The Rise of the Bhakts

So first up is an introspection survey, which was the first instance which left you awestruck at this democratic nation (political filter!)?

If you happen to be exercising your first vote in the upcoming POLLitical obligation ft. 2019 or better put you belong to the famed late ’90s’ kids, the answer to the question first up has to be the great political turmoil of 2011, let’s just put aside the aftermath and claimed scripts beyond the happenings, one thing came very clear, maybe it has been 70 odd years but deep inside, the very core of an Indian still resonates with its hero Mahatma Gandhi ideologies. From the bits (literally) my memory can recollect, this was the first time a generation stepping into the scorching WWW preferred switching to News Channels, a revolt like never before, those waving tricolor flags, pledges by personalities the countrymen adore, soon there was a nationwide repression for the central power.

The INC had already been into the 7th year of its rule, though its working in the second term vaguely resembles an Indian Engineering undergraduate, the opposition as the mocking hidden skills, the coalition parties as the virtual peer + parental pressure, apologies but the experiences boil to relate. So vulnerable as they were and as a failing executive, this revolution was inspiring, a new enthusiasm, an approach dating back to 40s but reaching the youth with the most renewed liveliness to democracy. When you stand for YOU!

So now let’s take the aftermath in the current scheme of things, the very nature of the fight which inspired the youth was partly dented, the fragments carrying the essence to do what they talked formerly of undoing, Well! this was the first exposure of a full ‘Political’ flick to the SM Pro Gen. A lot happened, be the AAP’s annihilating victory back in Delhi, I still remember clinging to my television hoping they get the remaining of the 3 out of 70 seats, not that I have a connect with Delhi or I actually witnessed what claims got them through, but just that one intuition of good happenings in the first exposure to the proportions of Politics but the hindsight bemuses.

Though the most known upshot has to be the Modi era, backing on a well-established party, a government which was breathing through coalition constraints, a leader with oration and agendas inspiring millions, what happened next was an astonishing victory for the BJP, and guess what?! This crushing defeat was primarily by one Man Narendra Damodar Modi, many claimed on his secularism, the RSS terror but they never outplayed the work he had done in Gujarat and the claims of a nationwide model of progress, nonetheless in years to follow the party under his leadership soon took hold of almost 2/3rd of the states. From Modi Lehar, to Amit Shah’s analogy as Circuit from Bollywood’s Munna Bhai to 2018 a lot has happened!

The Bhakti Saadhna!

It was back in the JNU hype time when I first googled a brief difference between patriotism and nationalism, what is jingoism, ism suffix root, oh it was bewildering, I failed to understand what side do I belong, what extreme is my esteem.

A Beef Ban?
Intolerance?
Hindutva?
Bharat Mata ki jai?
Media Mob?

These terms, or better put scenes from BJP act of governance was never even the sidelined news in preceding times, I had an argument with one of the million Bhakts (the fans and not supporters of NaMo) who put forward this theory of more independence to people and not the theory of the well oiled machinery producing Hindutva Robots to liberate the National peace, I lack the skills of rearranging my statements to win a debate through marathon by default so I give that to the government for letting people speak while suppressing my memories of lakhs revolting at the Ramlila Maidan with both centre and city ruled by one party, why didn’t they speak then?!

The Bhakt Defence!

The Pradhan Sevak (lately there had been claims of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru referring himself to Pramukh Sevak, but let’s not trust jumlas claiming plagiarism) has no doubt brought the schemes which do seem to be hitting the very threshold the country needs. I do not expertise on any of the fields but surely as a citizen from the middle class, almost all of them reach my boundaries of observation.

Swachh Bharat is a great scheme and a country placing its cities in almost all upper ranks of pollution, it is the need of the hour, from what I have seen it is mostly a Tarak Mehta awarding people for cleanliness campaigns and Modi’s posters of Swachh Bharat with MK Gandhi featuring almost as the logo. Maybe it’s mostly on independent people to take care of cleanliness but definitely with supporting government infrastructure. I hail from the capital city of Bihar, Patna, where even the ruling party is BJP, even if it’s about awareness, I’m damn aware but the moment I unfold a wrapper of chocolate outside home, I have no choice but to keep that in my belongings or walk a kilometer to settle for an overflowing municipal dustbin, this is the case with most cities, I believe if you put a scheme, better have a plan or we do away with moral lessons real quick.

Demonetisation? I’m not an economics geek but was it worth putting 1.2 billion people in chaos, sending markets crashing and a GDP fall just for eliminating black money from flowing?!!

GST, BJP was the very same party opposing the bill back in 2009, hypocrisy much?!

True there are pros and cons to decisions from government, there are people who would deny any good of parties in past to the ones who can’t even refer ‘our PM’ respectfully, maybe that’s how democracy works, they say a good governance thrives on criticism but here’s what made me anti BJP (My name is Vishal Critic & I’m not Pro Congress)

This oppression of lauding a messiah has hampered mostly the primary media, I read an excerpt from one of the former leaders of the country which said: “you have celebrities, sportspeople, musicians to become a fan of but never be a fan of a particular media or political leader.”

I do follow one anchor positively, ‘Ravish Kumar’, this is not my anti-BJP quota but there were times when these same people claimed him to be a very reasonable and unbiased person, but things have changed, the party’s bandwagon social media bully has tampered the enthusiasm if not the continuity.

Can you believe there are pages like ‘Rubbish Kumar’ to Twitter trolls, hard to say but one of the world’s largest party, ruling 21 states got hit by just one honest reporter?

I would just like to ignore what BJP did in recent times where a Governor representative of theirs failed to hide the bias, true the other side has done morally wrong but wait that’s what BJP Army and their Bhakt claim “Congress ne woh kiya, itna kiya, unse pucho”

BJP reminds me to misquote “Politicians don’t do different things, they do things differently”
From claiming any wrong to “Congress ne bhi kiya tha” to our PM’s hilarious history claims, this has been a tragedy illusion.

So a conclusion if you came this far!

Dear Bhakts

We were together in that 2011 revolution mostly, we share one thing common, that one desire of change, but maybe embedded media and giant social media has succumbed you in a party so deep, you lost clarity but I respect and love the way you back the country’s government, the only difference is I’m no fan.

Our ways have parted but goals haven’t, let’s make it beautiful, let not the democracy be galloped by fan following, let there be the freedom of speech for which our people died fighting, yes that is if it’s not already changed for a political plot.

Thank You!

Sakht Bhakt!