POLITICS- THE ART OF POSSIBLE

                                                      Bikash Choudhury

Even now, in middle class drawing room discussion ‘Politics is a bad word’. This is principally because the litany of corruption cases being filed against politicians, news about shady characters they associate with, every sex scandal and land scam you will find at least one politician’s name figuring in the list and all dirty business like brothel to money laundering must have been sponsored or driven by a politician. Actually, middle class guys are impotent of doing any real thing outside home and therefore don’t know the needs of Politicians for cash to keep their head out of water. However, in my opinion and judgment the politics is one of the most creative professions and therefore it is otherwise called ‘the art of possible’. Though we call names of politicians; but, can we do without them? Many extra ordinary good works has been done by politicians; Nehru created IIT system that serves well for the country till date, unification of princely states was the contribution of Sardar Patel, abolition of privy purse & bank nationalization were gifts from Indira Gandhi and last but not the least the Pradhan Mantri Gramya Sadak Yojana was a master stroke of our bachelor Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. All these programs have impacted large number of people from bottom of pyramid.   

                              Why Politics such an attractive profession? So much so that people invest all that they earned and come out cropper and still remain in the profession (Amar Singh a classic case study), People loose close family members to politics and continue to be in the profession (Gandhi, Bhutto & Nixon clan are live examples) and people kill close family members to excel in Politics likes of Pandava’s of Mahabharata. Because, the highs and the lows travel a very long distance in politics and therefore, that provides that much excitement and thrill that nirvana or bodhisattva Buddha would not have experienced. It is said “there is no permanent friends or enemies in politics” Our former Prime Minister Sri Deve Gowada and current civil aviation minister Sri Ajit Singh are great believer of such philosophy. Uttarakhanda Congress Govt. is also an example of the art of possible. Other interesting facets of the profession being, there is no need or requirement of any minimum qualification to enter while every profession in this world there is a prescribed minimum qualification where as in politics there is no such need. The counter argument is qualified only stuff their heads with data & information without any real wisdom while our politicians sharpen their wisdom in the laboratory of life where qualification is not important. In case of our incumbent Prime Minister no body would grudge his wisdom but with that or in spite of that he ruined our economy, hammered our currency and paralyzed the policies of GoI; but, luck was in his favor-after failing to enter the lower house he became two term PM. While spending fifty summers in Indian politics Advaniji had to remain contended as only the Deputy Prime Minister in the sunset of his eventful political career. Therefore, Politics has been and would continue to be such a creative profession where cause and effect relationship can’t be clearly established and one plus one can be less than zero and eleven.