IPL – Indian Parliamentary League

IPL – Indian Parliamentary League…
This year’s IPL is on…and is surely heating up. It is becoming more and more difficult which one to follow and which one to let go – Indian Premier League (Cricket) or Indian PARLIAMENTARY league and I felt that this would have been the most apt time for the Joker to come up with something after a long gap of eleven months.
A Year Back…
I shouted…Mummy…come here fast. We had just finished with today’s IPL (cricket) match she was about to go to bed…it was about 1 o’clock in the night. She came hurriedly and with an irritated look asked…what now…what happened!!! She got scared with the way I shouted ‘Mummy’. I said, “Nothing has happened to me…just calm down”…and at the same time pointing my finger towards the TV. A leading news channel was on…and the Breaking news was…three cricketers were caught in IPL spot fixing with one of them being an international star. I follow a lot of cricket and me being at home means that she also has to bear a lot of cricket on TV…but she enjoys it too…and hence follows it. She was more shocked than me to see the international cricketer’s name coming up in all this. She…astonished…looked at me. “I told u so…” with a smirk was my reaction. “But why…these guys have to do such things…as if they are not making any money…they are already earning loads…and still…” she complained.
Cursing them…she again went to her room to sleep…and shouted from there… “Now Mr. you go to sleep…no need to watch this fixed shit…it’s all rubbish…waste of time…waste of energy…and above all loss of faith in the game itself”. I switched off the light…and pretended that I have fallen asleep by not making noise…but sleep eluded me…and what happened got me thinking…serious thinking. While taking this stroll down the thinking lane…I don’t know when this thought crossed me that…what if the elections are rigged…what if they also decide that you rule this time…we will sit in the opposition…what if they fix here too…whether our vote ever gets counted or not. We will never know the truth till the day everything happens behind closed doors or on cctv footage… which again many believe is tampered or false. What we can really do and control is…whom to vote and whom to choose as our representative to lead us. But then again…
“If voting made any difference, they wouldn’t let us do it.” ~ Mark Twain
I guess when Twain wrote this he wouldn’t have known that one day it would be most relevant to the largest democracy of the world. What if the person you voted for never gets counted…even bigger question is who to vote to…the available options are all same just under the wraps of different ideology (as they say) but none practice them.
The 16th Lok Sabha…is turning out to be the most talked about Parliamentary League of the recent past with the social media at its peak…the touch points have increased and so is the reach…but are we really getting heard…or are we again getting lost and unheard in too much ‘Marketing and Advertising’ noise. I believe so…the campaigns…the advertisements…the issues were always there and more or less are still same…it’s just that the communications mediums and along with it the audience might have changed. But has the voter changed…has the demographics of those who vote have changed… the caste-ism and the logic for whom to vote irrespective of the nature and background of the candidates changed…My simple answer is NO.
This IPL (politics) for me is the one that is more focused on individuals than the parties and ideologies that they bring…leave alone the ground issues…around which the debates…discussions and elections should revolve. There are three main figures that are leading this marathon from the rest of the wannabes and unrealistic opportunists. One who has got all the popularity charts going…it seems as if everyone from a rickshaw puller to a software developer…from a mason to a CEO…is rooting for him to be the next PM – Mr. Narendra Modi…or as he is referred to as in social circuits…NaMo. The other one…who also has all the popularity charts going… but mostly for wrong reasons…I guess if anyone tracks the number of shares on social media of his blundering speeches, it would easily surpass anything that might be trending on twitter or facebook at this point of time – Mr. Rahul Gandhi…or…RaGa. The third one who you may say is a rookie in the field…but for me is a master at emotional marketing…he is like one who has just debuted for India…scored a triple century…and is immediately eyeing the Indian captaincy – Mr. Arvind Kejriwal…or…Kejru 😀 .
Then there are some…who are just there to fill up the spaces…but they sure know when to make their presence felt…specially…the Yadavs from UP & Bihar…some cine superstars turned politicians from our very own Tollywood, a self proclaimed messiah of the suppressed…again hailing from UP…the Behenji of millions, a Kumar…who literally transformed Bihar and how Governments functioned there…but with all the development and great work…he was bashed up just because he withdrew support from a One Man Army, a DiDi from West Bengal…who knows which button to press when and some old cranky…always cribbing gentlemen known as the LEFT. There are some more…but I don’t even consider them worthy enough mentioning here. Now you know why this should also be marketed as IPL – the Indian Parliamentary League.
Moving on…throwing a bit of light on the ideologies and the kind of governance that might come with these Super Heroes (remember these are just my views…so no need to get offended). Discussing NaMo…I’ll bring up the most common acquisition of Godhra pogrom in the last… let’s see what are the other issues people might have been missing regarding him and his style of governance which are getting shadowed by the so called development of Gujarat.
To begin with…if NaMo comes in power…BJP comes in power…and if BJP comes in power…NDA comes in power. Do remember the functioning of the previous NDA governments before you actually decide to vote for one individual…it will never be same. People voted for Vajpayee because he was the most respected and eligible of all the options available at that time. He was thought of being the most capable but ironically he turned out to be one of the weakest PMs ever. For those who are ready to vote this time and were in their early adolescence back then should ask their elders. Jayalalitha literally made a mockery out of a PM…he was there at her doorsteps every time she turned the knob and intensified the heat either to console her or to convince her not to withdraw the support. It was also under him and NDA’s rule that the tensions with our not so loved neighbor reached its supreme. He met Nawaz…then he met Musharraf…and what happened at Kargil is still fresh to our memories.
Secondly when NDA comes to power, extremists such as VHP and RSS too gets empowered. Many people hardly know that when NaMo began his political journey it was as a RSS activist only and people want to believe that he, whose whole thought process to begin with was based on those ideologies, would have changed (I doubt). Somehow these policing authorities get a feel that they have the authority to control what we do. From digging up cricket pitches to rampaging rave parties…they believe they have the right to do all. It all just happens because of the shrewd arrogance and the self-belief that nothing will happen to them if they go on doing such things. For me the simple solution is, if you are ready to ban SIMI…then you should be strong and bold enough to ban RSS, VHP etc. Either preach about ‘Hindutva’ with all courage or don’t preach about false secularism. From imposing restrictions on women…to increasing tensions with neighboring countries…to vandalizing stores and streets on Valentine’s day…they do it all…without fear.
Speaking of ‘Hindutva’, one key observation that I made during many of the NaMo speeches which were usually identical wherever he delivered was that many a times he ended up saying we are descendants of ‘Suryavnashis’ n ‘Chandravanshis’. I wonder if you start a sentence with such words…how can you signify secularism (still wondering). For the past twelve years after Godhra pogrom, he has been in power in Gujarat; people came out in good numbers to vote for him…but that population was Hindu majority. They always recognized him as their representative…as their leader and for me, this is the biggest proof that there is secularism only on the outside but deep inside the core still contains the same burning iron of ‘Hindutva’.
Moving on to the biggest topic that many people, who are his worshippers (blind), brag about him – the Gujarat development model. I have never seen so many people of other states come out and speak about a state’s development than the people of the state itself. Its simply because they blindly (again) follow what the marketing gimmicks and the paid media speaks. I have myself stayed in Gujarat for quite some time and let me tell you an astounding fact that you might not have heard from him or the worshippers…that power cuts do occur in Gujarat. I know this might be big news for some because they totally believed what was said in media and speeches…but the truth is ‘to know the truth of a land, you got to stay in that land’.
When you talk about growth and development…I believe it should be inclusive growth. Does the poor not have any right to be a part of the development…because there is strong proof in the land itself that when NaMo was busying developing the state for the past thirteen years…the poor irrespective of what God it worshipped…was displaced…was disturbed…and above all…was ignored. Only the big corporate and business houses (without naming any) that have their roots in Gujarat or are present in Gujarat grew larger and stronger. On the name of development – malls and apartments were erected, but no body has the slightest idea what happened to the poor who were simply tramped by those malls and apartments. It is like the China model…you only hear about the big five cities…about their development…about their progress…no one actually knows what is happening in the rest of the country. Similarly, one only hears about the Ahmedabads n Surats n Vadodaras without even getting a single feed on the Kuchchs n Bhujs. I wonder if that development model is so awesome…why are the other BJP ruling states not replicating the same model. They say that the state has the best development model in the country…I say the farmers are still committing suicide in that state.
One outstanding feature of Gujarat that you will hardly notice in other states is the occupation of people. Business community rules Gujarat irrespective of their religion. They simply follow – I’ll help his business grow…he’ll make money…which he’ll put in my business and help it grow. One unique thing I noticed there – on weekends the women hardly cook at home. The whole family goes out together to have the peculiar sweet ‘dals n kadhis’…thanks to it being a dry state ;).
They cry about Onion prices under UPA without remembering what happened under Vajpayee, when in 1997 it crossed 100 Rs per kg with a huge help from black marketers. They rue the fact about dynasty politics…when they themselves stack up Gandhis (Varun) amongst their ranks. They moralize about speaking Hindi and Sanskrit…when their (especially party president) kids are studying abroad. I hope they are not paying dollars or pounds to study Hindi and Sanskrit there.
They complain that congress ruled for 60 years… rubbishing the fact that, BJPs n NDAs have had their share of luck in the past and only because others were neither strong enough nor capable enough. They claim that RaGa is spending Rs 1200crs in election campaign without even realizing for a moment the Rs 5000crs they are speding on ‘Abki bar Modi Sarkar’…which in itself is more than the total cost of the entire elections process (Rs 3500crs)…forgetting that it’s all people’s money and… ‘Janta Maaf Nahi Karegi’.
This style of governance might end up making us a developed nation for 5 years but a weaker Democracy…and at what cost. People will say that UPA protected Vadra…but they should not forget that NaMo too protected Shah…or I should say both these people were protected with the twisting of administrative machinery…even sometimes against their will.
Finally the issue, which I believe has haunted NaMo the most – the Godhra pogrom (will try not to dig too much into it). No matter what the court says…no matter what anyone else says…but he somewhere deep down knows (or should know)…that people will not spare him of the massacre that took place. No matter how white his clothes be…the blood stains of the innocent will always come back to haunt him. I know many will come right back at me by saying that congress also did the same in 1984…but I guess they forget that no one who has been directly accused has ever contested for the most prized political position in the country. Pointing fingers at others won’t lessen one’s own gory acts. It was only us that brought congress back to power back then also…so it’s only us to blame to…I just simply hope that we are not repeating the same mistake again.
BJP always came to power like this always…but why they fail to sustain is because of their weak PMs and poor policies. NaMo has a strong personality for sure…but…don’t tell me that he wasn’t afraid. Otherwise he should have faced RaGa one on one in Amethi…and not taken a more safe and secure seat of Varanasi. Sushma Swaraj was brave enough to do it…when she took head on with Sonia Gandhi at Bellary. Even our Kejru is daring enough to do that…irrespective of the outcome.
Lets now move our focus a bit towards the title defenders of the IPL – United Progressive Alliance, which ideally should have been responsible for the progress of the country. It is quite surprising that such a weak government (UPA 2), which got thrashed daily for their decision making, actually survived their whole five years at the top. UPA literally had the chance of transforming India…and they did transform India…just that they misunderstood the meaning of transforming in the opposite sense. They gave scams a whole new definition with the staggering value of each one of them. One has to admire the sheer audacity with which they committed one after the other…fearing nothing. If corruption would have been traded in the share markets…I guess it would have peaked daily under UPA 2. NDA themselves rode high on corruption…its just that the media ten years back was not that active running behind TRPs… with only fewer mediums…and truer stories.
For a time even the CBI guys would have started believing as if they are a part of the cabinet and a separate ministry. Since its inception, CBI was a dummy…is a dummy. Every government that came to power used it or I should say misused it not for the sake of getting to the bottom of truth but simply for the sake of gaining political mileage over their opposition.
Their PM was the mutest PM ever…as if a TV never had a volume button…was still kept on mute…with the remote control in someone else’s hand. Manmohan was a weak PM in UPA – 1 and an even weaker in UPA – 2…so there is no difference there…he was never allowed to get into his own…but that doesn’t deny his credentials. The Gen Next who is busy gulping vodkas and smoking sheeshas …should know that he was the one who gave LPG to this country and economy…and I m not talking about cylinders. Still he should have been given the chance to speak ;).
On the other hand RaGa didn’t realise that he should check what all he speaks. It is not always just about polished vocabulary…one needs to be a good orator in todays media frenzy environment. If his speeches n interview were dumb…then the dolts who actually penned them down were even dumber…making even ‘dumb and dumber’ an intelligent watch. Ideally he should have taken a more mature role or a ministry…at least in UPA 2, something like, what Lallu Prasad did in UPA 1 and should have showed whether he can actually lead or not. But he, along with the 1.25 billion Indians, knows that he is destined to be the PM of this country…somewhere down the line. It’s just a matter of one assassination…as that is the normal cause of death in their family…and one out of Priyanka or He will be hoisting the flag at Red Fort.
The surprise package of this IPL…the Maxwell of 16th Loksabha…should be Kejru. He once again proved to the world that it’s all about packaging and Marketing irrespective of the product. Credit should be given to him for making a fool out of everyone who rooted for him and once again validating that anyone can, with a ‘Topi’ n ‘Jhaadu’, take Indians for a ride. The most ambitious of them all…who wanted to achieve the same, which took 30 years for others to achieve. Some of them like Mr. Temple Advani who spent their complete life with a motto (of being the PM one day)…might not live long enough to even see the end of 16th Lok Sabha…Kejru wanted to achieve the same in one go. From swearing on his kids to taking decisions by taking public opinions…he did it all. When he decided to take congress support to form the govt. in Delhi…on the basis of public opinion, I don’t think he has the right to resign without again taking the opinion.
The only reason he won was because people wanted a change. The voting was anti congress rather than pro BJP or pro AAP. Otherwise either the BJP or AAP would have won if the wave were to be believed. I don’t find the same wave in Tamil Nadu…nor in West Bengal…because it can never be about one individual.
Kejru tried to take a leap…the leap was good…he aimed for the moon…but somewhere during the flight he became overambitious n tried to reach the stars in the same leap…and that is where he faltered. I m sorry for him that instead of reaching the stars he is not reaching the moon…but will again end up from where he started. The only thing he did was he gave the generation, which reached the voting age just in this election…a lot of hashtags to use on social media ;).

Everyone’s focus is just how to win the elections…no one gives a thought…for the nation…for its development…for its people…for their empowerment. I hardly doubt whether anything will change even if the government changes. It is just the start of corruption. UPA laid the foundation…and the future governments will simply build on it…with the help of pure majority in the parliament.
A report suggests that half of world’s slaves are in India…so is anyone going to do anything about it? If we can feed and be the creators of super powers why can’t we ourselves do the same for our country? I guess slaves in India increase at the same rate, as our population is increasing or maybe even faster.
Our irony is we have been ruled n ruled n ruled and somehow we have forgotten how to rule ourselves…and till the time we don’t learn that…there will some or the other idiot ruling us and deciding what should be our course of life. It’s just that we don’t know how to rule…we are born to be slaves.
When we are born we don’t decide which religion to follow…whether to worship with folded or open hands…then why is it that some bunch of irrationals decides it on our parts…and our stupidity is that we let them do this on the name of religion.
We are hoping for someone to make happen the change for us rather than we being that change. Everyday the system causes so many people to be deprived of so many things that we should actually be thankful for whatever we have and that the blood still flows in our veins and we are not being taxed even for that. If actually and truly anyone wanted us to be developed…I don’t see any reason why we cant be…we would have been developed a long time back…but the truth is no one really cares.
If we really want to remove corruption then get hold of yourself…and become honest yourself…if you are not honest don’t expect it from someone…or someone to fight for your cause…because it was you who brought it in the first place.
I don’t say that the governments don’t work…the administration still does its work…I still believe and have faith that for every 90 people who are hell bound on doing wrong…there are still 10 guys to lay their lives for the betterment of everyone. It’s the politicians that make it dirty to fulfil their filthy motives…and the irony is we end up helping them.
This is an IPL because they are all the same…its just that some have different colour…some are good marketers…and some are from abroad. In the end the motive is that high priced seat by stooping down to any levels of bloodsucking…and we can just sit and be ready with our veins.
For all those who believe in politics,
For all those who hate politics,
For all those who want to be in politics,
For all those who want to have a better future,
And
For all those who want a better nation,
Its not a GoodBye…
But it’s a GOOD BYE…Aur han…be ready…one day he might just get up and make India a dry country.
Manas ‘Sameer’ Mukul
Note:-
I know many who will read this will question that this article is more anti Namo n anti NDA rather than being anti UPA or against any who claim they have a chance at the big seat at the centre…I’ll not give an explanation or justify myself…its simply that I guess they are the biggest force that is emerging to decide on the future of what is left of this nation.