India, the largest democracy in the world is soon going to face the general elections of its Lok Sabha (House of the People). Election strategy is being prepared by all the regional & national political parties throughout India. Many political parties have started to declare the candidates of their parties. Just as the previous elections, this time too, the unsatisfied leaders, who didn't get the candidature, are on the way to change their parties. At some places, some fundamentalists are searching chances to be the guide of liberals & somewhere orthodox are in lookout to show themselves as "Gandhians". It means that politics of principles is at the verge of being sacrificed. As the elections are expected to be held in April-May but the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), the main opposition party has declared the names of the candidate for the would be Prime Minister if the party wins. The name of the 'Prime Minister in waiting' from BJP is Lal Krishna Advani, who at present is leader of opposition in House of the People.
From the last six decades, BJP has been working as Bhartiya Jansangh or for sometime as Janata Party. But three leaders in this party are known as senior most leaders. They are Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat & Lal Krishna Advani. Among them, Vajpayee has taken the oath as Indian Prime Minister for three times whereas Shekhawat has been the Vice-President of India. Advani too has been Home Minister & Deputy Prime Minister of India. Sometimes back, as Atal Bihari Vajpayee decided to retire from active politics, so BJP without losing any time, declared the name of Advani as its next candidate for the office of the Prime Minister. However, on this issue, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has stated that one doesn't become a Prime Minister if one of a few people says so; Prime Minister will be the man who is liked by the majority voters of the country. The analysts in Indian politics are of the view that the statement of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has given a chance to think that BJP may have declared Advani its Prime Ministerial candidate but in reality, everything is not right in the party about the claim of Advani as the Prime Minister in waiting.
Hardly Bhairon Singh Shekhawat had started to prick needles to Advani when a strong man of BJP in Uttar Pradesh & former state chief minister Kalyan Singh rebelled from BJP. It is the second party revolt by Kalyan Singh. This time he raised his voice because he didn't get a party ticket of Lok Sabha for his son. This revolt is not an ordinary one. As this time, he has joined the Samajwadi Party, known to be the enemy of the BJP. These days he is telling his will to the media that he will finish the BJP. Now on one side, BJP is planning to crown Advani for Prime Minister Chair & on the other side, the party is facing fragmentation.
In Indian politics, youths are coming forward in the politics. In local as well as in national politics, the political families are passing their hereditary succession to their sons, daughters or near relatives. Some political parties are also feeling that the Indian voters are fed up from the tired & loser traditional political leaders & are looking at new generation as the future of the nation. Rahul Gandhi has asked the Congress party to allocate 30 percent of tickets to the youth for the election. Answering it, Bahujan Samaj Party of Uttar Pradesh has also talked of giving 50 percent tickets to youth in coming Lok Sabha elections. Now the question is when there is a talk all around for increasing the share of the youth, & even at international level, Barack Obama has come with the historical political change, as the young President of US, and a young President Dmitry Medvedev in Russia is standing in the first line of international leaders, then where does the claim of Advani, 82, as the Prime Minister of India stands for in this age that reflects popularity of the young politicians.
Whereas the department that has undertaken the campaign of Advani as the Prime Minister of India, has made endeavours to make election propaganda on the lines of Barack H Obama. For example there is a special website advertisement in the portals, websites, online newspapers of the most of the countries including India & Pakistan. It is beyond understanding what they want to achieve through these advertisements. In India, the number of internet users is about 1-2 percent whereas in the US, it is about 71 percent. So argument of using internet by the supporters of Obama is obvious but to copy the strategy of the supporters of Obama in India is somewhat beyond understanding.
Anyhow, Advaniji may or may not get any benefit from this propaganda at the international level, for his claim as the potential Prime Minister of India, but this advertisement at domestic level has started to get some reactions. A first line newspaper of India published a cartoon on its front page. This cartoon depicts that the Advani's advertisement has been published in a Pakistani newspaper. On that side a Pakistani citizen calls to Advaniji saying "Advaniji don't worry, Jinnah's blessings will always remain with you." Such type of reactions began to come since the BJP has declared Advani as the "Prime Minister in Waiting." One thing to be noted is that it is being done by the same BJP which invented the word "India Shining" in its last campaign that failed badly.
Once again, just like, 'India Shining', the propaganda of 'Prime Minister in Waiting' is being propagated. Although the voters have the privilege to elect a Prime Minister of a country but the BJP has itself chosen the Prime Minister. Thus it has itself taken the self made decision of unfurling the national flag on August 15 at Red fort by Advaniji. This decision may come true or not, Advaniji must be hoping to become the Prime Minister. The voters of the country would be soon finding a difference between the youth & the 82 years old Advaniji. Now a days, in many functions, Advaniji is being seen deeply pondering over some serious matters or even weeping. These tears may be of joy or some sorrow or any imagination, but the political analysts are observing it as- "These Tears are language of my heart."
Tanveer Jafri
The author is a columnist based in India. He is related with hundreds of most popular daily news papers/portals in India and abroad. Jafri, almost writes in the field of communal harmony, world peace, anti communalism, anti terrorism, national integration, national & international politics etc. He can be reached at: tanveerjafriamb@gmail.com )
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