The hordes of politicians and intellectuals queuing up to join the Bharatiya Janata Party can be divided into two, ‘Backstabbers’ and ‘Welcome Additions.’ The groups are now being discussed widely in the media, figuring prominently in the ‘incomparable’ news hour debates of Arnab Goswami. So far, on this issue, he has not decided what is good and what is not good for the nation on this issue.
Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not sure of his priorities. Two days ago, he had warned Delhi not to repeat its mistake by supporting a party which had left it in the lurch. Obviously, he was referring to the Aam Aadmi Party.
For Modi loyalists, AAP leaders like Arvind Kejriwal are backstabbers. But the categorisation of political leaders leads to some confusion. If Kejriwal is a ‘backstabber’, what is one to think of others like super cop Kiran Bedi and AAP leader Shazia Ilmi, who did not lag behind in throwing mud on Modi for several years, before suddenly discovering his great qualities. Such things do happen, only in Indian politics and will continue to do so as long as politics remain murky.
In Bedi’s case, sources close to her have never denied she has had a soft spot for Saffron. She has tried hard to hide this fact, using strategies like aligning with Anna Hazare. Her frequent attacks on the BJP as a communal force were not due to any personal convictions. She seems to have regarded the BJP as her last resort to attain prominence in national politics.
The Anna Agitation was a welcome first step. Until then, Bedi had managed to portray herself as a great cop, for her bravery in towing illegally parked vehicles, including those owned by New Delhi VIPs. This ‘heroic act’, which was nothing but routine in other cities, brought Bedi rare credit, as though she had cracked down on Dawood’s mafia or subdued the American gangster, John Dillinger. Our police reporting, which never went beyond rewriting flattering departmental press notes, projected her as a kind of Joan of Arc, who was meant to live for bigger things.
The Anna Agitation soon lost its halo. I mean, how long could busy city dwellers watch an old man ‘fast unto death’ at the drop of a Gandhi cap. Our ‘cop in a hurry’ had to find other pastures. The Congress was ‘super-corrupt’, not at all suitable for a super cop. Bedi watched, as Narendra Modi conquered one state after the other, despite the communal tag. The anti-corruption movement became less important than ‘governance.’ Bedi was biding her time, but when the time for Delhi polls arrived, she was ready. She had found a new political god, ready to become her mentor. A place in the party, a ticket for the assembly polls, a safe constituency and the entire party machinery was at her disposal. Lucky, lucky Bedi. The BJP and sections of the media are certain that she will be the next CM of New Delhi.
What is the moral of the story? Everything comes to the one who waits. Communalism hardly matters in urban polls, particularly when it is backed by a well-oiled party machinery, a gullible media and the betrayal of our so-called ‘intellectuals’, who were promised a warm welcome in the corridors of power. Streams of businessmen, journalists and their editors, academic dons, Bollywood and stage stars, sportspersons, scientists…….you name them, they are in the Modi brigade. One has begun to believe that the BJP under Modi, would become a one-party ‘democracy’. The exodus from other political parties has been equally startling. The Communists, though declining in strength, are the only ones to stick to their party and principles.
The defectors are certainly not looking back. Take the case of Jayanthi Natarajan, the former Congress spokesperson and minister for environment in the UPA-II, whose family had been associated with the Congress for more than eight decades. Was she just feeling the generation gap with the present Congress leadership, or unappreciated by the party high command or is disturbed by vague corruption charges, that pushed her to quit and possibly join the BJP.
This is the most inexplicable factor in Indian politics, particularly in the Congress. At the slightest tremor, leaders who had entrenched themselves in power and lavishly enjoyed its fruits, are ready to desert the old party, heaping praise on Modi as they make their exit. Today, as the Congress fortress has developed cracks and begun to crumble, these men and women have ditched the party, abused its leaders and sought refuge in other parties, including the BJP.
Those who are ditching the Congress, should ask themselves if this is the way to repay a party which had bestowed them with power and position for decades, though they had not done anything to deserve these, except for hanging on to the coat tails of their leaders.
V Gangadhar
