Harsh Dev Singh
“Politics is the last resort of a scoundrel”. We have been hearing the aforesaid adage since our childhood. Once considered an ugly bromide against politicians, the said definition of politics however has become most befitting in the present era and more relevant now than ever before. Gone are the days when honesty probity, morality, truth were the hallmarks for a successful political career. Once considered highest virtues they do not even show up anywhere near a today’s prospered politician. A successful politician today is the one who is adept in the art of manipulation and manoeuvrability, who can speak lies with ease, who never means what he says and never says what he means. Rather than practising morality, he needs to be articulate in preaching morality.
Politics today is the conduct of public life for private advantage. Just as you need to study law or medicine to be a lawyer or physician, you need to study your-own interests to become a modern politician in this new political era. Inventive acronyms, deceptive adroitness, jugglery and hollow rhetoric are the mantras for success in today’s politics. The more morbid emotionalism and paroxysm you create by your platitudes and seductive slogans, the more successful will you be.
To reach the pinnacle of your career in political life you don’t have to endure the black board bungle of formal schooling. For politics does not require any educational qualification. It is the only profession in the country which offers lucrative livelihood to its practitioners without any educational paraphernalia in the form of degrees, diplomas etc.
Politics of today has transformed in its functioning, character and facade. Rather than people recommending him as a leader, the politician today portrays himself as the ultimate. He could go to any extent to project his image and to present himself as the real messiah of the people especially of the poor and under privileged. His political opponents can never match his competence and charisma. He is the idol politician while his adversary is the devil incarnate. He has coined a new grammar for political campaigns. He can attack his opponent left and right levelling the wildest of allegations and unsubstantiated muck raking against him without any qualms of conscience in a bid to score political brownie points. Such vitriolic attacks could extend to even Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, Spouse, Children and even to the ancestors of his political opponents. No bars, no red lines. Gone are the days of so called political morality. Power is the ultimate goal and the arena is free for all with no rules in the game.
The politician can distort History, Civics, Geography, Science and so on. For his followers will always present his words as the gospel truth. He can’t be incorrect or dishonest. He has a battery of minions to vouch for his truthfulness and honesty. He often dishes out his own definitions of caste, religion, history as per his political expediency and convenience. The only condition is that he should be able to create mass hysteria by his rhetoric.
\Hollow statements and statistical Jugglery are his watch words. A successful politician is the one who specializes in verbal gymnastics. Unrelenting harangues is the staple on which he feeds and thrives. He is the one who never speaks truth even by mistake. He likes to keep the fire of controversies and contentious issues burning even after coming to power. For no other issue can be as effective for diverting the attention of the general masses and that of his electorates. After winning elections he is altogether a different individual. His mannerism, body language undergoes a complete metamorphosis. The humility and grace of yesterday gives way to arrogance and disdain. The pre-election servant of people often calling himself as “Sipahi” and “Chowkidar” becomes the all powerful and unquestionable despot who scripts the destiny of his erstwhile “Masters”. He takes pride in blatant and brazen display of authoritarianism. He does not like to remember his pre-election slogans and conveniently forgets the promises which he made to the voters. The Election manifesto for him is waste paper after elections. He does not even like to recall his promises and is averse to those who try to remind him of the same. “My way or the Highway” is the rule to be followed after his ascendance to power in the Jurisdiction in which he rules. No one can question his policies for the reprisals and consequences could be disastrous. The state machinery and administrative paraphernalia is often treated a private limited company by him where the rule of whim prevails over rule of law.
Opportunism has to be the watchword to qualify as modern politician. And power has to be the only goal. Attain it by hook or crook. Means are immaterial. You must kill your conscience the very moment you enter the political arena. Give an impressive lecture on Principles but don’t ever follow any such thing. Be prepared to relinquish your political philosophy as and when the opportunity knocks at your doors. No permanent friends and foes. Expediency and self interest need to be your priority. Be prepared to demonize those who were once treated as God fathers. And be ready to switch over loyalties as and when any lucrative offer comes your way. You should be as fast as chameleon in changing colours in tune with the political situation for that would place you higher in the merit list. Never hesitate to enter into “Faustian bargains” like Dr. Faustus who sold his soul to the devil for power. And never fail to follow Aurangzeb who not only overthrew his father, Shah Jahan but put him behind bars to ascend the throne of power.
The present day politicians have surpassed all their mentors and predecessors in their mastery of modern politics. We have several J&K leaders who have proved their ‘talent’ in the quick grasp of this art and science of politics. The founders of the newly floated party in Kashmir were the members of PDP and other Kashmir based parties who abandoned their respective parent parties to usurp power by aligning with their one time foes. While their mentors are languishing in Jails, they have opted for new friends with new permutations and combinations. Hardly any qualms of conscience or principles whatsoever. And then there are those Jammu based leaders who once proclaimed to be champions of the Jammu cause but now have jettisoned their parties as well as their pious slogans for their personal expediencies and the yet un-reaped fruits of power. Likewise, the other “successful” politicians of the state particularly of Jammu region, who swayed the masses by their seductive slogans during elections and won record number of seats, surpassed even their seniors and national leaders in their mastery of modern politics, with all their pre-poll slogans having turned into post poll somersaults.
Having exploited the gullibility of electorates during elections they not only discarded their election commitments and professed promises but abandoned their life time slogans thereby proving themselves as greater politicians than even their mentors and guides. Having analysed the behaviour of modern politicians of the new era, we can safely conclude that politics is now certainly the first, the second and also the last resort of a scoundrel.
Ofcourse. There are exceptions to this general rule. It is however for the people to give the final verdict.
(The author is Chairman JKNPP)
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