The best thing that the BJP has done is to have installed a swami as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Aditya Nath is a highly literate person who has been five times Parliamentarian since 1998. He was the youngest MP then at only a tender age of 26. Aditya Nath is a graduate and understands the dignity and nuances of lawmaking much better than so many otherwise popular politicians. To be honest, I assess Swami Aditya Nath would make a far superior face than Narendra Modi mainly because he is gentle, suave and humble and never rants rhetoric sporting expensive suits and specs and waving the angled fingers symbolising victory at people for long minutes on end. Aditya Nath is so perfect in human judgement that he lost no time in waving off the farmers loan of Rs 36,000 to benefit the rural folks suffering for long, more so as it was an election promise. He was courageous enough further to order closure of all the illegal slaughter houses across UP only to ensure cows are not killed for the dining tables indiscriminately. Not surprisingly, many Muslim clerics too have extended support to him. Maybe, they are true Muslims who know animals, particularly those that give milk, are to be protected. Further, bovine meat promotes and nurtures the tape worms that kill humans by causing deadly diseases.
Yogi Aditya Nath has gone even one step further to make sure unruly, vulgar young males are taken to task for harassing young women in streets. Catcalls or sexual assault of any kind cannot occur anymore. UP has long been defamed as a free playground for criminals, rapists and thugs of all kinds. The new Chief Minister has very carefully organised a street Romeo-control outfit to have young girls moving freely and fearlessly even in dark. Aditya Nath’s attendance in lok Sabha was 77 per cent and he has asked 284 questions, participated in 56 debates and introduced three private member Bills in the 16th lok Sabha. But cricketer millionaire Sachin Tendulkar, who was given Bharat Ratna, along with showpiece Rekha, has brought shame to the Rajya Sabha by ignoring sessions without remorse or regret even once. For sure, Swami Aditya Nath is a great source of joy for Indians. He is certain to leave trails to be followed with mass pressure.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has of course erred on the high moral ground by trying to misuse public money to foot private legal bills. All hell has broken lose, but strangely, he is as yet not bending down and saying, “Sorry, I was wrong”. This single sin might cost him dearly, and soon enough. He used to be the only star in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) outfit. Sidhu could have been another. But the celebrity cricketer chose the Congress for availing tickets for ‘self and wife’, which Kejriwal had rightly turned down. Now that Kejriwal is losing ground, the AAP may disintegrate like the AIADMK has just been reduced to dust. Kejriwal moved Delhi residents by keeping the promise of free water and cheap electricity. He should have better concentrated on getting a police force of his own and making Delhi a full-fledged State with all powers. Hopefully, he will realise his errors and make good the blunders. But it’s true that Sidhu will not have a good time nor Captain Amarinder Singh. There is no way the Punjab CM could have permitted the Sidhu the Minister to keep taking part in the television comedy show which is cheap and oftentimes vulgar and obscene where a Minister should have no business at all as a participant. Strangely, Amarinder permits Sidhu to act low and make money instead of concentrating on public affairs and issues which is a 24-hour job. Sidhu has been permitted because he says that’s his only source of income, which is plain crap. An MP in India makes loads of money by way of salary and perks beyond logic, and the benefits are incalculable. Besides, it’s not clear where the cricket and comedy show millions could have gone so soon. Sidhu is crazy to eat the cake and have it too. Sidhu and Amarinder will bring the gasping Congress some terrible infamy for certain.
Odisha is a State with a magical Chief Minister who does not talk too much, for which opponents and detractors blame him. Naveen Patnaik is invincible even today because the star power he possesses is unimaginably great, and the BJP has no match whatsoever. The BJD is a one-man show and the rest in the party are pure beneficiaries without contribution. If by chance Naveen abandons politics, the BJD will evaporate like water on a frying pan. All the same, the BJP, despite some impressive gain in a few pockets of the State, has no business to be complacent. The panchayat elections do not conclusively indicate people’s mood. The BJP has to have a face for Odisha, and Dharmendra Pradhan is not the one. Just a couple days ago, Jual Oram kept screaming that the BJD is breaking down into pieces, which is not true. A small fraction has expressed displeasure which gives scope to the high command headed by a true supremo to mend ways and devise means to make all happy and get closer to the hearts of the masses. Baijayant Panda has done big service by exposing some core truth about the party. But that doesn’t mean the BJD is crumbling down.
However, one truth has emerged: Most of the BJD leaders have become arrogant and callous, which could bring a setback unless the supremo beats them down to humility. Even today, a poor village woman is coughing out 20 thousand rupees for her Indira Awas. The engineers and the BDOs, the field-level administrators, and even top-level bureaucrats making critical decisions are happy with corrupt practices. The BJD has been given the best opportunity by God to serve a poor State. The best way is to give the lot a complete overhaul. Any leader promoting own children must be dropped; all leaders once blamed publicly for arrogance must be put to rest; anyone talking too much or engaging in transfers and postings must go home never to be called back again. Jual Oram is wrong, but that most BJD leaders must be dismissed is a truth the high command must take note of. Then only would the BJD return to power with a huge majority like the last time; or else, a thin victory and then disintegration for sure. Naveen has lately become more sociable than before. Mayurbhanj proved difficult for the BJD only because the local politicians were either callous or arrogant. The BJP had its roots growing there for long. The BJD biggies had read the region wrong. They had never assessed the reputation of the local leaders who had irked the people so much as not brought on record. Sudan Marandi needs to wake up and behave like a simple tribal aborigin, which he has long since ceased to be with his glaring wealth and defamed company. Peculiarly, the illiterate politicians and irresponsible media are never losing an opportunity to mislead people. Gita Mehta, Naveen Patnaik’s elder sister, made a private visit to home. But the rumour mongers made her, the Chief Minister and some others sent her to the Rajya Sabha. As if no relative of any politician has a private life! Naveen should have kept quiet rather than explain to people that his sister is famous enough and loves to remain a sister at home; she has no political ambitions at all. Naveen has to send a real good person, not a political leader to the Rajya Sabha who at least understands the Constitutional spirit. Then only will he do justice to the elevated post. He should not be a Tendulkar-type gut to bring bad name to the State.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)