Politics has always been something that fascinates me immensely, although I've never really done anything more than watch the news on a regular basis. So when I was invited to a BJP event organized by this group called "Friends of BJP", I thought to myself, "why not"?
Before anything else, let me just mention that I'm no BJP supporter. In fact, I'm quite the anti-BJP civilian, who supports the Congress purely because I think they're the best in a bad bunch. But this event was on a smaller scale, with 2-3 Rajya Sabha MPs coming down to give short speeches, and answer a few questions posed by an essentially young audience.
As expected, the MPs went on and on about how the UPA has failed on all fronts, and that the NDA could correct all of that given a chance, which they believe they will. Quite predictable, as that's what they're supposed to do anyway, but I was waiting for the moment when I could ask a question, although I did feel awkward questioning BJP leaders in front of a predominantly BJP-supporting audience, who clapped at various moments during the leaders' speeches.
However, after listening to them harp on about the UPA's failings, the temptation was too much. I wrote down:
"Since you have mentioned terrorist attacks and 26/11, and how the UPA didn't retaliate well enough after it, can I ask you what the BJP would have done in retaliation to 26/11 if it was in power? Also, since you feel that terrorist attacks take place due to lax security, for which the UPA is answerable, can you guarantee that NO terrorist attacks will take place if the NDA forms the government? The NDA's record isn't great either, with incidents like Kargil, Kandahar, and the Parliament attack taking place, among others."
Luckily, they chose to answer my question, but the MP, Pinky Anand, disappointed me and made me realize what I'd forgotten for a while, that they were all politicians in the truest sense. She read out the question as:
"What would you have done in retaliation to 26/11, and can you guarantee no attacks?"
Congratulations Ms/Mrs Anand (I don't know!), for rendering the rather potent question almost toothless!
I hardly listened to her answer, but it was something like "No party can guarantee no attacks. About 26/11, I wont go into what we would have done, but blah blah blah blah blah". She rambled on for the next 2 minutes, talking about POTA among other things, but didn't answer the main question, and yet, managed to garner appreciation in form of a lukewarm applause!
Now that's a politician, I said to myself, and then the age-old realization came back to me, "They're all like that!" But I'll stop right there. Blaming politicians and criticizing them all the livelong day is something I really look down upon, especially when it's said by people not knowing even half the story. If you hate them, and if you want things to change, the least you can do is talk about it, discuss it, and exchange views with people sharing and opposing your beliefs!
As for me, I'm with the Congress in these elections, which means I'll be voting for Trinamool Congress, which in turn means that my vote will be cast in favour of Mamata Banerjee! A shame to tell the truth, but that's the flaw in the parliamentary system, according to me.
Ideally, each individual's vote should be cast in favour of the party you want to form the government, or even the Prime Ministerial candidate, but what happens in India is that people vote for their local candidate, which has resulted in the rise of the regional parties, and the Left winning seats even in LS polls. I choose to vote in favour of the government I want to see at the center, and the PM i want to lead the country.
However, irony might just rear it's head after the results are out, because if the left ends up with the UPA, Mamata and Trinamool will back out, which means my vote didn't go to the UPA at all! That's the "beauty" of the whole political situation in India at the moment, and all it's done is bring my interest in politics to the surface.
Who knows, things might change so much in the next few days that I might vote for the left, so that the UPA can form the government.
Who's your money on? Who do you want to see lead this country? Manmohan Singh, or L.K.Advani? Or even Mayawati?!
Brace yourselves for one hell of a roller-coaster ride in the coming weeks!
Although i cast my vote for the BJP this time, it wasn't because of any bias of a particular sort. Ill take you back to STD. 12 chemistry lab where after the conventional tests were over,I randomly intermixed various chemicals on the table to see what would happen-if any obnoxious smelling gas would come out or some solid settled at the bottom.
ReplyDelete40/62 yrs have been ruled by the Congress and they have no doubt strengthened the fundamentals of the country though to many,its a matter to debate upon.Its time for some unconventional experimenting !
And you have to comply to the fact that 26\11 was as testing a political circumstance as Kandahar.Except that in the latter, an alien intruder did not stand on my doorstep and threaten to finger my ass-hole.
ReplyDeleteCongress.(period)
ReplyDeleteBJP!!!!
ReplyDeleteDear Atishay, i believe that your reasoning for the support of the congress party is flawed. Reason being that you should not support a party just because it is better that the worst , rather u should do it because they have a vision which they will fulfill and have personnel to do so. i think it would be better suited that u become a political cynic rather than have such standards to support a political party. Also i would like to highlight a contradiction in your two blog posts. In the political post u demand that no terror attacks take place in a 5 year regime in a country as big (with so many volatile neighbours) as India while in the football post u say that the club in question follows a utopian dream and should be practical.. What other answer would u expect to such a question as the one u asked . Also i think it would be better to be constructive rather than keep playing the eternal blame game ...and bashing politicians ...its better we support whichever party we choose to ...till our time comes ...
ReplyDeleteP.S-Like u i also want the best from the political class...
Dear Arjun, first of all, I believe that your entire comment smells of a complete bias because of your unwavering support towards the saffron group. Secondly, you said that my reason for supporting a party is flawed. It is flawed, and it is so only because of the infinite flaws in our parties and politicians. I am not a Congress supporter, but I vote for them only because they're the best of a bad bunch. What do you suggest? Should I vote for whom I think are the worst of the bad bunch?
ReplyDeleteAbout my question to the MPs, I never demanded ZERO terrorist attacks during a government's regime. I only asked that, because the NDA has gone to town criticizing the UPA for all the terrorist attacks taking place in the country, and have said that we are insecure because of them. I just wanted to know whether we can feel "secure" if they come to power, and i got the answer from the MP, which was a veiled "NO".
And I am not playing the blame game at all! Just because I criticized the BJP, you say that I'm playing the blame game! Like you said, "Its better we support whichever party we choose to", so I choose to vote for the Congress. If I was a politics-basher, I would never have attended that event, or even spoken about politics with anyone.
Hope that clears all your queries.