Disclaimer: बोल कि लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे Sorry for attempting to write my thoughts without a' politically correct tone. #IfYouPutMeInJail I need a basketball court, a basketball, a pen & a few sheets of paper :)
(nothing? something…. May be #OkLetsBeHonest&Pray!)
SO finally after months of coma, politics returns to Delhi. Yup politics in India or for Indians is pretty much confined only to elections. It's a grand festival, where city walls are plastered with photoshoped smiling faces of politicians, graffiti all across the town with rather creative Bollywood inspired slogans & inhuman decibel level of microphones playing party slogans in loop (all three of which is banned by the Elections Commission). "Election commission, like the women's commission & other commissions has been established just honor Ghalib's quote दिल को बहलाने के लिए ख्याल अच्छा है nah don't get me wrong they do their show, filling up a quota of how many bottles of alcohol they have seized & some money which they catch. But come on every campaign manager knows exactly how to get past their rather illogical and frivolous modus operandi "
We shall see the reappearance of white Gandhi ashram Khadi (ok now Fab India) kurtas, car caravans & very convincing people telling us, how important we are & how it is fatally important that we vote for them. This will be done differently for different religions/castes/class. Beginning from barking competitions on television (the rich), to annoying radio jingles (the middle class), to biryani/alcohol/cash distribution (poor).
The above methodologies are further wrapped into the 'intellectual class satisfying/approved 'products such as manifestos/ideology/#WhatWeStandForSpeeches. As we have been pretty much in the election mode this year, Delhi then National followed by Haryana & Maharashtra plus soon we will witness Kashmir, our memory is fresh, so what is it that we shall be offered this time ? Before I get into my prediction mode, here is what was on offer last time (yes we shall ONLY look at it from a gender lens :)
Let's start with the holier-than-thou #AamAadmiParty, this young party led by a rockstar of a super human Kejriwal, firstly could only identify 8 women to represent them in Delhi (clearly not practitioners of #33Percent women's reservation bill), secondly they also promised a women's only paranormal ninja team to take care of women's security & also the implementation of the Justice Verma committee recommendations. Well in the short & sweet 49 day government most of that did not happen, what did happen that Mr. Somnath Bharti, the law minister decided to play 'Judge Dred' at mid night, taking a bunch of his supporters (could be read 'goons') to chase & arrest Nigerian women on suspicion of prostitution & drug peddling. (Black women wearing western clothes #ThatWasTheLogicProvided #FaceFUCKINGPalm)
The next in line in the Modi brigade, yup BJP suddenly seems to have lost all its leaders & the only face in town gardening the lotus is that ‘interesting’ politician for Gujarat. (Reminder’s #2002 , #SnoopGate , & when he finally got to US he stood next to Wolverine & said #MayTheForceBeWithYou kidding‘ ‘Mota Bhai’ Narendra #GharGharModi #HarHarModi and all that. So their party manifesto talked about 33% women’s reservation bill, a national campaign against sex selective abortion & education, free treatment for acid attack victims & making Police more women friendly. Well Delhi police is under Modi since the last few months & we have witnessed NO change in their attitude or functioning, though I must highlight for the first time in the history of Delhi, women protestors were sexually molested by police.
(Do Read:
www.feministsindia.com/delhi-police-molest-women-protestors) 33% Women’s reservation has not been debated, neither is it on the upcoming parliamentary sessions agenda, nor is it implemented during ticket distribution, as last time Delhi saw only 5 women candidates from BJP. Lets not forget the RSS factor & its other branches known for moral policing & ensuring India never breaks away from its patriarchal chains holding us in primitive notions.
Finally we come to Congress, the party which ruled Delhi for 15 years, I believe they were so sure they would not have to implement any of their promises (not that its required to do when you come to power) they promised the world to us. Rapid Justice/ Help Lines/ 24 Hour Safe Transport/ Easy Loans/ One Stop Crisis Intervention Centers/ Clean Cooking Fuel, yeah long list of fake hopes & dreams, of course they totally took claim of the 33% women's reservation bill (which never got passed BTW). Their lies were so embarrassing that Ms. Shiela Dixit took political retirement post this mishap of Delhi elections. Not that they were any better, in fact they only gave 6 out of the 70 tickets to women & lets not forget the shameful display of ignorance which led to the 16th December 2012 protest across the nation!
So that is what we received last time, unless you believe in Voodoo magic, I honestly do not see how will they manage to change anything? I mean it's just been 8 months? Same politicians, same city, same campaign managers, the same game. Ok may be congress will just accept its uselessness & not even bother to compete in elections this time round.
So please vote, but inform yourself, ask your representative how will they change the scenario ? And if you hear the age old raga then debate why wasn't there and action taken in the past? #LongLiveTheRevolution!
