When Mr Shah counts his chicken

When BJP president Mr Amit Shah visited Kerala earlier this month, he persisted with his Kerala colleagues that the UP magic can work in Kerala, too. The party won 72 out of 80 seats despite the fact that it had won more than 50,000 votes only in 17 constituencies in the 2009 election. In Kerala, the party has now crossed the 50,000-mark in 19, and hence it must go for the kill. So went Mr Shah’s logic. The biggest news of this bye-election is Mr Shah. The BJP has lost not only in UP, but also in Rajasthan. Its ‘love-jihad’ theory and the communal push under Yogi Adityanadh have blown on its face. The Indian voter has questioned the weird political calculations of the BJP chief. It’s reassuring that the Indian voter doesn’t mind speaking his mind out, whenever he is called upon to. When he spoke last time, he booted out one of the most corrupt regimes India has seen, and ushered in a man who promised a change of tack. He discounted Narendra Modi’s gory past, thinking that he would mend his ways. The voter chose what he would have felt a lesser evil. This time around, the voter has marked the lakshman rekha for the BJP and its communal mindset. BJP should disabuse itself of the notion that it has won the voter forever with its communal card. That it can push forward characters such as Yogi Adityanadh. That it can cause a perpetual divide between the Hindus and Muslims. That’s not done, the voter has insisted. He may be poor, weak and helpless. But he is not communal. And he is democratic. He will not allow this democracy to go the communal way. Period. The results might strain the dynamics between Prime Minister Modi and the RSS. Mr Modi can sure claim that the vote last time was a Modi wave, and there was none this time. The vote was for his development plank and that the RSS should not meddle with the government. This interpretation could in a way strengthen the hands of the Prime Minister, and his ‘development’ agenda. The RSS, which was not very comfortable with Mr Modi and Mr Shah between them appropriating the credit for the election victory, has already issued a terse warning. It can further consolidate its position and say that the RSS kept its horses back this time and BJP lost; and that the BJP cannot win an election without it. Unless better sense prevails over both, and the RSS and Mr Modi refrained from pushing their communal agenda further, the voter would not mind going back to the polling booth again and showing the duo their right place. One of the casualties, a pleasant one at that, of this election is Mr Shah. The election has now proved that he is just a manager, and not a quintessential political leader. By getting him appointed as BJP chief, Mr Modi did a disservice to both himself and Mr Shah. Mr Shah would reduce his post to a ‘yes-boss’, denying Mr Modi a chance to get reliable feedback from the party and the people. A blunder similar to what Indira Gandhi had committed by anointing a rootless, spineless Devkant Barua as AICC president. I believe that after two years, Mr Modi will see to it that Mr Shah is kicked upstairs and got another confidant in his place. Now back to the Kerala dreams. Who will tell Mr Shah that the 50,000 in UP is not the same as 50,000 in Kerala? And that numbers don’t decide politics?

teacher's day

കുടിയേറ്റ കർഷക കുഞ്ഞാടുകളായ മനുഷ്യർ മാത്രമുള്ള ഗ്രാമത്തിലെ പള്ളിക്കൂടത്തിൽ കുട്ടികളെ അൽബേർ കാമു എന്നും തോമസ്‌ കാർലൈൽ എന്നുമൊക്കെയുള്ള പേരുകൾ പരിചയപ്പെടുത്തിയ, 'പാലം കടന്നു യൂണിവേഴ്സിറ്റിയുടെ ബെഞ്ചിൽ ചെന്നിരിക്കണം പിള്ളേരെ' എന്ന് നിർബന്ധിച്ച, 'തലമുറകളെ വഴിതെറ്റിക്കുന്നു എന്ന് കുറ്റപ്പെടുത്തുമ്പോൾ അവർക്കറിയില്ല അവരെന്നെ ഉപമിക്കുന്നത് സോക്രട്ടീസിനോടാണ്' എന്ന് ഫലിതം പറഞ്ഞ ജേക്കബ് സാറിനെ ഓർക്കുന്നത് അധ്യാപക ദിനത്തിൽ മാത്രമല്ല. ചിന്തയെക്കുറിച്ചും മതത്തെക്കുറിച്ചും ദൈവത്തെക്കുറിച്ചുമൊക്കെ പറഞ്ഞതെല്ലാം അന്നു തലയ്ക്കു മുകളിലൂടെ പോയെങ്കിലും ഇന്നതൊക്കെ മഴയായി പെയ്യുന്നു. ഞാനതിൽ നനഞ്ഞു നിൽക്കുന്നു

When Modi completes 100 days

When the Modi govt completes 100 days, I have 10 things to say. I am happy that: 1. The govt started on a positive note in its relations with the neighbours. It also took a no-nonsense approach with Pakistan. I liked it very much when it called off the secy-level talks. With this, that itching sensation of Pak will stop recur. 2. The govt had to beat a hasty retreat after raking up Art 370. Kudos the media, the secular mind of the nation. 3. The budget was not as disastrous as it was feared. 4. Forgotten stuff like clean-village, digital connectivity and financial inclusion have reappeared on the national agenda. 5. There is some sense of urgency among the bureaucrats. I am sad that: 1. There is an attempt to rewrite history and tinker with the educational system. Also, the attempts to bring in long forgotten brahminical symbols back. These will have to be resisted. 2. There are efforts to thrust a false sense of nationalism. Renewed focus on Hindi will be disastrous, if taken too far. 3. Modiji keeps to himself all powers. And his channels of communication are officials and a pliant party. Amit Shah as BJP president doesn't help the party, Modi or the nation in the long run. There is no check and balance. A slip to autocracy is easy. And possible. 4. Honestly, I don’t see the govt moving resolutely in any direction on the economic front, despite the whole media saying otherwise. I haven’t seen big projects coming, nor have reason to believe that they are underway. Pious intentions don’t pay. 5. FDI in arms. It has a lot of immediate and verifiable benefits but in the long run, it is likely to start dictating State policy. That will be disastrous.