Since 1952, because of the LIBERAL constitution adopted by us Indians, we Indians have obtained the RIGHT TO VOTE without any gender, educational, caste or regional distinction. But whether we had exercised our RIGHT judiciously or not, is besides the point. The point is, we had embarked on a PREMISE and given LIFE to the idea UNIVERSAL ADULT ADULT FRANCHISE. We have had our share of political chicanery, turmoil and travails, but we have followed the IDEA- which is an achievement in itself.
India is a land of MYTHS, LEGENDS and SNAKE CHARMERS, or so the West believes. The Idea of REPUBLIC MIGHT HAVE HAD ITS ORIGINS IN GREECE, BUT IT HAS BEEN CONSUMMATED ONLY IN INDIA. It is the hugest and the most variegated election process. There are unimaginable undercurrents that flow beneath the apparent calm, with each cultural, linguistic, caste, ideological group throwing its might so as to get as many of its representatives elected to the Parliament.
But of all the visible symbols of DEMOCRACY IN INDIA the towering symbol is the NEHRUVIAN family. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (in the minds of the people from the Northern India, Pandit means a Brahmin and not necessarily a Learned person- it is not uncommon for a chaprasi in a govt. office, who is a Brahmin by birth, to be addressed as a Pandit!!!), then Mrs. Gandhi followed by the spunky but reckless Sanjay Gandhi, finally the suave and dignified Rajiv Gandhi (except for his utterances like:WHEN A BIG TREE FALLS THE EARTH SHAKES(anti-sikh riots); YOU’LL BE HAVING A NEW FOREIGN SECRETARY (APV was the casualty)) is the FAMILY with the greatest VISIBILITY in the political firmament of India. To be of appeal to the 70 crore electorate is impossible, but for a family to be recognized as a NATIONAL political force is no mean achievement.
There are many mavericks who make statements of vengeance, retribution, eye for an eye talk, which pass by without incidents, but the latest one by VARUN GANDHI has taken the whole Indian scenario by storm. It seems that it is not the CONTENT as much as the PERSON WHO UTTERED the statement that mattered. Priyanka disowns the words to be emanating from a GANDHI (not the Mahatma clan).
I say the PERSON WHO UTTERED THE WORDS as, if someone of lesser visibility or appeal had uttered the same words, the effect would not have been the same. The effect of Varun having uttered the words struck the latent desires of the vandals. Varun has become the shepherd of that flock. Whether this would lead to a conflagration of the state of Uttar Pradesh is doubtful. The executives are less likely to heed to the voice of the political Mistress, as she has to show herself to be a pleasing person during the elections and therefore may leave it to the bureaucrats to deal with this issue- AS DEEMED FIT!!!
Meanwhile, Varun Gandhi is being said to have become a PAWN in the hands of the BJP. To understand this concept, one has to have a decent idea of the game of CHESS. A Pawn is a piece in the rank of a foot soldier and not vested with much movement within the board. Further the PAWN, is the first line of defence of each side, therefore VULNERABLE and many a time has to don the msntle of the SACRIFICIAL LAMB. There are 8 pawns on each side. Each Pawn starts on the 2nd square from his side and he cannot turn back, COME WHAT MAY! His best leap could be the initial leap of 2 steps, which means he could move into the 4th row of his column- that is he jumps over the 3rd row and never to step that again, unless he gets himself upgraded. The beauty of the attack of the pawn is that he could attack only diagonally but never the piece straight ahead! He is a BLOCKER of the opposing force and also attacking the flanks of the opponent.
THE BEST PART OF BEING A PAWN IS THAT IF HE CROSSES SEVEN SQUARES HE BECOMES A QUEEN (OR ANY OTHER PIECE) ON THE BOARD. MARK THE NUMBER -SEVEN, A DIVINE NUMBER.
Varun Gandhi has the Pedigree that has appeal to the Feudalistic masses of India. He is likely to be of appeal even to the Punjabis of India, as he is from the gene pool of the Brahmin-Parsi-Punjabi. All these issues may not appeal to a non-brahmin, non-parsi and non-punjabi, but in the long run will have a coagulating effect. He may start off as a mere PAWN, but if he gets a party to back him initially and then influence the party cadres to such an extent as to command their loyalty, there is every possibility for him to become a force to reckon with in the whole of Northern India. Again, SEVEN STEPS and he could be the QUEEN. He has taken the initial leap jumping over the 3rd square in his youthful exuberance, like a pawn, but sustained effort may redeem the promise shown by his father Sanjay. It is not uncommon for persons to make entry into politics thru CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES AND STATEMENTS (remember Bal Thakeray’s entry, Karunanidhi’s anti-brahmin agenda etc..) but once vested with power, the INSTITUTIONS OF INDIA correct them and if they do not teach him the lessons, there are unacceptable means adopted by even more cantankerous characters- let us leave it to the God and Devil.
NEVERTHELESS, A PAWN AT THE END OF THE BOARD IS NEVER THE SAME AGAIN, HE CAN TURN AROUND. WATCH OUT FOR VARUN!!
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