BENGALURU: I am no expert on politics. For the longest time, I thought a psephologist is someone who can mimic Saif Ali Khan! But the brazen style of lobbying, campaigning and promotions in the US elections caught my attention. Having followed Indian elections for decades, we can certainly pick up a few points from the US. This is not to denigrate the Indian electoral system - which I believe is robust by itself. But it wouldn’t hurt to adopt a few aspects from the Divided States of America.
The presidential debate is something I’d like to see among our candidates. Not just at the prime ministerial level, but also at the grassroots. Our politicians are very comfortable with mud-slinging and character assassination. Instead, get them on a stage together. Imagine Modi and Rahul Gandhi debating each other - asking relevant questions across the board! This, without the hordes of people who come for free beer and biryani. Gone are the days of politicians addressing crowds while dressed in white.
Imagine Modi on the BeerBiceps podcast or Rahul Gandhi on Tanmay Bhat’s stream.Where they discuss memes and movies - giving us a peek into who they really are. What we get instead are hagiographic movies that give film critics like me nightmares. Even better - go one step ahead and place the candidates in a Bigg Boss house. Watch how they behave in real life among equals. Notice if they are judicious in the allocation and management of resources to assess their economic policies.
The other shocking point in the US was the outright support of news organisations to political parties. There’s no beating about the Bush, or sitting on the Pence. News channels directly ask you to vote for a party. How long do we endure the subtle promotion of political parties on our news channels? If you cannot give the audiences fair journalism, at least respect our intelligence. Reveal your sources and biases. The other striking feature is the nature of rhetoric in the US. Movies and documentaries are made on presidential candidates. Cartoon shows lampoon political stalwarts. Talk show hosts openly criticise and rebuke flawed policies and faux pas alike. No offence is taken.
Compare that with our country, where memes could land you in jail. You’d have to spend a few months earning black bucks by making furniture and cakes. To an unbiased alien from Neptune, a political leader is simply a representative of the people - nothing more, nothing less. But we have a knack for either elevating our politicians to demigods or reducing them to clowns. Then there are the slogans they use - ‘Yes We Can’ and ‘Make America Great Again’. Imagine realistic slogans for our leaders – ‘Vote for me. Or else…’.
International magazines will tell us that the future of the world will depend on the results. But we in India know the truth - nothing really changes. The wheels of time keep turning, as we secretly send each other political memes. ‘The difference between a gangster and a politician is that a gangster will not take offence to this joke’ – Osho (probably!!).
(The writer’s views are personal)