DailyPost 2382
ADVERSARIAL POLITICS
Indian politics today has reached a level which can very safely be termed as the epitome of adversarial politics. Indian democracy cannot function, it seems, without an adversarial reference. Only adversary matters. Rest all bystanders, they would automatically perform their task. However much we believe in the electorate being supreme, their power ends the second they have cast their votes. Rest is a battle between political leaders and political parties and all the goes with it. It is an ecosystem, which has been created over decades. That many varieties of understanding does happen between the adversaries, in different scenarios, nonetheless, the running thick rope is of adversary politics.
Sometimes, they jump sides for a variety of reasons, main being power, followed by all other known allurements of the day; money, influence, position and at times being relieved of being wrongly treated by the long arm of law. Shadow boxing and avoiding a direct useless confrontation or verbal duel has been the order of the day, for a few decades, now it has become a no holds barred battle, punching the adversary left, right and centre has become the main job of all parties. Given the nature of governance in this country, does it mean governments which belong to a different party to the party running the union government have to face music?
Adversaries have always been so, but the way democratic life by convention, wishes to see you dealing with competing parties and people, is radically in variance to what we witness now on a day-to-day basis. Political ideology and philosophy held sway, most of the times they were busy practicing that, whether in or out of power. They used to consolidate their strengths and put their arsenal and firepower on full display during elections. Otherwise, they had their own constructive agendas within the ambit of democratic governance and tried considerably to achieve it. Now all these have become a political construct of the past.
People in politics had a head over their shoulders, and lots was dictated by it and not by unashamed urge and battle for power. Education and political grooming came in a way of descending beyond a point. Now it is the other way round. The sprinkling of professionals and brains who somehow enter the political arena vie with others to become best of the practitioners of adversarial politics. If today, even the top leaders, if challenged to speak with the adversarial content, they would be dumbfounded. To top it all, all government decisions are seen through this lens. What a denigration of political mind? The daily audio visual battles on all TV channels are a perfect example of cock fighting, for and on behalf of their political leaders and parties. The ultimate is that there is nothing above and nothing below adversarial politics. It seems, we are destined to live with it.
WITH NO GOAL POST AND NO MENTAL BAGGAGE OF ANY KIND, ADVERSARIAL POLITICS IS THE LAST AND FINAL REFUGE OF THE INDIAN POLITICIAN.
Sanjay Sahay