P G Wodehouse was not limited to lampooning British aristocracy. He was equally and unequivocally loud and clear about his displeasure with politics as well. He once famously remarked: ‘Well, why do you want a political career? Have you ever been in the House of Commons and taken a good square look at the inmates? As weird a gaggle of freaks and sub-humans as was ever collected in one spot.’
Every few years the political circus comes to every town all over the world and clowns in the corridors of power play the game of farcical tale of leadership. They admittedly look like giraffes on roller skates. The election time overflows with verbal tornadoes but remain exposed to the common man as merely hollow echoes of failed governance.
The battle for Delhi is not one that will result in a coalition of any sort. This was clear anyway by afternoon on the 08the of March, 2025. The haughty expression of some political leaders had vanished, and they looked as if they had been stuffed into their roles by a taxidermist. Their speeches and actions often reflected just enough intelligence to open their mouths when they wanted to speak, but certainly no more. I have heard a few top leaders of AAP on channels that I subscribe to in Instagram and was not surprised at all to find that they appeared no more than just the sort of leaders I would notice unless I rubbed shoulders with them in a crowd, and then only to make a polite murmur of apology. They moved through the political arena like sheep with secret sorrow, their promises and policies often appearing insincere and lacking substance. Not surprising then to hear Kumar Vishvas call the leader of AAP a ‘nirlazz, neech, mitrahanta, atm-mugdh, and charitraheen person’. To keep everyone updated about the final outcome, INC gained not an inch in the political arena of the capital of the country.
This past month and, in certain cases, even more than that, the public debates and echoed with penetrating laughs, like trains going into tunnels, as members in power and opposing members exchanged barbs and jibes. Some political figures, in the eyes of the public, were seen as those who would be enormously improved by being decimated due to their controversial or ineffective tenures.
The laugh of certain leaders, ringing across media channels, was like a squadron of cavalry charging over a tin bridge, loud yet hollow. They often had the look of individuals who had been stuffed into their responsibilities by a taxidermist, their movements and statements seemingly mechanical and rehearsed.
During election campaigns, the faces of candidates often shine with the sort of smile that comes from winning the first prize in a lottery, filled with hope and promise, yet sometimes masking underlying fears and uncertainties. As the election results came in, many politicians looked as though they had been poured into their celebratory clothes and had forgotten to say ‘when,’ their confidence was spilling over into bravado.
In essence, the state of Indian politics could be described through a series of vivid metaphors, painting a picture of a landscape filled with leaders whose appearances and actions often seemed exaggerated, rehearsed, or insincere. The journey of Indian politics, much like the phrases provided, is a tapestry of complex characters and emotions, each one contributing to the ever-evolving narrative of the nation’s governance.
The demeanor of many political leaders, akin to actors in a play they scarcely understood, often exuded the appearance of individuals who had been thrust into the limelight without a script. They moved through their roles with the sort of grace one would expect from a giraffe on roller skates, their attempts at eloquence often falling flat.
Indeed, the Indian political landscape was replete with figures who, when attempting to express their grand visions, resembled nothing so much as a schoolboy caught without his homework. Their lofty promises and grandiose speeches rang hollow, like a brass bell that had seen better days, its chime no longer resonating with the clarity it once had.
Public interactions with these leaders often felt like a dance where one partner was perpetually stepping on the other’s toes. The politicians, with their grand gestures and sweeping statements, often seemed as out of place as a penguin in the Sahara, their true intentions obscured behind layers of political rhetoric.
The electorate, for its part, watched this spectacle unfold with a mixture of amusement and resignation, rather like an audience at a farcical play. They knew the performance was unlikely to change, yet they watched it on, hoping for some glimmer of genuine leadership amidst the theatrics.
As election season approached, the political arena transformed into a carnival of sorts, with candidates donning their brightest smiles and most convincing personas. They paraded their promises with the enthusiasm of a barkeep touting his latest concoction, often leaving the public to wonder if the concoction was more froth than substance.
Through all this, the state of Indian politics continued to be a rich tapestry, woven with threads of ambition, folly, and occasional brilliance. Each leader, each campaign, each policy added its own color to this ever-evolving narrative, creating a picture that was as complex and multifaceted as the nation itself.
The election is over. The results are out. Losers will continue to raise decibels through protests. The electorate will be back to their routine. It will be up to the winners to make sure that they are not shoved into the loser enclosure in the next election. For this will need to transcend the hollow rhetorics of pre-election speeches and make their presence felt by substantive work that benefits the concerned constituencies. It is not going to easy for BJP.
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Arvind Passey
Written on 08 February 2025
