Re: PUBLIC: Article on recent elections...

["Shashi Shekhar" <yossarin@hotmail.com>]

Dear Friends (I prefer this too over L&G)

The author is right on target on most points. However the following need

to be pointed out.

>The saffronization of education, for example, was a greater priority >
than ensuring the supply of essential commodities for the people.  I

Here the author has succumbed to "Media Glorification". I dont subsrcibe

to the view that "SAFFORNISATION OF EDUCATION" had anything to do with
the inaction on price rise. A classic myth that the media creates as the

media is in search of controversy. The so called "SAFFORNISATION AGENDA"

was if any the job of the HRD Minister and he has nothing to do with
acting upon price rise. Its the job of the Finance Minister & Commerce
Minister to have acted upon it and I believe neither of them HAD
ANYTHING TO THE SAFFRONISING AGENDA NOR WERE THEY EXPENDING THEIR
ENERGIES ON IT. This however doesnt deny the fact that they didnt act,
they definitely didnt but the reason by no stretch of imagination was
BECAUSE THEY WERE BUSY WITH SAFFRONISATION.

SAFFRONISATION has become a favourtie beating stick for the media to hit

at the Govt., it generates controversy, the loud mounthed Left Parties &

RLM love to sloganeer on it and hence a MEDIA GLORIFIED MYTH THAT THE
GOVT SPENT MOST OF ITS TIME SAFFRONISING EDUCATION, perhaps a HRD
Minister spent most of his time doing it, blaming him for the price rise

is RIDICULOUS.

I think the Indian media has let down the country the most, more than
the political class. It is guilty of sensationalism, floating myths
and more than anything else its the media which seems to re-inforce
the sectarian divisions and stereotype perceptions which fragment us by
giving greater importance to which caste lobby has got more seats,
which caste lobby has been ignored, and then concuding that this caste
is going to show its wrath on this party for having given it less
tickets. Irrespective of whether people of that community feel or know
it, the media seems to be more interested in drumming it up. As a result

only fostering voting along casteist lines.

>Erosion of the Third Front
>The third major feature of these elections is the vapourisation of >
>the Third Front. This is related to what we have considered above.
>When ideological preoccupations decline, there comes about a
>simplification of people's response to the political situation. They
>judge and react in terms of the basic, bare-bone issues of life. This >

abolishes the political space for diverse ideologies, and creates a
>bi-polar political scenario. So it should surprise none that we are
>moving into a two-party system at the national level.

I think thats too pre-mature a conclusion. The casteist divisions are
still very strong in India and regional outfits with allegiance to
casteist groups are going to remain. Additionally the states that went
to the polls were never known to have any THIRD FRONT PARTY OF RECKONING

till date so its a pre-mature conclusion.

>The erosion of the popular base of the Third Front is the result of
>the primacy of the economic forces over ideological loyalties. This
>results in the division of the people into two, and only two, camps.
>We should be prepared, therefore, to see the smaller parties being
>gobbled up, in due course, by either of the two major parties.

Thats too simplistic an analysis, yes price rise had blurred the
divisions into just 2 groups, but price rise will cease to be in issue
once prices are normal. The common man on the road associates economic
power with the empowerment of his community. A rather lopsided
view-point but one which is strong all across the country hence I dont
see regional parties being gobbled up.

regards
shashi


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