Similarities between Mayawati and Shashi Tharoor
I have in the past defended both Mayawati and Shashi Tharoor. Mayawati is a traditional Indian politician and Shashi Tharoor represents the more modern and more transparent version. On the surface they look poles apart but I see many similarities between the ways they operate particularly when it comes to dealing with adversity.
In general the media and the Indian public are critical of Mayawati for building statues and using public funds in a wasteful manner. But she is not the first politician to build a cult of personality. Others like Indira Gandhi, MGR, NTR and others who have promoted themselves are considered as heroes.
But I have a problem with the way Mayawati is reacting to the criticism that is being leveled against her. After paying tribute to BR Ambedkar on his 119th birth anniversary the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh said that “The anti-Dalit and anti-Ambedkar mentality of opposition parties can be seen today in the stiff opposition to the BSP, which follows Ambedkar’s ideology”. She added “it was because of this that the issue of memorials and parks was under severe criticism and was also dragged to courts”. These are very irresponsible comments coming from such a major political figure.
None of the major political parties in India can be accused of anti-Dalit and anti-Ambedkar mentality. In fact India has spent significant amount of money and resources and framed policies to change the life of the Dalits and other disadvantaged individuals. Whether these policies have made a difference is another debate. But Mayawati is wrong when she labels people who oppose her policies as anti-Dalit or anti-Ambedkar. By doing so she is trying to divide society and is using the Dalits as baits.
I follow Shashi Tharoor on Twitter. He exhibits a sense of transparency and openness which you do not get from most other politicians. But the IPL scandal regarding the Kochi franchise has exposed him. I do not want to make judgments because the details are still murky. But I am shocked at some of the tactics used by his team to attack the IPL.
Jacob Joseph who is an aid of Tharoor called IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi a “convicted drug peddler”. He then added “And for your information Modi is someone who was convicted for possession of 400 grams of cocaine and charged with assault and kidnapping. He has even served a two-year sentence and those are the kind of people who we put in charge of cricket in this country?” This in politics is called smear tactics.
Jacob Joseph’s charges would have some validity if he made these before the scandal over the Kochi franchise broke. The debate at the moment is not about Modi’s past but about the ownership of the IPL’s Kochi franchise. Making personal attacks on Modi is a diversionary tactic in this case. The Kochi franchise has some explaining to do. What are the circumstances surrounding a friend of Shashi Tharoor getting about 4.5% of the ownership of the Kochi franchise?
These are serious questions that require an open and transparent response from Shashi Tharoor and his camp. What we do not need at this time is a smear campaign. Lalit Modi’s past issues (if they are true) has no bearing on the current debate. Although on the surface Shashi Tharoor and Mayawati appear to come from different planets in many ways they are different sides of the same coin.
Related posts:
- Mayawati is a Living Goddess
- New India but Same Old India
- The Twitter Wars
- Indian Premier League is not Sports but a Reality Show
- Indian Politics: Secularism and Pseudo-Secularism
Category: News & Government