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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Manufactured Martyrs

The attempt by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) to turn activist Sonam Wangchuk into the next Anna Hazare has exposed how manufactured symbolism cannot compensate for the absence of genuine public outrage. What began as a grievance over the NEET paper leak, one of India’s gravest examination scandals in recent times, has drifted into an exercise in political pageantry, where the cause has been eclipsed by its chosen mascots. Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike was plainly meant to recreate a...

Manufactured Martyrs

The attempt by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) to turn activist Sonam Wangchuk into the next Anna Hazare has exposed how manufactured symbolism cannot compensate for the absence of genuine public outrage. What began as a grievance over the NEET paper leak, one of India’s gravest examination scandals in recent times, has drifted into an exercise in political pageantry, where the cause has been eclipsed by its chosen mascots. Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike was plainly meant to recreate a familiar script where an allegedly unassuming public figure embraces personal sacrifice and a reluctant government buckles under mounting moral pressure. But history does not repeat itself on command. Anna Hazare’s fast in 2011 succeeded not because fasting possesses mystical political powers, but because it rode a tidal wave of public anger against corruption. Millions identified with the cause. That equation is conspicuously absent today. The platform that ought to have belonged to students who suffered from the NEET paper leak, or to parents whose children bore its consequences, instead became crowded with the usual constellation of professional activists, ideological campaigners and political fellow travellers. The faces dominating the stage were not those most directly affected by the scandal. A movement demanding educational accountability gradually came to look like another gathering of Delhi’s permanently aggrieved activist class. Even Wangchuk appeared to sense the contradiction. During the protest he reportedly lamented that while he was observing an indefinite fast, many around him were happily eating meals, urging at least a token one-day fast in solidarity. Successful protest movements depend upon authenticity. Once the public begins suspecting that an individual is being deployed less as a leader than as a moral accessory for someone else’s ideological project, sympathy quickly evaporates. Nor does Wangchuk arrive without controversy. Questions have been raised over the cancellation of the FCRA licence of SECMOL, the educational organisation associated with him, and over allegations regarding subsequent foreign funding arrangements. Critics have also challenged aspects of the carefully cultivated public mythology surrounding his achievements, from the origins of the ice-stupa concept to the popular belief that he inspired the protagonist of 3 Idiots. These matters deserve scrutiny on their own merits rather than hagiography or character assassination. The greater failure here surely belongs to the protest’s organisers. The CJP has mistaken optics for momentum and symbolism for public sentiment. Instead of allowing the victims of the NEET scandal to speak for themselves, they attempted to manufacture another national conscience by placing a familiar face at the centre of the stage. Political legitimacy cannot be outsourced to celebrity. Nor can mass movements be assembled from social-media influencers and habitual protesters. Anna Hazare became powerful because the public chose him. Attempts to manufacture his successor merely underline how rare such moments really are.

Congress-Left Rift Exposes Power Games

New Delhi: Cracks widen in I.N.D.I.A. alliance as Congress and Left clash in Kerala/West Bengal polls, prioritizing state power over ideology. History of flip-flops fuels accusations of cynical opportunism, eroding public trust amid national unity facade.

 

Ahead of the Kerala and West Bengal assembly elections, cracks have emerged between the Congress and Left parties, with both gearing up to clash head-on in the electoral arena. The echoes of this rift reverberated in a recent meeting of the I.N.D.I.A. alliance's parliamentary parties. The Marxist Communist Party (CPI(M)) openly targeted Congress's biggest leader, Leader of opposition in Parliament Rahul Gandhi, exposing deep tensions. Whether it's the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. alliance or the earlier United Progressive Alliance (UPA), history shows Congress has always fought elections against CPI(M) in Kerala and West Bengal assembly polls. What kind of political ideology is this, where parties unite for Lok Sabha elections but turn adversaries in state assembly contests?

 

This naturally begs the question that in this game of alliances, are Congress, the Left, and other I.N.D.I.A. bloc constituents indulging in opportunistic politics driven by a thirst for power? Are they playing tricks on the public just to grab the throne? If their alliances were rooted in ideology, they would stick together from Lok Sabha to assembly elections, united by principle.

 

Flash point

The flashpoint came during an I.N.D.I.A. bloc parliamentary meeting in Kerala, originally called to strategize for the Parliament session and forge a united opposition front against the central government. But the discussion swiftly pivoted to escalating differences between Congress and the Left. CPI(M) MPs took strong exception to Rahul Gandhi's recent statement during a Kerala visit, where he accused central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of targeting opposition leaders but sparing Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

 

In West Bengal, a senior Congress leader revealed the central leadership's calculus that with little to lose, going solo is the smarter play. Post-alliance breakup with the Left, focus shifts to bolstering vote share, not seat-sharing math. TMC and BJP are expected to dominate anyway. After days of silence, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby accused Congress of drifting from a broad anti-communal unity, insisting his party favors collaboration with like-minded forces but slamming Congress's stance as isolationist.

 

The analysis

Political analysts warn this split could fragment opposition votes, benefiting TMC. Yet they don't rule out informal grassroots understandings between left and congress. In both states, ditching the alliance lets Congress and the Left campaign comfortably, dodging awkward questions from voters. In Kerala, the Left has held power for two straight terms since 2021, breaking a decades-old pattern of alternating every five years between Left and Congress. Riding an anti-incumbency wave, Congress and Rahul Gandhi now eye a comeback, launching direct attacks on CPI(M). This has irked the Left, whose survival hinges solely on Kerala.

 

If we look at the political background, the I.N.D.I.A. alliance was formed mainly to create a united strategy against the BJP-led NDA. In several states, opposition parties are trying to contest elections together. Electoral processes, unemployment, inflation, and concerns over constitutional institutions are part of the opposition's shared agenda.

 

Watching this alliance charade ahead of Lok Sabha and assembly polls, the public is baffled that What's the real basis of these tie-ups? Do parties form and break them for keeping in mind the interests of leaders and parties, or based on ideology? Do they consider the welfare of the people and the nation's interests in doing so? Is coalition politics just opportunism masquerading as strategy? Voters deserve answers-will I.N.D.I.A.'s flip-flops erode trust, or can they justify this as pragmatic realism? Until then, the stench of power hunger lingers.


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