Monday 3 August 2015

Dear BJP, you're fucking up and I won't stand by you

In May 2014, I was ecstatic like any other BJP supporter would be.  Yes, I'm quite open about my political leanings. Mind you, I'm not a bhakt or Modi fanboi. Even those who do not share my political beliefs will, hopefully, tell you that I engage in decent debates and am open to logical arguments.

When the BJP won the elections, I was thrilled, so I wrote about what their victory meant and what hopes I had for them. I ended that post with the following paragraph:

"In 2019, I shouldn’t even have to request people to vote for you. You should be able to retain my vote and theirs sheerly through your work. I realize that the nation is in a messy state and that it may take a while. I will be patient and I will continue to have hope for a while. Just make sure you get things done by then. Thank you, for the hope, and all the best."

You can find the full post here.

Needless to say that despite an ok-ish start and some ups, they've been screwing up a lot. Forget converting the cynics and "liberals," they're going to lose my vote at this rate.

Be it the whole Lalit Modi episode, how Vyapam is turning out to be spookier by the day or the constant shielding of crooks like Asaram Bapu, they're losing credibility and trust. To top it all, this moronic move to ban pornographic sites.

There are only three possibilities here:

1. The government has enemies on the inside who are trying to do to it what people do to others on those sites they've asked to be banned.
2. They've lost control over a section of bureaucrats or have placed trust in an imprudent manner.

or, the scariest option:

3. They've forgotten who voted them to power and that India is a democracy.

One common mistake I see a lot of so-called right wing supporters (self included) commit is a consequence of inertia and is dangerous. We've been on campaign mode; trying to get these guys voted to power for so long that often we find ourselves campaigning for them. This is sort of true of the PM too.

Mitron, the elections are over they (we?) won. We're stuck with them for the next 4 years and have to live with the consequences of their actions and decisions. We're citizens first and supporters of any ideology or party later. Besides, by providing constructive feedback and calling them out when they cross certain lines, you're only helping the party as well as the nation. Be citizens of India first and use every medium available to voice your opinions, constructive feedback and thoughts. Do not just waste your time and energy defending the government amidst all the din created by those who offer negative, pointless criticism. Do it so that we can one day wake up to acche din.

Jai Hind!