These are all the big names on the horizon of the Indian political sky. The reason is not hard to find, for these people have mastered the art of winning elections in the hindi heartland and thus created a niche for themselves in the Indian politics. Although their success have been marred upon by charges of corruption, scandals, ill-governance , still they remain a rallying point for people in the rural India.In fact, it won't be an exagerration to say that they have been ruling the hearts of masses in these parts of the country for quite some time.
But the very mentioning of these names in urban India changes the colour of many a faces. You take these names and can see red faces, and u can easily read lines of hatred which perhaps provides the redness.Now just expand the discussion by involving some other names like Bofors case of Rajiv Gandhi, Babri case of Advani, tehleka case of Geroge Fernandes. The color changes from red to pale, and u can notice the u-turn that people take. They suddenly go on defensive mode from being offensive, and start to defend these leaders. Finally befor concluding the discussion, ask about the Bofors case of Amitabh Bachchan and TADA case of Sanjay Dutt. No facial expressions, but u can see eyes wide opened in disbelief. It is worth noting that all of these people have been accused of some wrongdoings, which might be true or might end up as one of political vendetta. However in the eyes of the people certain category of people are more defendable than others irrespective of their acts.If these were reactions of some rural people ,then it could have been attributed to their illiteracy or ignornace or some other biases. But the fact that it comes from the so called intelligensia and educated sections, it shows up their mental bankruptancy.
When we analyse the situation, it is clear that the hate and opposition these people face is not based on any principle, rather it is on some demographic factors which have caused the urban and rural divide. The urbans in this country have always considered themselves superior to the rural people and when this supremacy is challenged by likes of lalus, mulayams and mayawatis they retatliate by showing their hatred against them.Their background plays very heavily in the minds of people..They are not media savvy, didn't went to any elite colleges, have no fluency over english, don't dress well, don't attend page 3 parties and the worst part is their origins, they are from the lowermost sections of the society. Naturally this does not augurs well for people of the big cities. A laloo rising from nowhere to the power center raises some suspision,but a Rajeev Gandhi seated to the topmost post overnight is accepted without a single question. A lecture by laloo at IIMs is termed as a gimmick while a rath yatra by Advani is considered as a historical movement. A Mayawati fighting for the dalits and downtroddens is termed as casteist by those sections who have been responsible for opressing them!! A mulayam son getting ticket to lok sabha is termed as dynasty politics while the sons of Gandhis, pilots, scindias and deoras is promotion of youth in politics!!But when it comes to people like Sanjay dutt, who is convicted by the courts for some serious crimes, still urbanites are able to identify with them. Their elite background, their media image, their reputation takes precedence over their acts of omission and commission. and hence people show sympathies for them and others who fit into this category.
The hate is, in fact, not at these leaders, the hate is against the poor people from where they come from. The elites in this country give a damn to the poor and in fact derive pride from it. This explains the treatment we give to the sweepers and cleaners, they are denied the basic right of dignity. This is the legacy of feudalism from the British times, which has created mental barriers dificult to cross for elites. But the rural masses are crossing this barrier through the rise of their leaders and which makes them more hated than before.These leaders might not be the most qualified, but we are living in a democracy where quantity matters more than quality.Initially these leaders might have seemed to sound like rabble-rousers, but certainly they are much more than it. Their social engineering formula has benefited them a lot, but yes it has helped the society also in terms of creating social equality among different sections. and by hating people like them, who represnt the aspirations of rural masses, doesn't solve the problems. But a society which is deeply biased in favour of elites, this feeling of hatred is here to stay. and it doesn't surprises me to see what lage raho munna bhai did for sanju baba , the railways failed to do for Lalu.
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7 comments:
The famous Independence Speech " Tyrst with destiny" adhered to Poor People for long. But what I believe It's not the poeple who is doing it, Media is the biggest culprit who advertise such people. We need a make over of media which can reach poor people to lit the power of democracy.
Good thought provoking article!!.
Two thumbs up for you dear!!
I am not here to prove a point or to justify any wrong doing or to spread hatred . Keeping the emotions aside lets see few facts .
The Planning Commission has estimated that 27.5% of the population was living below the poverty line in 2004–2005, down from 51.3% in 1977–1978, and 36% in 1993-1994. Those who proclaim the leaders for only poor people deserve to be in minority .Poverty has been a big curse to our country . What have these leaders done to eradicate it . Or do they have any plans to tackle it either . Poverty can only be eradicated by spreading riches .You spend more money on constructing dams , highways , rail roads , generate more employment oppurtunities . So who do you think can help achieving these things . Obviously none of these politicians can . They again need the help of the concerned elites .So under any circumstances these leaders do not deserve any sympathy for their wrong doings .So what I feel is if you really want to see a developed india both economically and socially , bring in more work , bring in more money , believe in the equal distribution of wealth , and above all have a compassionate heart for the sufferers . And that is probably the reason why people like Sanju baba in his movie and did not accept Lalu. See the compassion is missing ...love for fellow beings......I am short of time now ,otherwise I could have talked in Length ... already slogging 13 and 1/2 hrs in office.
dada probably u r also a part of the mass hysteria which the elites go through.....a sanjay dutt performing gud in a movie can be appreciated for his acting skills, but that cannot be used as a ground to absolve him of the crimes for which he has been convicted by courts......and similarly you cannot take away the credit that Lalu earned for his works in Railways because of his past misdeeds.It is this thinking of yours which take you to the brink of moral bankruptancy!!
you missed it by a mile .I talked about compassion for fellow beings , rather supporting any of Sanju's misdeeds. So far as comparison of criminal background of both the persons is concerned , it will be better if we leave this for the court to decide .I am not even taking away any credits for Lalus achievements in Railways .What I am saying is lets not blame the elite class .You know what ,it is every individuals responsibility to help the country and fellow country men to achive a better standard of Life . This feeling gives birth to an idea called "Aspiration".This aspiration alone can help the country get rid of its problems . Aspiration is the key to a better life .First you aspire and then work hard to reach your goals .As against common perception "Aspiration" is not a tamed pet for the ELITE class. Had it been you wouldnt have seen a Idli Seller reaching IIMs and a petrol pump attendant creating a huge business empire .So you must agree that aspiration has been one of the key factors which has broadened the class rift.So lets aspire for a better life , aspire for a better tomorrow . Let a student aspire for better mark , Labourer aspire for a faster and quicker turn around of tasks assigned, businessman aspire for a spreading more business and bring in more profit.
What I dislike about Indian politicians is their greedy aspiration for their own better self .The sad part of the story is that under these circumstances their vision for a better future of the country becomes myopic.
Coming back to the politicians in question , they have not yet been able to prove their credentials as some one who can lead the country and not a bunch of Hindi speaking states .I dont hate them , But as a true optimistic , I believe they can surely deliver if they expand their wings of aspiration , have love and compassion for the people outside their clan , and put the country before their self greedy attitude .
I would play the devil's advocate here. Lets forget about how we have to be rational and ideal when we choose our political leaders. Who am I? I am a human, someone who has grown to be this person by being around other people and experiencing whatever my society had to offer me. My society offered me good education, high value of living, intellectual thinking and the whole shebang. I am shaped today the way I am is by the social influences that I have been having all these years. Yes, there are some things which change my decision and my perspective.
My judgment is influenced by the society I am surrounded with and the people in them. A person outside this society simply fails to understand my perspective. It's not because he/she is poor/lower background/uneducated. It's only because we see things in different way. But does that mean only my perspective is correct? Definitely not. Does that mean you are correct? Hell no!
As I said, we are humans. We see what we want to see. For a person from one section of society thinks advani is a hypocrite. A person from different section would see Lalu as a villager with no education. Maybe both are right. Maybe both are wrong. But for me, as a citizen of this country, does any of this matter? Definitely not. What everyone here in this country would need in the end is education, quality of life and basic necessities.
If every politician ever care about these three factors that every citizen in this country truly deserves, they wouldn't be talking in news channels or complaining why they are not liked by urbanites. A leader truly would never really care for these things, don't you think so?
And of course, as matured citizens, we have our moral responsibility to not to judge people by their background but by their smartness in the way they execute their work.
Our leaders like glamor and we citizens like scandals. Made for each other!
If this social demarcation amongst leaders have to diminish, then first, we need to uproot it from our own perception. Till then, this cycle exists.
The question is not whether Advani is a hypocrite or Lalu a misruler. There cannot be any denying from the fact that Advani is someone who lead the Babri demolition campaign and also Lalu was one who misruled Bihar.But what wonders you is why the act of one is considered a lesser sin than that of the other by the same section of society.and nothing else than the deep rooted colonial and fedual mind set better explains this behaviour.
I personally don’t support Lalu'ism, but would like to appreciate Neta for being so impressive and eloquent. Nice job Neta !!!
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