A week is a long time in politics! Girl, how that cliché came alive in the last seven days. On Monday, 18 December, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s politically invincible fortress was nearly breached in his home state of Gujarat; on Thursday, 21 December, the alleged 2G scam with a notional figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore boomeranged on the BJP; on Saturday, 23 December, the redoubtable Lalu Yadav was convicted in the second fodder corruption case; and on Sunday, 24 December, the maverick TTV, once a pariah for ‘Amma’ Jayalalithaa, trounced her lifelong colleagues and a vindictive central government to claim her political legacy.
At the risk of preening, I must say I am currently enjoying a bit of popularity in the newsroom. I had predicted, almost recklessly, that the BJP would get reduced to a double-digit mandate in Gujarat. But since nobody would call the boss out, my colleagues remained deferentially skeptical. Once the BJP peaked at 99, I was quite the hero (one of the wagers I won was my pick of a 40-year-old single malt. I am still googling for the most exotic brew. If anybody has suggestions, do tweet ‘em to me).
I decided to stretch my gambler’s luck with my Chennai colleagues (the exceptionally bright duo of Smitha Tarur and Vikram Venkateswaran). At the very next editorial meeting, I had the following conversation with them:
Me: “I think TTV will win RK Nagar, because Indian voters are wise and emotional, who often root for the underdog, especially if they see him being hounded and persecuted.”
Smitha/Vicky: “No sir, the voters will simply press on the ‘two leaves’ symbol; EPS/OPS will win this one. Only the symbol matters for Amma’s followers.”
I shut up, even though I was unconvinced by their reasoning. I thought this was another instance of “us English speaking types” failing to appreciate the innate wisdom of India’s illiterate voters, who have shown, time and again, that they are sharper than the pundits.
TTV showed them spine, while EPS/OPS were seen as paying obeisance in Dilli Darbar – that was unacceptable to a people who have consistently opposed the central government’s diktat.
The week of 18 December is screaming out a political message at Modi and Shah, if they care to listen:
The voters are beginning to see Rahul Gandhi as a well-meaning, and wronged, political underdog – as the Gujarat outcome showed, that can be lethal for the BJP.
Not just with Rahul Gandhi, something similar could be happening with Tejashwi and Lalu Yadav. The father won a mandate in 2015 which was stolen from him. People see him as a victim of a crass double-cross.
People also see scores of corrupt politicians going scot-free, but enforcement agencies going at Lalu with a vengeance. They sniff something amiss there.
Attention Prime Minister – politics had no fury than an underdog scorned.
Read more here.
Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
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