It has been a while since I put my political thoughts on Papers, but a honest disclosure to my readers, I subscribe to the ideology of so named Indian right wing. But let us stop for a min and ask what a right wing really is? Most self claimed pundits jump at BJP as right wing, but is it really? The word dates to French revolution. In the first ever democratic govt formed in France, the nobles didn't want to sit beside the representatives from commons. They sat to the right side of the room. What ever they spoke was reported back then as right wing. But is BJP a party of rich and nobles? I leave the question to my readers discretion, as this is neither a praise for BJP nor a critic for self claimed liberals.
Let us leave the history of right and left in the para that passed and start talking about Bihar. A state that claims to be so politically active. I heard some where, any random discussion at any random place where people meet will never be far from politics. And yet I am left in a state of confusion when the state gave such a startling mandate. I claim neither to be a judge of democracy nor a champion of righteousness, but what I never understood from the mandate is, why Lalu? I may not agree with Nitish on several grounds including the false sense of secularism that he and other self righteous minority protectors promote. But he certainly has been a beckon of light after a 15 year Jungle Raj. He gave a new hope towards development. There is no question, he is the best in the flock of avaiable choice to lead Bihar to a better tomorrow. But what surprises me is how could he from alliance with the most controversial man convicted on charges of corruption and king of the Jungle Raj? What is the real ideology behind the grand alliance? Assuming even if there is some ideology, what makes Lalu become the single largest party? How could the politically charged voter of Bihar fall for the grand drama that has been staged in front of him? Say as per earlier analysis assuming that Nitish is the best choice for CM and the man behind victory of grand alliance, why didn't JD(U) turn out to be the single largest party? The more I think, the more questions sprout.
I leave several more questions to my readers, most media houses that term BJP a polarizing factor were discussing vote banks as Muslims, Dalits, Brahmins, Yadavs. The parties openly discussed the vote bank and offered perks based on communities and still are not termed communal. A party that has not discussed anything more than the future of Bihar has been projected communal. An unfortunate incident in Dadri blown out of proportion while leaving out similar incident in Moodbidri. A staged award wapsi drama to defame the country on the world stage as if the central govt mans the police in UP. A something that has come handy for the conspiring BJP haters to stage a perfect drama right before the election. A well played drama as if this is the first incident of intolerance that ever took place in India. After several failed attempts to stage intolerance from events like attacks on church, which proved internal, rape of nun which proved to be a illegal immigrant from Bangladesh, media and BJP haters found the right cause to stage a grand drama that can work to really polarize people. It is such a shame that media and opposition talk the language of polarization, while govt talks the language of development.
Now come to the campaign, what was it really fought on? What did grand alliance really envision for Bihar? with Lalu as equal partner another era of corruption? The media authorized certifying body of India, the AAP came right before the election to give a clean chit and certify the most corrupt man to be most honest. I still do not say Nitish is unworthy as person or leader and would not have expressed this anguish if he had come to be the largest party. The campaign from the very beginning has been divisive. It feels more like people were inspired to vote their caste rather than casting their vote. It was fought on several fronts of caste, community religion. People discussed native and non native. An out right anti national ideology to call any citizen of India a non native and discriminate their right to represent and ask for a electoral mandate.
I am not worried about the loss of BJP, but the celebrations of the pseudo-seculars and grudge and judge BJP media. I am more worried about the victory of RJD, I am worried about the celebrations in media and intellectual world for the loss of BJP and blind support for an alliance with corrupt partners to prove their egos right. A baised 4th estate of democracy is the worst thing that can happen in the digital age. The recent developments in country are the best examples of how any thing can be magnified to shed the tears of false sorrow. I don't have to ask these upholders of secular values on their existence from the exodus of Pundits in the Valley to Banning of Durga Pooja in Bengal on the event of a minority festival. Most of the readers have knowledge of all these with out me having to remind, but still get carried away with the false currents of fear that media has been creating. I am worried about where my country is being led to with the blind hatred spread by media. In the wake of Bihar elections, it calls me to pray the verses of Tagore.
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
Let my country really awake to a true secular world where people don't perceive secularism as minority appeasement and dividing people to make vote banks.
Jai Hind.
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