The Jholawala woke up with a shudder. He had been asleep for only 5 minutes, but to him, it felt like a lifetime. He dreamed that Subramanian Swamy had taken over the VCship at JNU. The outer walls of the campus had been painted “Bhagwa”, Student comrades were greeting each other with Jai Hind, and some were even using the damned Hindu appellation of Namaste, instead of the customary Lal Salaam. There were male students who were donning Kurta, well that was okay, but some wearing Pajama or Dhoti instead of ragged Jeans. There were female students who were donning the Saaree with gigantic red bindi on their forehead. If there was hell, this was it!
Well, Jholawalas, relax. It was just a dream. Or may be it will be reality soon. Whichever way this Swamy-JNU controversy gets resolved, the Jholawallahs can definitely chill. If they get Swamy, they can try their oft-repeated Dharna and Pradarshan with Media coverage and what not. I am sure there is a clearly documented process on this with the Lal Brigade by now. But honestly, I think JNU would be lucky to get someone like Subramanian Swamy. He is so unlike the JNU crowd that he would give a completely different dimension to this great educational institution.
For all of you out there who think that Swamy is an illiterate, rabid Hindu-right wing hate monger, let me clarify some facts. Subramanian Swamy is possibly as erudite as one can be. He came 3rd in DU during his graduation, completed his PG from the prestigious Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata and then went on to complete his PhD from Harvard University at the age of 24. Oh yes, and if you forgot, he is a practicing lawyer. Subramanian Swamy also taught economics at IIT-Delhi, before politics got to him and Indira Gandhi referred to him as a “Santa Claus with unrealistic ideas”. He was subsequently dismissed from his post at IIT-Delhi, where he had famously proposed that the 5 year plan system be trashed and market oriented economics be adopted to get 10% growth, in the 1970s. So much so for Mr. Swamy is not qualified to lead JNU crap.
For all the leftists who love the Che Guevara style of rebel-attitude, Subramanian Swamy is Da Man. He became a member of Rajya Sabha in 1974, just before the emergency era, during which he was forced to go underground.He eventually escaped to London and thence to the US, where he became the chief spokesperson of the opposition in the West. In one of his famous exploits, Subramanian Swamy returned from the US, stayed in his heavily patrolled house disguised as a Sikh and even attended the Parliament session (without the disguise), quickly exiting as Congress MPs recognized him. The whole incident drew a lot of negative publicity for Mrs. Gandhi Western papers ridiculed her for running an emergency in which a wanted man walked into the Parliament and walked out unmolested. So much so for Mr. Swamy not being a revolutionary, hell, he would give Lenin a run for his money!
But yes my dear Jholawallahs, Mr. Swamy isn’t a Leftist. If any thing, he despises the left, with their flawed economics and stupefying political thought. In his brief tenure as the Trade and Commerce Minister under the Chandra Shekhar government, Subramanian Swamy set up the blueprint that was used by Mr. Narsimha Rao and Man Mohan Singh in their economic revolution of 1991. For that matter, as the Socialist Economic edifice was being dismantled, Mr. Subramanian Swamy , a member of the opposition at the time, was appointed as the Chairman of commission of labour standards and international trade- a post equivalent to a cabinet minister. His other achievements include the Jaylalitha corruption case, revelation of 2G scam that brought down the scam tainted UPA government in 2014, the National herald case, the anti-Setusamudram lobbying and many many others.
But yes, Subramanian Swamy does lack one thing and that is being politically correct. He is bold, fearless and can be unabashedly truthful (remember him telling Arnab Goswami that he is a fool!). In the past, Mr. Swamy has castigated almost all members of the Gandhi family- He called RaGa, a durg addict (and a Buddhu), he called Priyanka Vadra an alcoholic, and Sonia Gandhi, a 5th pass with a fake PhD degree. His Op-Ed piece that propagated Hindu might, even led him to being dropped from his course at Harvard. But did that deter the man?- Not in the least!
With all his education and international exposure, Subramanian Swamy remains a dedicated, hard core nationalist. From him, you can never expect statements such as India must do more for its minorities, or how Kashmiri separatists are an integral part of democratic process or the like. He is a steadfast nationalist, a Hindu nationalist, if you must. He is a rare voice of brutal truth and sanity in our otherwise debauched national discourse, some one, who is passionate about his cause and does not feel afraid to speak out his mind.
JNU would be lucky to have him as its administrator. Someone like him could really contribute in embellishing the University’s credentials. Unfortunately though, we already know how the Jhola Brigade would react, not that this would in the least impact Mr. Swamy’s decision. Imagine for a moment, Subramanian Swamy, in all his regalia taking his seat as the Comrade-in-Chief of India’s last red bastion (and even proposing that Jawaharlal Nehru University be renamed as Sardar Patel Vishwavidyalaya)
Brings a smile of satisfaction, doesn’t it?