Aggravated Reality of Modinomics : Arun Jaitely you must answer

Aggravated Reality of Modinomics : Arun Jaitely you must answer

Ministers like Jaitley could be Modi’s undoing. His apathetic comments in a speech has all ingredients for it.

Jaitley people say was instrumental in peddling Modi as BJPs prime ministerial candidate and also unflinchingly standing by him when Vajpeyi condemned him and contemplated his removal in the aftermath of Gujarat riots. Vajpeyi somehow could never comprehend how Gujarat could be retribution for Godhra and condemned Modi for not acting fast enough to quell the violence.

Additionally, Jaitley unknots the Lutyens Delhi’s Machiavellian spoils system, in which he is far senior to Modi who is still a struggling neophyte and relies on the outreach of Jaitley’s tentacles for facilitation - or let us call spade a spade - fixing. There is also a tacit understanding amongst all parties how much of the others’ corruption they have to ignore - chor-chor mausere Bhai.

But it is true, Jaitely’s criticality to this government and the cabinet is more for these softer skills that he brings than his distinction as a legal luminary or a financial wizard, or even a statesman, who harbours some grand vision for India.

In this backdrop, we should not grudge him his failure in triggering growth, his ineptness in handling industry or his reforms, and not being able to fire the imagination of the countries’ youth. As that is clearly not what he is retained for. 

There is no gainsaying the fact, regardless of the good intentions, the drive for demonetisation has been handled in a ham-handed manner. But we should also not grudge Jaitely his uncle Podger like handling. Organisational excellence is not his forte. And permanent bureaucracy has no accountability. 

There is a lot of goodwill riding on brand Modi. A vicious opposition not-withstanding, a large majority of people want Modi to succeed. I too want him to succeed. I think, he is the best that we have. The people are inclined to support any move that he undertakes. It is true, that lots of people are braving serpentine queues and the concomitant trouble of demonetisation smilingly on the promise or greater good of the country. 

But Jaitley apparently is the architect of the demonetisation’s mismanagement. Several of his political polemics and public posturing has also been most cavalier, crass and contemptuous of the hardships that people are facing. Yesterday, he was shown on TV equating demonetisation to the August 15, 1947 freedom and its news paper coverage of the historic moment then. He pitched that if the 1947 period media had the sentiment of the today’s media, instead of euphorically reporting Independence they would have reported the carnage and dance of death that unfolded as an aftermath of Independence.

I have some questions to Jaitely :

1.Can one suffering condone another. If there was misery and suffering at Independence then it does not imply that misery is a rule

2.Do you understand that Independence and Partition are two completely historical events although concurrent

3.The misery of partition mitigated the joy of independence and for that reason Gandhi refused to celebrate an independence so dearly bought. But you are not denying yourself anything.

4.Do you know that Britain was a colonial power and had no reason to be empathetic to the plight of the people. Is your government to be evaluated in the back drop of a exploitationist colonial power.

5.Has anyone from your family queued up for cash? How are you running your household?

I know there are no answers with you. And you get to power anyways, hence even if you had answers, you would not deign to reply to my questions. But never underestimate the electorate. Their anger sometimes survives eons….