The Divine and Demonic Politics

Politics is a fight for ideas and it certainly is a fight for power. Politics remains a powerful instrument of influence over human affairs. Led by divine (compassionate, excellence, fearless...) thinking it can do much good. Led by demonic (envious, self serving, manipulative...) thinking it can wreck great havoc.

Deficit of right wing politics

Much of the Indian political system is left wing (socialist), from the left of center Congress to the extreme left wing Naxalites.

There is a deficit both in quantity and quality in right wing politics (that supports individual enterprise).

Given its wider geographical spread and deeper support base, the math is skewed in favour of the Congress. The bjp must do as good as having a strike rate of 80% in the states where it has a non zero presence to stand any chance of gaining power at the center. But I think we can leave the agenda of geographical spread and gaining depth of support per constituency to the bjp.

What it seems to me is of greater concern is quality of right wing politics. What we should be more concerned about are the ideas, values and principles that drive right wing politics in India than the group of people who today represent the bjp and other right wing parties.

There is a need to refine and reform the agenda of right wing politics as much as there is a need to influence and temper the national debate with right wing thinking.

Inclusiveness and Excellence

It's quite plain and simple - If the Congress stands for inclusivity (a good idea by all means) BJP stands for excellence.

Unfortunately, the BJP has been unable to project it in a way that is popular amongst the voters.

Why we need a vision lead alternative

Mahatma Gandhi saw the need of a vision for the nation, the need to change the hearts and the minds of people, as more important than political freedom. He also saw the centrality of the vision in bringing about this change. To the extent that we (Indians) followed that vision we have been successful. And failed to the extent we compromised with it.

If Pakistan is a failed state today, it is only because it was an alternative without a vision.

The RTI is a more powerful tool than the vote.

For years the educated middle class (which unfortunately numbers fewer than the poorer class) has been complaining about the uselessness of their vote in the face of overwhelming numbers of the poorer, less educated class, who they think are more gullible and easily fooled by unscrupulous politicians. And they might be right. The majority could be wrong.

Unless, it is used synchronously with many others, a vote is virtually ineffective by itself. Then again the chance to do so comes only once in a while. Once in five years (for the different tiers of the government). The vote therefore offers a not so powerful tool to make good change.

The vote distributes the power equally to all irrespective of ones qualifications. The RTI (Right to Information) on the other hand provides for power in proportion to ones zeal, intelligence and education. It provides for limitless power which can be exercised at anytime for any number of times to effect change.

One can argue that the effectiveness of the RTI can be (is being) blunted by deliberately slow response, slow process of judiciary, general criminalisation of the government machinery etc. But this genie (RTI) is out of the bottle. And it is likely to grow bigger and bigger over time. Its impact in the first few years is hardly an indication of what is to come.

As the means, so the End

“Our progress towards the goal will be in exact proportion to the purity of our means… As the means, so the end.”

-Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Being a Hindu

"I am a Hindu by faith and I mean no disrespect to any other religion when I say that I will not change my faith for all the possessions of this world or of any other. But I shall be a false Hindu and I shall deserve less to be called a Brahmin, if I desired that Hindu's, or Brahmins could have any unfair advantage as such over Muslims, Christians or any other community in India".

-Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya