Talent spotting

BJP considering cricketer Sreesanth as candidate in Tripunithura or Ernakulam, Kerala: Sources pic.twitter.com/ieERqbRL6h

— CNN-IBN News (@ibnlive) March 22, 2016

But of course, makes perfect sense. Sreesanth was found guilty of spot-fixing by a disciplinary committee headed by Shri Arun Jaitley. Less than a year ago, BCCI general secretary (and ABVP national head) Anurag Thakur confirmed the life ban, after the Delhi court found it not feasible to pursue charges under MCOCA. You could say Sreesanth’s candidature has been vetted at the highest levels.

Seriously — is the party so poor in talent that it has to rely on the illusory appeal of a cheat?

Earlier today, while trawling through my archives, I came across this column by Pritish Nandy. This section resonates:

While these are a few stray examples, the point I am making is simple. Why do our achievements in every area of life and endeavour get outshone by our single most prominent area of shame — our politics? Why does our politics grab the media, grab our mindshare, our reluctant attention day after day? Loathsome leaders; corrupt MPs; thieving ministers; ugly, despicable louts and historysheeters masquerading as netas; blackmailers; extortionists; thugs. Why do these people hijack our attention again and again and again? Always for the wrong reasons.

This is what institutionalises crime. Legitimises it. This is what attracts the worst among us to politics. The fact that they get their one shining moment of glory when they enter politics. Arun Gawli leapt from page 5 to page 1 the moment he entered politics. So did Raja Bhaiya in UP. Rabri Devi went from her kitchen into the national headlines. Phoolan Devi, from her cell in Tihar jail. Chandra Swami painted all his crimes with different political colours.

It is the Lennon syndrome at work. Do something utterly despicable — kill someone famous, loot a bank, cheat the nation, set fire to a Harijan village, badmouth another politician — and you can bask in the glory of national headlines. You are the flavour of the day, the week, the season. Newspapers will frontpage you. television news bulletins will chase you. Your chamchas will fete you. And, if you are lucky, weak and feeble governments will reach out to you for your support.

No wonder the scum of the world is in politics today.

I’ll leave you with this thought: The column was written in 1999.

Two stories, one dangerous trend

A policeman is seen supposedly drunk. Someone shoots a video and uploads it. The Aam Aadmi Party, which has been arguing for control of the Delhi police, sees an opportunity and pushes the video hard. It goes viral. Police officials immediately suspend the supposedly errant cop.

It turns out the cop was suffering a stroke.

Elsewhere, a girl student goes to a national education center to do some research. She is stopped at the gates; the security guard declares her a traitor and says she comes from a den of anti-nationals, and refuses to let her in. She leaves in tears.

Spot the link between the two stories?

 

 

 

Inner party democracy

I wonder how long it will be before this minister says she was misquoted? Oh well — for as long as it lasts:

On the day the Bombay High Court lifted the ban on Maggi noodles, Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has criticised the way the issue has been handled by her own government, saying there is a fear psychosis in industry and signs of a return of ‘inspector raj’.

Speaking to NDTV, Ms Badal, when asked for her reaction to the government’s Rs. 640 crore-class action suit against Nestle, said, “This has created a fear psychosis in the industry. It’s like the Inspector raj.”

“In the name of health, industry should not be harassed,” she said, criticising the food regulator.  Ms Badal said the biggest problem is a lack of transparency in the system which had no clear set of protocols, saying it was time to harmonise systems with intentional standards.