It’s about Us. Not about Modi

SO, THE ELECTIONS are finally over and Indian democracy thrives. As do the EVMs; the election commissioners and all those who were being accused of throwing away the election in favour of BJP.

Stupidity has no medical prescription nor any social comfort. Facts can never be employed to counter either stupidity or rumours because the arguments are made by closed minds: as bigoted in a manner of speaking as the ones they blame for bigotry.

So, what does the 2024 General Election say about us as Indians? Here is my analysis based on consumer insight and not some TV studio-acquired knowledge of the Indian mind.

Ingratitude is our birthmark: The so-called Hindutva movement that was fuelled and made into a reality by BJP itself got a kick in the stomach because they even lost Ayodhya. The learning is people still love Ram more than they do Modi. And to expect swathes of Hindus to vote for BJP because of the Ram temple was asking for too much. Look at Uttar Pradesh: Ask anyone and they will tell you that the law and order improved manifold; people were able to do business without fear or favour; and, the state was slowly drawing in mammoth investments. But how did the voting happen? Across caste lines and not qua development.

We don’t care about development: We are not the kind of people who actually care about how much which political party has done in terms of the economy or poverty alleviation. We expect MPs to be bothered about leaking taps and potholed roads. We have no clue about how elections at the national level are different from the states: which is why we behave the same way in both. If we were truly concerned about development, West Bengal wouldn’t have voted the way it did (or has been for aeons) in this election. In many ways, we are both clueless and suicidal when it comes to voting. So, for all those who say the Indian electorate is smart, think again. By and large, the Indian electorate is still pretty unintelligent when it comes to voting.

Hate BJP as much as you wish but the truth of the matter is that most other political parties have not bathed themselves in honour ever. Sadly, we have begun to take pollsters and social media far too seriously than we should. We’ve stopped using our mind to gauge and decide and this is what is evident in these electoral results

Share this on

When was the last time you read a manifesto? We tend to be alarmed when we see governments do the things they do. But wait, everything that BJP promised in 2014 and 2019, they did, and they are the kind who tend to do what they say, be it a temple or a tax. But then we feign ignorance or set alarm bells off only because we haven’t bothered to read a word: the reason is we are lazy and inept as are many of our politicians. Which is why I have always said we are the nation of low-hanging fruit: take the easy way out and don’t give a damn because the inevitable will happen. And then we self-exult and become self-congratulatory. We should actually be ashamed of the way we vote: for all reasons other than either self-development or national development.

We are mostly in denial: For all the dolts who say India has rejected bigotry and religion, and so on: stop being in denial. Scratch the surface and 99 per cent of India is either communal or religious, depending on how you look at it. The richer you are, the more communal perhaps. So, let’s stop this drivel that the 2024 elections were a vote for secularism: they weren’t and they never shall be.

Essentially, what we have done is reject the good and the known for the unknown and the dubious. Hate BJP as much as you wish but the truth of the matter is that most other political parties have not bathed themselves in honour ever. Sadly, we have begun to take pollsters and social media far too seriously than we should. We’ve stopped using our mind to gauge and decide and this is what is evident in these electoral results.

How can you beat this irony: the victors are behaving like the vanquished and the vanquished are parading as victors. This is at the heart of these elections. I don’t know how long this government will last. But the blame is at our doorstep. No one else’s. It’s time we manned up and took responsibility.

About The Author

Suhel Seth

Suhel Seth is Managing Partner of Counselage India and can be reached at suhel@counselage.com

•