Demise Of Old Politics Yielding To New Norms

Prof N.K. Singh

Former Chairman, International Airports Authority of India

It was an English poet who said “Old order Changeth yielding place to new” – A statement which was never so true as it is today. Electoral scenario in India right from 2014 is witnessing the demise of conventional politics. India always had Congress and some kind of milder stuff called Socialists or regional outfits. For some time, Rajgopalachari driven Swarajya party did appear as a kind of lass fare- free political outfit. But it did not last for long against strong socialist mixtures administered to Indians by Jwaharlal Nehru, Jayaprakash Naryan and Ram Manohar Lohia.

Gandhi remained a banyan tree where a large number of leaders flourished but only in its shade not outside. Any dissenter who left like Subhash Chander Bose had to find his own place even leaving the country. Bhagat Singh and his team were out of political make up, fighting for the same cause through revolutionary outfits. Right from partition of the country, the politics in India remained Congress centric. This axis has been thrown to winds in the country by Narendera Modi. It was easy to classify for sometime the politics in terms of right and left depending on how close you are to socialism or capitalism. But these days the boxes in which we closed these ideologies have opened and the goods scattered all over. What is Norway? These countries have as much social security and stat activism as communist states but they have freedom to the extreme in many matters. What is Singapore except a city state administered efficiently without corruption.

The world is no longer bipolar as the thinking is no longer right or wrong but in many shades and many colours. Those who call BJP rule which I would like to call Modi’s rule as rightist are mistaken as he has practiced more socialism in tackling poverty, Jan Dhan Yojna, empowering women and welfare of the down trodden including senior citizen. His latest nationwide plan to provide medical insurance to all is another epoch making left state intervention rather than allowing leaving the field to individual care.

I am writing this in context of Tripura’s latest electoral upheaval. For 23 years, leftist Communist Marxist Party ruled this state and no one could shake this citadel of the left. Other two forts of left were Bengal which Was dismantled by Mamta Banerjee and second remains still intact in Kerala. If the last also falls, India would be communism mukt bharat. Last election the BJP had contested 49 seats and lost deposit in all. This time the miracle happened for the party and they won 43 including eight of their associate. Total seats being 60, it was two third majority when the Congress had zero score and Lefitists could get 16. This was unmatched performance of Modi wave.

Tripura has shaken the conventional belief of the politicians that it is invincible fort of the left. But few realize that it has established secular credibility of Modi with his new definition  that it is constitutionally granted equality not appeasement. Yogi too in UP has demonstrated it. And in three elections, including Nagaland and Mizoram, again this has been proved. Most of these states are Christian dominated and yet the BJP won. In Tripura, even Muslims came out to support Modi at the cost of being denied their Mosque entry and they had to build another mosque for Modi supporters. It is historical as everyone had thought and accused BJP for being a Hindutva party.

The credit goes to Modi for making this new direction of thinking that we live under the constitutional rule and have to abide by the “equality maxim’ of the charter. But It also made it clear that no such provision of constitution provided preference or appeasement to anyone. It certainly was new direction to many of his followers who had thought of Hindutva as the guiding force forgetting the reality of law and national interest. Tripura etched new history to prove its truth and vindicate Modism.

I had occasion to work and interact with north east states. I workedfor Manipur when its His Excellency Governor invited me to advise their university concerning Management School. I visited Nagaland and Meghalya as Chairman of Planning Commission’s task force. North east citizens andofficials had a grudge against the rest of India that they are not beinggiven sufficient attention. Today north east is in the centre of Indiaand has shaken the status quo of Indian politics to give it new leadand direction along with credo of Modi.

Bus Stop

First Passenger: Why electricity department is demanding me to paybill as old as ten years back?

Second Passenger: You should thank them for not demanding interest payment.

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