India’s Bernie Sanders will be a raging capitalist
Opinion

India’s Bernie Sanders will be a raging capitalist

India has its Trump, but who could be our Bernie?

Senator Bernie Sanders| Photo: Logan Cyrus | Bloomberg

He is the only one who can defeat Donald Trump, the supporters of Bernie Sanders in the United States are arguing. To be fair, the supporters of the other presidential aspirants are arguing the same.

The opposition in the US is arguing within itself: who is the best person to defeat Trump? Going by the ratings, the answer increasingly seems to be Bernie. On “Super Tuesday,” 3 March, a key milestone in the Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders is expected to take a clear lead over the others.

We have our own Trump in India. In fact, Narendra Modi came before Trump. But we don’t have a Bernie. We don’t have someone who the liberals could say: this person could defeat Modi.

It speaks of the strength of American democracy that even a “democratic socialist” can rise up the ladder and hope to be its face, no matter how much the Democratic “establishment” dislikes him. That establishment is epitomised by Hillary Clinton, who Bernie supporters say cheat her way to win the Democratic nomination in 2016.

But now there is no Clinton in the race and the insurgent Left (Bernie, Elizabeth Warren) has an equal chance of taking on the big money-backed establishment status quoists (Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg).

The Gandhis are India’s Clintons. Unlike the Clintons, they can’t see themselves bowing out of a race they’ve been failing to win. Within the Congress party, there is no chance of an equal contest to let a new national face emerge.

The best argument some liberals have in favour of Rahul Gandhi is that “Anybody is better than Modi.” Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 because the best argument in her favour was “Anybody but Trump”. Bernie supporters, by contrast, can’t stop gushing about how Bernie is the latest messiah. He will save the world. Even if Bernie does not win, at least he’s giving hope. At least there is someone for the other side to put their money on. At least there’s a contest.

Such a face in India does not exist. If India got its own Bernie Sanders — someone who people could rally behind — the Gandhis would instantly become history. The Congress party would disintegrate. This is the Congress party’s biggest fear.

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So, who could be India’s Bernie Sanders?

Arvind Kejriwal was supposed to be that person but he wasted a golden national opportunity upon the small half-state of Delhi. When I asked this question on Twitter, people came up with answers like Shashi Tharoor and Kanhaiya Kumar. But none of them seem likely to be able to play India’s Bernie anytime soon.

There are times when a leader comes to occupy a people’s attention. The stars need to align for this to happen. Only four stars. The right face, the right time, with the right story, well told.


Also read: How Arvind Kejriwal’s third attempt at national politics may play out


The right face 

Bernie supporters will tell you how he has been consistent for four decades. He is waging a movement. He is ideologically committed, and is not some big money-backed shyster who changes his positions in pursuit of power.

A key element here is Bernie’s past as an activist and politician. He is experienced, has a track record that gives him credibility, a CV that makes you trust him. The right face commands the loyalty of supporters, who go out and campaign for him like a veritable army.

India’s Bernie has to be someone with a history, a track record of consistency, credibility, and trust. That is why it can’t be a Kanhaiya — he’s too young. It takes four decades to be Bernie. Perhaps Arvind Kejriwal is on his way there, who knows?


Also read: Why Rahul Gandhi remains India’s third-most important politician


The right time 

Bernie Sanders has been selling “socialism” for decades but young Americans seem to be attracted to the idea because of extreme and ever-increasing inequality in the US. The US economy is doing well and yet inequality is a problem, and millennials don’t see a prosperous future for themselves.

That is why the time is right for Bernie.

He did not win the Democratic nomination in 2016. But what has changed this time is that Trump is president.

Bernie’s 2016 attempt made sure everybody got to know who he is and what he stands for. This gave him a head start for the 2020 campaign.

An Indian Bernie will also have to start now, and results may be seen when the time is right — when people think you are the person they need.


Also read: The Mayawati era is over. Bye Bye Behenji


The right story 

The “democratic socialism” that Bernie is selling is called welfare capitalism in most parts of the world. Yes, he is seeking to force companies to divest 20 per cent equity to employees, but that’s not the same as the public sector taking over the private.

Bernie Sanders, like any leader seeking to win an election anywhere in the world, is offering answers to the people’s most pressing problems. Student debt, access to education, access to affordable healthcare and, most of all, extreme inequality. He is giving these answers as part of a broad framework that identifies a clear enemy (the rich, elite establishment found in both Democratic and Republican parties).

Bernie is telling a story, and it’s the right one for these times told by the right face for this story.

Bernie’s story is standing out because it is different. He is saying that the current system is broken, and he has a better way.

When I asked about the possibility of an Indian Bernie on Twitter, someone said that leader would be a raging capitalist. That makes complete sense.

Bernie has grabbed attention by shocking capitalist America with socialism. In India, everybody is a socialist. To grab attention and stand out, an Indian Bernie will offer capitalism as the solution to people’s problems. How do you create millions of jobs without capitalism? India needs the American language of political capitalism, whereby leaders demonstrate to their voters that they are creating jobs by working with private corporations.


Also read: A chaiwala is PM, but it’s the cartel of power elites that calls the shots in India


The craft of storytelling 

Critics of Bernie Sanders have been pointing out that he is, ironically, a lot like Donald Trump: polarising in his politics, thriving on shock value, protectionist in his economic policies, and most of his ideas impractical and unimplementable.

If Bernie wins, that would be one more similarity.

Iron cuts iron, as the Hindi saying goes. Bernie is rising because he is telling his story well. He is presenting it as a movement, not an election campaign. He is raising more money than other candidates without taking money from big businesses. All the funds are coming from ordinary Americans giving small donations. This alone is making Bernie look like the rising David, backed by his people against Goliath (the capitalist establishment).

An Indian Bernie will have to be a better storyteller than Narendra Modi. This is a question of craft — which is where an understanding of modern political campaigning becomes very important.

The author is contributing editor to ThePrint. Views are personal.