Winning at any cost !?

Technically by law, there is nothing wrong with her contesting an election. Yet, figure this out.

She was arrested twice for charge of Murder even when BJP was in power in MP (from which she was finally acquitted). She was charged with abetting terrorism. The last case is still in the court. She is out on bail. She was granted bail on grounds that her lawyers submitted to the court that she is very ill - that she is suffering from cancer and that she is almost bedridden.  She is now a Lok Sabha election contestant representing the largest political party in the country which is currently in power in close to 60% of the country including the central Government.

No, I am not judging Sadhvi Pragya Thakur - she may be innocent. OR she may very well be involved in the crime. Frankly, I am neither informed enough on the case nor am expert enough to have an opinion on her culpability. But I can clearly see one thing - that the benefit of doubt in such matters is surely not on her side. A national party should have absolutely avoided fielding her as a candidate. The only other example of this kind of brazen politics was when Congress under PM Dr.

Manmohan Singh's government in 2006, inducted Shibu Soren as minister when he was out on bail on a murder charge. Both will remain in the annals of Indian political history as forgettable instance of political gambits that harmed our collective conscience for the posterity.

What is at display is a scaringly cynical form of politics that focuses on winning at any and all costs. It degrades politics to a game of table tennis where there is always the need to counter each move or messaging with another point/move to score a brownie every alternate day. To keep the pot of cooking narratives boiling hot and to snatch the headlines from each other. Actually no, it is more sinister. It is probably an effort to polarise votes along very dangerous lines of religious terrorism. A blind race to try and go to any lengths to win elections.

The polarisation is for all to see. There are enough number of my own friends and social media connects who raise questions on my not asking uncomfortable questions to opposition. But when it comes to asking inconvenient questions to modiji - they end up not just ignoring his overstepping of boundaries. Not just that, they would rather support the wrongs - with fake narratives, whataboutery, false assumptions or worse blind faith.

So in the case of  Pragya Thakur getting BJP ticket - you will hear - "So what? She isn't convicted yet or a worse one (even tweeted by the BJP) what about those who are on bail in the National Herald case." This blind comparison of a civil case to a criminal case on terror is the cynical horror that should concern us all as Indians. And then you will get a whatsapp post explaining in detail the torture she went through to justify her candidature. Never mind the fact that such torture (Right or Wrong) are used in most cases related to cases of terror, murder or such heinous crimes - and that surely does not justify her candidature till she is at least acquitted in the case. Think about it will we be OK with a Naxalite or J&K citizen charged for terror in the court and out on bail - contesting election on the ticket of a popular party in the country??

They are even ready to keep quiet on the horrendous statement from her on karkare - and I quote  “Maine kaha tera sarvanash hoga. Theek sava mahine mein sutak lagta hain. Jis din main gayi thi theek usi din iske sutak lag gaya tha. Aur theek sava mahine mein jis din atankwadiyon ne isko maara us din uska anth hua (I had told him that he will be destroyed. Sutak (a period of abstention in Hindu tradition after a death or birth in a family) comes into force within one and a quarter of month. It came into force the day I was arrested. And exactly one and a quarter months later he was destroyed by the terrorists.)"

Now I am not judging Karkare too. He may have actually been wrong or he may have been right. But it is a fact that he lost his life facing those terrorists on the field when we all including the politicians and Nationalists were hiding in safety. To equate his death to his treatment of her under custody for interrogation on a Terror related case is ......... I can't find a disgusting enough word.

But then you are in for more disgusting lows - the same people who wanted me to comment on negatives of opposition too so that the analysis is "balanced" keep quiet. I don't want to be like them. I think they have the right to keep quiet on the matter if they choose to, even if for the cynical reason of supporting Modi willy-nilly.

But no, that's not all, some of them come up with posts that justifies her statement. And more, their justification comes in the form of targeting Karkare and maligning him and his sacrifice. So you will receive whatsapp/FB posts that claims - he wasn't wearing a bulletproof jacket when on the operation, or that he was drunk during the operation. Some even pointed out to the fact that he had not fired a single bullet before he died. That in fact ASI tukaram omble was more brave and more deserving than Karkare. Conspiracy theories spinned in favour of God knows whom. What completely bypasses these minds is that even if these are facts (and they are not keep reading) they are irrelevant to what happened. He died on duty facing the terrorists.

Just for the sake of truth - All of these are fake crap - He was wearing a bulletproof jacket during the ops, He was dead sober - not drunk. The only factually correct statement is he did not fire a single bullet - but as you would have guessed it - this is also a misdirection. He did not fire a bullet because he could not, as his car was ambushed. Obviously, not because he went their to end his life so that he could get a Ashok Chakra. Who in his right minds would spin such stories.

I am really worried about the time when, and if, Pragya Thakur actually ends up winning this election. The same people will probably rejoice pointing fingers at us - as if winning the election would be a certificate that she was always right and that karkare was the one wrong.

We are witnessing a critical phase in our existence as a democracy where winning at all costs have become the objective and winning is considered as the certificate for being Right. I have always had a very strong faith in the maturity of our democracy and its systematic checks and balances. I have always believed that despite its imperfections - the loud and open democracy that we have in our country is vibrantly secure. However, this election and its debates have really weakened my faith. Let's hope this phase too shall pass.

Ps. What has happened meanwhile is that Pragya Thakur has taken back her words - she said - "“I felt that the enemies of the country were being benefited from it, therefore I take back my statement and apologize for it, it was my personal pain. He (Hemant Karkare) died from the bullets of terrorists from the enemy country, he is certainly a martyr." I think that should rest this case at least. The larger point that this post makes, remains.