The BJP’s Ganesha Gambit

Pune’s Ganeshotsav has become an enormous civic and political stage, and the ruling party has proved adept at occupying it. Pune: The city’s Ganeshotsav is entering its final phase, but the festival has already demonstrated something beyond its extraordinary crowds and familiar spectacle: the extent to which it has become a political stage. This year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has left a particularly visible imprint on the festivities, using an event that reaches deep into the city’s...

min read

Pune’s Ganeshotsav has become an enormous civic and political stage, and the ruling party has proved adept at occupying it. Pune: The city’s Ganeshotsav is entering its final phase, but the festival has already demonstrated something beyond its extraordinary crowds and familiar spectacle: the extent to which it has become a political stage. This year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has left a particularly visible imprint on the festivities, using an event that reaches deep into the city’s neighbourhoods as an opportunity for public outreach. The political appropriation of the festival has not, however, been without a counter-current. Demands were raised for curbs on noise pollution, loudspeakers and the volume of dhol-tasha performances. The argument was not against Ganeshotsav itself, but for moderation - notably, a complete ban on DJ music and limits on the number of dhol and tasha instruments used by performing troupes. Familiar Troubles The festival’s reality has been rather different. Major roads have been occupied by mandaps. Processions celebrating the arrival of Lord Ganesha have unfolded amid punishing noise. DJ music, while subject to restrictions, has continued. Traffic congestion has become a familiar feature of the festival, with the movement of political leaders adding another layer to the city’s already strained roads. The Peth areas have remained crowded deep into the night. The Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati temple has drawn enormous crowds for darshan from the opening day. From the old city to housing societies and neighbourhood mandals, Ganeshotsav touches virtually every part of Pune. For a political party seeking a direct connection with citizens, few occasions offer such a ready-made network of people, institutions and local influencers. The BJP enters this festival with an unusually formidable organisational base. It has two MPs, seven MLAs and more than 100 corporators in Pune. Murlidhar Mohol, one of the city’s MPs, is a Union Minister of State. Chandrakant Patil is a Cabinet minister in the Maharashtra government, while Madhuri Misal is a Minister of State. The party’s presence also extends into the festival’s organisational architecture. Its influence is visible across numerous mandals, large and small. BJP MLA Hemant Rasane is General Secretary of the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganpati Trust. Kunal Tilak, a member of Lokmanya Tilak’s family, is a BJP corporator. The political and cultural histories of Pune therefore intersect in ways that are difficult to ignore. The BJP’s senior leadership has also made the most of the occasion. National President Nitin Nabin visited Pune to seek Lord Ganesha’s blessings, while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the city before and during the festival. Such visits are about more than religious observance. In a festival watched by millions and embedded in the city’s social life, political visibility comes almost automatically. There is also talk in Pune that the BJP provided substantial financial support to Dhol-Lezim troupes and their organisers, with claims that some major mandals received financial backing as well. These claims would require independent verification, but the perception itself points to the depth of the political contest around Ganeshotsav. BJP workers, according to local observers, have also sought to make their presence more conspicuous than that of festivities organised by housing societies. Useful Expedient The festival arrives at a politically useful moment for the BJP. The party has faced disquiet on several fronts. Young people have been agitated over the paper-leak controversy. Broader public dissatisfaction has been voiced over inflation and unemployment, while government policies relating to ethanol and charges associated with UPI transactions have also generated criticism. While a political party can defend a policy in a press conference and advertise its achievements, during Ganeshotsav, its workers can be physically present in neighbourhoods, among processions, mandals, cultural groups and devotees. Politics thus becomes less about argument and more about visibility. That is the BJP’s advantage in Pune. Ganeshotsav, after all, is not simply a sequence of religious rituals. It is an elaborate civic network involving local organisers, volunteers, cultural groups, businesses, residents and political representatives. Whoever has influence over that network acquires a powerful channel of communication with the city. The BJP appears to understand this particularly well. Its strength in Pune’s electoral politics has been reinforced by a presence that extends beyond elections and into the institutions and social spaces that organise public life. The irony is that the very scale of the festival that makes it politically attractive also magnifies the civic costs. The political value of Ganeshotsav and the civic burden it creates are therefore two sides of the same phenomenon. For Pune, the larger question is not whether politics has entered Ganeshotsav. It has done so for decades. The more consequential question is whether the festival’s extraordinary social capital will remain primarily a vehicle for political outreach or whether the same influence can be used to reconcile celebration with the ordinary civic needs of the city. For the moment, the BJP seems to have understood the first proposition better than most.

Why Employer Health Insurance Is Not Enough

Kaustubh Kale

Jul 25

3 min read

Updated: Jul 26

For many salaried employees, health insurance is one of the most valued workplace benefits. Since the employer provides medical cover, it is easy to assume that there is no need to purchase a separate policy. However, relying entirely on employer-provided health insurance can leave you financially vulnerable when you need protection the most.

Your Cover Is Linked to Your Job

The first concern is continuity. Your employer’s health insurance is linked to your employment. The moment you resign, take a career break or retire, the cover may stop.

A medical emergency, however, will not wait for you to join your next organisation. Your next employer may also provide a lower cover or may not offer health insurance at all. A personal policy ensures that your protection continues regardless of changes in career and life.

Plan for Health Like You Plan for Retirement

The same logic we apply to retirement planning should also apply to health insurance. We invest during our earning years so that our accumulated investments can support us when the salary stops.

Similarly, we should purchase personal health insurance while we are young and earning so that the policy continues to protect us after retirement, when we may no longer have an employer.

You May Not Get It Later

Insurance should ideally be purchased when you do not urgently need it, so that it is available when you actually do.

If a person develops a serious illness or medical condition later, an insurer may reject the proposal altogether.

As you grow older, the probability of developing medical conditions also increases, which may affect your eligibility for a comprehensive policy. Insurance companies are comfortable covering uncertain future risks, but they may be unwilling to fully cover illnesses or complications that are already known. Buying early reduces this risk.

Complete the Waiting Period Early

Most health insurance policies have waiting periods for specific diseases, treatments and pre-existing medical conditions. When you purchase the policy at a younger age, these waiting periods can be completed while you are healthy.

By the time you genuinely need the cover, the policy is likely to be more usable and comprehensive.

Employer Cover Is Often Inadequate

Employer-provided insurance is insufficient. A low sum insured may not be sufficient in the event of a critical illness, major surgery, serious accident or prolonged and recurring hospitalisation. The employee and family may still have to pay a substantial portion of the medical bill from their savings.

In extreme situations, inadequate insurance is also one of the reasons families are forced to seek financial help or raise money through crowdfunding platforms.

Employer Cover Lacks Necessary Product Features

Since companies purchase group policies for a large number of employees, the cover may come with limitations such as a low sum insured, room-rent restrictions, disease-wise sub-limits, limited restoration benefits or exclusions for certain non-medical expenses.

Treat Employer Cover as an Additional Benefit

The practical approach is to treat employer-provided insurance as an additional benefit, not as your only protection. Purchase an independent health insurance policy for yourself and your family with a sufficient sum insured and suitable features.

When we purchase a mobile phone, we rarely choose only the most basic model. We look for the features, efficiency and reliability that suit our needs. Health insurance deserves similar attention.

The objective should be to purchase a personal, sufficient and comprehensive policy with necessary features, rather than relying entirely on a basic employer-provided cover.

(The author is a Chartered Accountant and CFA (USA). Financial Advisor. Views personal. He could be reached on 9833133605.)

The BJP’s Ganesha Gambit

Why Employer Health Insurance Is Not Enough

Recent Posts

Comments