Comments on: Passion and politicos http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/05/04/passion-and-politicos/ Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:45:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.1 by: Gautam http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/05/04/passion-and-politicos/#comment-1073 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/05/04/passion-and-politicos/#comment-1073 I am not sure that Vajpayee inspires much passion. Within the BJP he seems to be just a mask. This is amply illustrated by his own statement that no one listens to him and he can't reign in Katiyar and Modi, or for that matter Advani. And in the NDA, he is a means to power. There is no real unifying vision for India, no clear picture of what it is that this whole jamboree is in aid of, there are just small non-issues which are being used to scare people into making choices, nothing to inspire anything. This is despite the sullen optimism atleast in urban India. The question I want answered is why Sharad Joshi joined the NDA? I am not sure that Vajpayee inspires much passion. Within the BJP he seems to be just a mask. This is amply illustrated by his own statement that no one listens to him and he can’t reign in Katiyar and Modi, or for that matter Advani. And in the NDA, he is a means to power.

There is no real unifying vision for India, no clear picture of what it is that this whole jamboree is in aid of, there are just small non-issues which are being used to scare people into making choices, nothing to inspire anything.
This is despite the sullen optimism atleast in urban India.

The question I want answered is why Sharad Joshi joined the NDA?

]]> by: aNYa http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/05/04/passion-and-politicos/#comment-1074 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/05/04/passion-and-politicos/#comment-1074 I disagree Gautam, Vajpayee does inspire passion in a lot of people. It is (partly) because of their reverence for him as a leader, as a statesman that the NDA was together. Today, when people have no political idols to look up to, he stands somewhat apart. I disagree Gautam, Vajpayee does inspire passion in a lot of people. It is (partly) because of their reverence for him as a leader, as a statesman that the NDA was together. Today, when people have no political idols to look up to, he stands somewhat apart.

]]> by: Harini http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/05/04/passion-and-politicos/#comment-1075 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/05/04/passion-and-politicos/#comment-1075 I think that there is a general degree of fondness for Vajpayee across the country. He manages to put across this genial grand uncle mask on very well. I am not sure about the passion part. Modi on the other hand is a different story. as is Thackeray. Somehow i find it ok for stars to have passionate followers, but feel wary of politicians that have the same. I think that there is a general degree of fondness for Vajpayee across the country. He manages to put across this genial grand uncle mask on very well. I am not sure about the passion part. Modi on the other hand is a different story. as is Thackeray. Somehow i find it ok for stars to have passionate followers, but feel wary of politicians that have the same.

]]> by: Gautam http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/05/04/passion-and-politicos/#comment-1076 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2004/05/04/passion-and-politicos/#comment-1076 The biggest reason I find the 'Atal Factor' bogus is because of things like today's article by Balbir Punj in the Times, which ends by stating the only choice for the indian voter is "Atal or Chaos". I understand that this is normal political posturing, but there is a thin line between expressing reverence for your leader and sowing the seed of doubt by saying the same thing over and over again. The passion that leaders instigate in their followers don't seem to translate into votes, whether it is Thackeray or Vajpayee, neither has enough support to get more than 30% of the vote share for their own parties. For the BJP this is a major step backward by their own standards, for years they railed against the Congress' iconocentrism, while extolling the virtues of cadre-based politics. Evidently they have had to change their rajnaitik dharma as an expedient to political office. But the kind of passion of purpose that Indira Gandhi was able to instigate in her party and the masses using bogus slogans like "garibi hatao", were far more effective than what Atal or more specifically the BJP has been able to do with an equally bogus "india shining". The biggest reason I find the ‘Atal Factor’ bogus is because of things like today’s article by Balbir Punj in the Times, which ends by stating the only choice for the indian voter is “Atal or Chaos”. I understand that this is normal political posturing, but there is a thin line between expressing reverence for your leader and sowing the seed of doubt by saying the same thing over and over again.

The passion that leaders instigate in their followers don’t seem to translate into votes, whether it is Thackeray or Vajpayee, neither has enough support to get more than 30% of the vote share for their own parties.

For the BJP this is a major step backward by their own standards, for years they railed against the Congress’ iconocentrism, while extolling the virtues of cadre-based politics. Evidently they have had to change their rajnaitik dharma as an expedient to political office. But the kind of passion of purpose that Indira Gandhi was able to instigate in her party and the masses using bogus slogans like “garibi hatao”, were far more effective than what Atal or more specifically the BJP has been able to do with an equally bogus “india shining”.

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