Politics and Doublespeak

IBNLive : Minority tag has to go one day: Antulay

I have never come across a finer example of doublespeak in politics than this interview with the new "Minister of Minority Affairs", and new ministry created by the UPA government.

I'm not a "chaddiwallah", and am hardly a practicing hindu, yet I was one of the few who was extremely dissapointed when BJP-NDA lost the elections a year and a half ago(The only other person who comes to mind was PC, who showed a rare political leaning, or leaning of any kind). Politics in India is sadly a choice of the lesser of two evils, and even Narendra Modi pales in comparision in screwing over minorities than when it comes to the Congress Party. And I'm not even talking about 1984 here.

Through a brilliant political strategy of constantly differentiating and dividing minorities through providing them faux incentives and benefits, such as this new ministry, reservations in institutions, and a proposal to include reservation for Muslims inside the Indian army, the congress has ensured that the whole community stays backward, segregated; and in addition, the target of right-wing Hindu Fanatics, who are given more fodder policy by policy. These two points are covered quite eloquently by Karan Thapar in the linked interview.

On the topic of lesser evils, an NDA government is again preferable to a toothless UPA, which offers a budget with no significant reforms whatsoever, and a few extra subsidies to boot. To make matters worse, it comes with a policy such as the Rural Employment Garauntee Act, that pretty much threatens to bankrupt the exchequer, while making a whole lot of Babus and politicians very rich.
It also comes in tow with a rabid Left coalition, which insists on stalling every single measure of progress that has become inevitable in a globalised India.

Sadly, the BJP has gone into hiding, and is suffering from a lack of leadership. This bodes ill, as for the next 8 years at least, we may have a Congress lead government at the helm. That also, with a quasi-member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty at the helm, with promise of her darling son taking over next term.
If ever there was an example of tainted-by-association, this is it.