Our Liberals are unbelievably sore losers. A string of defeats starting from 2014 (a couple of aberrations notwithstanding), has not yet convinced them of the fallacy of their cause. In a democratic set up like ours, individuals seeking centrestage in public discourse must drive agenda amenable to popular sensitivities and susceptibilities. And yet, our eminent liberals are chasing the white whale in the Ganga (would Thames be more apt?). Instead of concentrating their focus on Bijli, Sadak, Paani and Maslow’s lower order needs, our ‘liberals’ are keeping the flag of outrage waving, waxing eloquence on degradation of secularism, loss of personal liberties, imposition of dictatorship and other such half truths and blatant falsehoods. Instead of doing “prayaschit” for imposing and hoisting nobodies such as Arvind Kejriwal, Kanhaiyya Kumar, Umar Khalid and others upon the nation, our ‘liberals’ continue to mourn the ascendancy of a Right-Wing government, which is out to demolish the Left-liberal utopia that they had built for themselves.
And that is exactly the point. The so-called Utopia, if at all it existed, was meant solely for our illustrious intellectuals. While the rest of the country braved corruption, potholed roads, lack of electricity, crippling pollution, rapes, murders, debilitating poverty, lack of housing, incapacitating equality, political appeasement and other impediments, our wine-sipping, suit and tie wearing, liberals tut tutted on climate change, while running their Air conditioners on sub-zero temperatures. They protested viciously against Child labour, while sipping the Ginger tea prepared by 14 years old Raju. They fulminated against big dams, while crying hoarse for a 10 minute power cut. They called for tolerance, even as they heaped abuse upon an impoverished cyclist who brushed against their swanky Merc. The Utopia that our ‘liberals’ had created, was in a way a living hell for millions of less privileged Indians. Using their affluence, they sowed discord, spread lies and pawned ideologies that ensured while they prospered, the ordinary Indian remained stuck in a never ending abyss.
The last couple of years have been particularly hard on our liberals. It would seem that the Devis and Devatas up above are enjoying our liberals’ Schadenfreude. Perhaps, mocked for too long by the ‘intellectuals’, Dev Lok was pining for Indians to make the ‘right’ choice.
How else can one explain the rise of Yogi after the whipping that the liberals have received at Modi’s hands for the last couple of years. While Modi was reviled for 2002 and widely characterized as Hindutva’s rabid face by our liberals, he remained a typical Indian born after independence, his sartorial preferences, his world view, his social outlook etc. are not atypical for people of his generation. But Yogi is a different breed altogether. Here is a leader, who wears his Hindu affinity on his sleeve, rather he is clad in saffron robes. He talks openly of no appeasement for a community. He has been photographed cuddling calves and cows and lo and behold, he is a the head of a prominent Hindu shrine. If Modi was bad for our liberals, Yogi= 2002^Modi. From writing creative articles on why Yogi symbolizes the worst in Indian politics, to ranting about the idea of India coming under threat to critically analysing every single decision of Yogi sarkaar, our ‘liberals’ are once again on an overdrive.
Suddenly(and all thanks to Yogi), our liberals stand all exposed. They are wondering if Krishna bhagwaan would have been jailed by Anti-Romeo squads, while the concern for women suffering from eve teasing and molestations has temporarily taken a back seat. Gutka symbolizes the new liberating experience and the pan stained corridors represent an Old, rustic India, which is threatened by Yogi’s rise. The taste of dead carcasses in illegal slaughterhouse evokes drools and slurps while attempts to bring the industry under the ambit of law denotes an attack on freedom to eat. Tunday Kabab in a non descript corner of Lucknow stand for the idea of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, while the millions of impoverished Indians in UP await our liberals’ ‘Daya dristhi’. Our liberals have set the cauldron of intolerance sizzling again, with cases of attack on Africans being attributed to Yogi’s rise. Perhaps it is time for Award Waapsi redux.
That ordinary Indians have no time for our liberals and their utopia is a fact that has not yet dawned on our intellectuals. Perhaps by the time they realize it, a new India will have swept them off into the dustbin of history. Ah! What a wonderful day that will be.