Dr Manmohan Singh and the BJP with L K Advani are both hoping to emerge as the single largest party and expect on that account to be invited by the President to form the next government. But things are not going to be easy and it is common knowledge that both the biggies will need smaller parties to add up to the required total.
There is also speculation that the Left and some smaller parties may force their nominee on one of the two big parties and thus form a government even if for a short while.
The elections are being held in the backdrop of a campaign unleashed by some people in the electronic media downgrading and rubbishing our politicians in the aftermath of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. A case was sought to be made out that politicians were responsible for all the ills. Celebrities and fake celebrities who normally figure on page three went out of the way to paint a dismal picture of our politicians. They obviously seemed to forget two things. Firstly, if good people do not enter politics, than they must be prepared to accept the leadership of those whom they perceive as bad.
Secondly, is it fair to blame everything on politicians when we all know there are things, which have gone wrong in every profession. Many Doctors cannot diagnose and treat, engineers similarly lack the ability to innovate and come out with new technologies and designs. A number of lawyers argue without any substance or adherence to the basic tenets of jurisprudence, teachers cannot teach but like to involve parents in everything.
Journalists know little about the subjects they are covering and TV news anchors speak in singsong rhinoceros thick English accents (Melville DaMellow, Surajit Sen, Lotika Ratnam would faint). Many hindi ones go on theatrical and come up with most jarring pronunciations at many points (Wonder what Indu Wahi, Vinod Kashyap, Ramanand Prasad Singh and Devki Nandan Pandey would have thought). So why are we blaming the politicians alone. We could blame them if everything else was going right for us. And if we do have to blame them then for God’s sake there should be alternative systems we must offer. Governance cannot be there in a vacuum and if you do away with politicians, it is like doing away with democracy as such. Most people who criticize politicians are themselves no less at political machinations. The only thing is that they practise politics not in the arena of political parties but in their sphere or workplace.
Vijay Tendulkar, famous playwright had made a remarkable observation in context of our country once. He said, “there is politics in every job and a job in every politics” to drive home the point that politics was something deeply ingrained in our day-to-day life.
As a student of political science I had learnt very early, that man is first political and than social. In other words, in any given situation politics comes into play whether it is home or work or social circles. Politics is deeply implanted in every human being who seeks something for himself or others. The only difference is that politicians seek something for a greater number in a more structured manner as compared to an individual whose scope is relatively small.
The disrespect for politicians, which is sought to be created by some ill informed people, is something, which to my mind is both dangerous for the system and for our democracy. We may not like a particular politician or any party but we cannot paint everyone with a black brush. The uncertainty we face today is because we are evolving as a democracy and people have plurality of opinion. But with experience and passage of time, people will themselves realize that it will be wise to vote in a particular fashion in order to bring about stability to our country.
Even though the period of the unascertained and and unassured is something, which many of us are unprepared to face, it is bound to lead to a period where there will be greater semblance and security in the long run. However, for the love of life do not rubbish your leaders. Participate and give India a new and vibrant leadership.
