Political advocacy always carries a moral high ground irrespective of whether it stands with a legitimate cause or it has hidden motives. Developing nations often fell prey to holier-than-thou breed of activists since the search for a political messiah is intrinsic due to the wide gap between wants and needs.
The mismatch between expectations and delivery is partly a result of corruption & feudal functioning and partly due to the widening gap between the expectations and load on the resources.
India, of late, has been a victim of this political advocacy turned into political hooliganism that eventually threw open in the field many political aspirants whose only claim to fame has been their opposition and resistance to whatever the political establishment had to offer.
The merit of India’s political class, or the lack of it, can be a different subject matter of discussion. However, what is significant for the country as of now is the fact that the so-called political alternatives are only giving a confused signal to the established political set-up and the masses, much to the amusement of the media which has suddenly found a new fodder for its TRP in a dog eats dog market.
As a result of this media-backed trial by a group of abusing and accusing political entrants, India today stands at the corridor of political uncertainty and Delhi Assembly election results are a case study. It is much easier to defame a democratically elected government nowadays where a TRP hungry media and social media outlets are always there to vent out the outbursts.
The logic often has no place in this world where contract killers of reputation are on the prowl. However, providing a better and viable political alternative is a different ball game altogether.
Those who demanded a high pedestal of morality from the established political institutions are today finding it difficult to provide something better and hence India seems to have entered an era of holier-than-thou politics that sans responsibility.
After promising an honest & efficient government, the new breed of politicians seems to have got scared of reputation, forget accountability. It is true that they have got a massive mandate but the interns of Delhi Assembly hardly seem to know how to handle the burden of expectations. They are hence resorting to media circus to divert the attention from the real issues that affects Delhi.
It is said that every revolution has seeds of self-destruction in its very DNA. Will the newly emerged political outfit that has systematically master minded the social and political unrest to reap political dividends end its own natural death? It is highly likely since the body language and the posturing of new-found political space seem to have gone to the level of arrogance.
It is true that the Congress has been routed not only in Delhi Assembly but also at the Centre, indicating an outburst against the party. But they have been graceful enough to admit it, congratulate the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) despite of slugfest during the polls and offered the unconditional support. They are also playing the role of a hawkish opposition against Modi Government.
It is a rare phenomenon in Indian politics, but the response of the AAP has been that they don’t need approval of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi for doing well. It is a new feudal way of politicking where grace is retaliated with arrogance.
Those who advocated for referendum democracy with SMS are today totally confused. As a face-saver they are again resorting to abusing & accusing the Centre for non-cooperation. Were they not aware with the limitations of Delhi Assembly when they abused and accused the then Delhi Government of Shiela Dixit?
The Centre, on its part, is again struggling to perform. They termed former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh as lame duck economist. But their own performance on the economy is even worse than whom they condemned to be non-performer.
Was it all about the government formation alone that is a cause of worry? The larger cause of worry is the direction in which the Indian democracy is heading to. Holier-than-thou sans accountability may lead to populism all the time and referendum may be used as an alibi to any policy justification tomorrow.
Do we want a civilised democracy to turn into mobocracy? These are the questions to be addressed and government formation by one or the other party is not something that can change the way Indian politics operates. The quest for a political messiah has hurt the country time and again. Yet, it seems the Indian voters have not learnt their lessons.
