Changing India – Step II

Excerpts from New agencies of political change by Swapan Dasgupta:

Over the past fortnight, I have observed an unlikely scene in the bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi that is home to the BJP “war room” for the General Election. Each evening, a group of young men and women sit together on the lawns discussing the details of their intervention in the ongoing festival of democracy.

Dressed in business suits and smart casuals, they are unlike most of the “youth leaders” you encounter in the offices of political parties. Most of them are young professionals working in the private sector. Most aren’t even members of the BJP and neither do they have any record of involvement in student politics. Some have taken leave from their jobs and others have put aside a few hours in the evening for the campaign.

I met the winner of a leadership talent search organised by a leading media house. He is planning to join the party. One of the runners-up has joined the party in Gujarat. I also observed a meeting of a group of professionals who have come together under the banner of the Friends of the BJP, and have organised very impressive hall meetings in Mumbai.

Many party old-timers have sniggered at these youngsters. “How many votes will they bring in?” is a question often asked. The answer is simple: Very few.

The class these people come from complains the most but votes the least. They are often referred to as the Non-voting Classes. …

The belief that it is a waste of time to pander to a small group of people who don’t as yet have the ability to garner bloc votes for a party may be based on expediency. I also think, it is a very short-sighted view.

For a party a General Election fulfills many functions….A General Election is occasion for political parties to seek out and nurture talent.

In the past, student activism on campuses was the breeding ground for politicians. Those who are at the helm of affairs in the BJP today were thrown up by the JP movement and the struggle against the Emergency. The rung below came to prominence through involvement in the Ayodhya movement. Today, student activism is either dead or mired in disreputable controversy. Being more career-minded than preceding generations, today’s youth are disinclined to waste their time in student politics. They want to get ahead in life. This does not mean they have shut their minds to politics. People are willing to get involved if they are inspired, believe they can make a contribution and if political parties can provide them a wholesome environment.
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To build on the future, political parties must undergo a mindset change.
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The future of these bright young people who are dipping their toes in the muddy waters of politics really depends on the extent to which the system as a whole can distinguish between the levels of politics.

For starters, however, political parties can do their utmost of making them an agency of desired change. But this can’t happen unless there is a systematic process of moral cleansing — ridding parties of fixers, racketeers and dunderheads.

Politicians must set an example. They have to be aware and sensitive. But, above all, they must have a fierce sense of right and wrong. Only then do they graduate to becoming leaders. And only then will politics become appetising.