Topic: NaMo biopic

Threat to the autonomy of inherently independent institutions e.g. the EC and the judiciary doesn’t bode well for the future of democracy.
But what options of leaders in India have given to the common man? Are we saying the polarisation of last 5 years is a good reason to forget 2G, Commonwealth, Nirbhaya etc. and vote them in again? What does that tell either of the parties – do whatever you wish to. If we are tormented enough by the other side you’ll be voted back in 5 years. Kaha suna maaf.
It’s a zero-sum game which benefits both Congress and BJP is a weird symbiotic equation but it ultimately detrimental for the country. The need of the hour is a “credible” 3rd front. Because any other alternative is not tenable as demonstrated by the last 6 decades.
Popular Media, Stand up Comics etc. keep making fun of BJP and Sanghis for the sheer number of motor mouths and morons in the party. In reality the joke is on them! As any marketing or brand manager will tell you this is a brilliant move.
Successful “brands” stay successful and relevant for so so long because they do not try to woo each and every customer segment. They know very well you can’t please everyone all the time. It’s a waste of time and money and effort. Far better results can be achieved when you target a select few and convert ALL of your target leads to “sales”. So if you are AAP and you decide to woo Delhi also Punjab also UP also Varanasi also – you lose Delhi too.
But BJP is almost brilliant in its strategy. It’s evident that they know that the minorities/“backward castes” etc won’t vote for them. Then there will be a few UPPER CASTE HINDUS who wouldn’t believe polarisation would benefit them in any way. BJP doesn’t even bother wooing them.
Their target is the section of Hindu society that feels victimised by six decades of “secular appeasement” Congress did.
Now I am no fan of BJP but Congress really did a number on this section of the society. But what is more ironical that Congress did not do anything for those “marginalised sections” either except engage in optics.
Which is why even after 6 decades of “minority upliftment” Muslims are still ghetto-ised in the sense that almost every city, town, village there is a SEPERATE section where they live. Same for other sections. The secular assimilation of all religions, castes, varnas as designed and envisioned by Bhagat Singh etc never really happened.
But what they DID over that time period was ignore the concerns and alarm of the UPPER CASTE HINDUS and let them feel that slowly bit by bit their chance at equality was being taken away.
And as an upper caste Hindu I will tell that you myself that the current situation in India is such that a Brahmin student with 92% marks won’t make it to a medical college but from reserved sections a mere 35% can be enough at times.
Now this makes ABSOLUTE sense in the scenario where the Brahmin comes from a family of doctors and the reservation is for a student who’s made it this far from below the poverty line.
But this is ALSO TRUE when the reservation is for a corrupt and filthy rich MLA’s child and the Brahmin kid who’s just been rejected is son of a temple priest WHO is actually living below poverty line.
And this obviously is an unfair application of affirmative action.
So while affirmative action is a fundamentally sound concept and our founding fathers had the right intention behind it, the execution and the fact that it does not take economical status into consideration is flawed and needs to be addressed.
But touching the reservation system in its existing form is a vote losing proposition. So no one wants to address it. It’s a lose-lose deal. Those who are UPPER CASTES will say whatever is addressed is not enough. And the people who are no longer eligible will accuse you of “discrimination”. So no party – not Congress not BJP – will ever address it. Their only way out is to add more and more people to the “reservation quota”.
And none of this addresses the anger that the now marginalised UPPER CASTE HINDUS feel. Already they were stewing at the outrage of having to “assimilate” with the lower castes now they are actually impoverished as well. So there is a sense of rage and a strong desire for retribution.
So what BJP does – and again, brilliantly so – is it keeps flaming these fires. It keeps reminding that unless you vote us in “these people” will keep taking away what is rightfully yours.
These loose canon remarks seem incidental. They are anything but. So what if Yogi is banned for 3 days. Someone else will “act the script” out in that time. So all those who laugh at “these idiots” and “these motor mouths” are idiots themselves to not realise that in a marketing class these are all A+ grade students.
The strategy is fairly simple – Don’t let the angry people rest. Don’t give them a chance to cool down and objectively analyse facts. Push conspiracy theories, fake news on minorities eating beef, love jihad, Pakistan up to mischief. Keep them angry till the last day of voting. Make sure they get the message loud and clear that unless you turn up and vote for BJP you will continue to be subdued by the “undeserving”.
When a majority of your target segment turns to vote and the other side is totally apathetic – Congratulations you are the default winner.
Unfortunately the other side tries to motivate people by supplying biryanis and alcohol not realising that cognitively hate is a far more powerful motivator than bribes.
Fun fact though – once in power BJP – just like Congress – does nothing for these angry Hindus either.
It’s been 5 years since Modi government came to power. Until late last year the upper caste reservations did not even hit the radar. A government so arrogant that it basically ignored ALL tenets of institutional independence including Supreme Court, Election Commission etc did not try and force the Ram Mandir construction as matter was “sub judice”. As if that mattered for ANYTHING else.
Because as Kunal Kamra pointed out in one of his sketches – Pakistan ki ladai khatam ho gayi ya Ram Mandir bann gaya tab issue kya bacha tempers flare karne ke liye.
The only way out to sanity – do NOT alienate or insult the “angry Hindus”. Do NOT push them away from mainstream. Do NOT make them feel their concerns don’t matter.
The more you deny a group – any group – a seat at the table, the more you alienate them, the more YOU encourage the fringe elements of that section to take control.
Mahabharata was a result of Duryodhana being sidelined all his childhood by the Kuru elders in favour of Pandavas and because of Bhima continuously tormenting him pushing him to seek guidance from Shakuni.
Holocaust was a result of hurt German pride at the unfair treatment at losing the WW1.
Gulf wars happened because of the oil wars.
So stop marginalising ANYONE. A cornered cat ALWAYS attacks.
Either that OR make voting compulsory for every citizen.
The fundamental laws of nature dictates all things follow standard deviations.
10% HATE a thing.
10% obsessively LOVE a thing.
80% are fundamentally amenable to switch.
But when all the 100% contribute to the sample size the deviation is always towards the “mean” or Center.
Until either of that happens it will be hard to contain the swing to either extremes. This is why we need a credible 3rd alternative.
I hope the psephologist in you would support me when I say – if God could talk, the language he’d choose is MATHEMATICS. The fundamental laws of nature dictate everything follow standard deviation.
10% HATE a thing.
10% obsessively LOVE a thing.
80% are fundamentally amenable to switch.
But when all the 100% contribute to the sample size the deviation is always towards the “mean” or Center. Case in point – 2014. 2/3rd turned up to vote. Of this only a third voted for the current government. So even with a strong anti-incumbency factor and a Modi wave only about a fifth of the population ACTIVELY let them in.
A democratic government is OF the people, FOR the people, BY the people. If today we point out that this is not a government FOR all people, then we also need to acknowledge that only the BY to go vote decide the OF.
The tragedy of democracies where voting isn’t compulsory is that the 10%s at either end will always vote and the middle 80% are apathetic to the electoral process until a strong motivator comes along. They do not trust either extremes to commit fully to them. So a credible third front is what they are after. Who from the current crop of leaders form this front?
Before we figure that out we need to understand the WHO they would motivate because we have seen an uprising before that DID galvanise this base. A non-political movement of sorts turned out hordes of people across the country who spent days canvassing for the movement. This was the MIDDLE section of the bell curve – the center 40%. Usually apathetic, this base is also LOGICAL absolutely nonpartisan and will follow those who make more sense. Hence, any meaningful “sticking change” can come only from them.

You might have heard of this popular movement – India Against Corruption.

But the problem here is Arvind Kejriwal was supposed to be the face of this movement. But he was not the MOVEMENT.

The movement was a combination of

– Legal Finesse of Shanti Bhushan Prashant Bhushan and keen grasp of the electoral pulse from your end.
– The ability to repackage the progressive message and tie it back to the Hindu sacred texts of Kumar Vishwas.
– the activist who can keep the anger alive e.g AK

I make this distinct with delibration sir because the country needs to fight a two-pronged war.

ONE – Defeat Congress which is dynastical and inherently corrupt.

The brains that understand the current legal landscape know where the key systemic rots are. And the man with his hand on the electoral pulse knows which of those issues will resonate the most with the people.

So they can package a message that provides a credible alternative to the BJP supporters on the fence who are not sold on Hindutva but trust that it’s a side effect that must be born for progress that BJP might have a better chance at pulling off compared to the rotten Congress.

That’s the RIGHT 20% next to the mean locked in!

TWO – Defeat BJP which is inherently polarising.

Now remember we are talking about people close to the mean. People in this section always resemble the MAJORITY.

Personifying this segment is a middle class, decently educate, tax paying family man who is fundamentally a decent chap. Most likely believes in fair chances, charity, national unity, democracy etc. MOST LIKELY a Hindu. He has beaten the unfair reservation system through sheer perseverance and really despises having to work THREE TIMES AS HARD for 33% of a result. At every stage. From college admissions. To job placements. To promotions. And he is – rightfully – blaming Congress for this debacle of situation.

So he is most likely going to go with BJP though he is not on board with the polarisation because he has a self-serving interest in not having to work SO BLOODY HARD all the time. Plus in an extreme situation if you have TWO people to turn too, genetically you are programmed to stick with your herd.

Hence the Hindu BJP.

Now imagine telling THIS guy we will make the system fair for you. And we will help the weakest sections of the society progress irrespective of which caste, religion, sect they come from. This is our progressive agenda. And hey BTW – that BJP version of HINDUTVA? It’s against the purest form of Hinduism. See these lines of Upanishad or remember this story from Ramayana or Mahabharata?

That locks this 20% too.

So you have your TWO WHEELS to balance your two-pronged fight now. So far so good. BUT at this point this falls apart.

The key issue here is the 40% of our market share is also the “smartest”. It’s a double-edged sword. While its good for the outcomes of an egalitarian society but it’s also very incisive and can spot your hypocrisy AND call you out on it. You do not HAVE the luxury of a rabid 10%

So you will succeed in your pursuit of power IF AND ONLY IF your end goal is the OUTCOMES not the pursuit of the power. That means that the two wheels ALWAYS understand their role in this ecosystem is to keep spinning about the axis and keep taking the vehicle forward. At no point – try to move to the center into the driving seat as that upsets the balance we are aiming for.

Now the Congress wheel of AAP never did it. You all managed to keep AAP on message as far as possible and the moment PERSONALITIES started overshadowing the cause made an exit. Your decision to not even contest in 2019 without the necessary people power to sway the outcomes, convinces me that you are still clear on the principles of IAC. If I am one of the 40% I implicitly still trust you are still segment trustworthy.

The BJP wheel – As much as I respect him, did not speak up or exit when the Congress wheel was discarded. And it wore off the chariot only when denied the Rajya Sabha nomination. And his criticism of the party he was until recently a part of also is tiring for the 40% in me. So as one of the 40% I need convincing to re-trust the intent of this wheel.

Also as an astute 40% I notice that even though now that BOTH have exited AAP they don’t “follow each other“ on social media channels. So I am worried my two wheels don’t run in sync anymore.
Setting aside this fundamental problem, to split hairs on the key issue of the cyanide pill. The “activist”. No two thoughts that this is the “face” of this front.

But it is as much a part of the system as the others. It’s only job is to keep the chariot ON THE ROAD to the outcomes. The wheels keep you going forward. You stay on message. Remember the seat you are on is not a throne. It is the DRIVERS SEAT. It’s not power. It’s just responsibility to take the vehicle to the outcomes. You control only DIRECTION not the DESTINATION.

This is a must because as the quote goes – Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

The structure of this front needs to be such that the center piece KNOWS it’s the weakest link. The only way is to have FIVE to SIX credible alternatives ready to take on the job of steering if the first one falters. And everyone has the authority to make this happen when needed INCLUDING the wheels.

While we can reuse the old wheels with a fresh coat of paint I doubt we will trust a driver who led us crashing down the valley killing Daadu in the process.

So the core group or the “driver pool” for the AAP 2.0 is the missing bit. Who?

We know they are not corrupt, not fascists, believe in democracy, trust the VISION and DONT WANT power. Who fits this profile?

I honestly think the erstwhile AAP must have thought of most of these points. It just needs an updated edition to allow fixes for the driver seat issue. And hence the hope that a long-term fix doesn’t have to take another 60+ years. And I hope somewhere in your endorsement a motley but trustworthy crew is the hunt for the driver to replace the one who turned up drunk first time.
This is just to remind you sir – the 40% is still waiting for you to get your act together and take this chariot forward. Godspeed!