OM
A crusade for the new dawn
Her resolution of ‘Aakla cholo ray’ will usher in a new political dynamics in the national politcs?
Irrespective of the consequences, Pushpam Priya, an alumnus of London School of Economics, who is fighting Bihar election under the aegis of her own founded party ‘Plurals’, has, unequivocally set the new paradigms in Indian politics where there was hardly any scope for the professionals to join poliitcs as their first career choice, barring few earstwhile princes and the dynasts. Worse still, being a girl, she has picked up the gauntlet to take on the high and mighty in their own political turfs which the latter consider as their personal fiefdoms. No wonder then Pushpam is the flag bearer of a new hope and aspirations for the young professionals to make a foray into politics and cleanse it from the avalanche of filth that continued to accumulate over decades on account of criminals and rogues making politics as their safe haven. In this backdrop, Pushpam’s crusade, much in line with Gurudev’s Tagore’s vision of ‘Jodi tor dak sunay kyou na asay taholay aekla cholo ray’, in quest for a new dawn for the people of Bihar and the nation, deserves thumbs up from one and all.
Pushpam Priya Choudhary, a girl with an ancestry from Mithila, Bihar, has suddenly stormed in Indian politics like a blitzkrieg; in the process, sending many well established politicians into frenziedly looking for her connections and contacts. The only question that took the tangible shape then in the minds of who is who in Bihar as to who this new phenomenon Pushpam is? No wonder when the fact was established that this girl is a daughter of Vinod Choudhary, not much known leader of JDU from Darbhanga, the next hectic search began to find the source of her funding. But then the legitimate quetion that arouse in the minds of the people was absolutely justified against the backdrop when Pushpam gatecrashed into poliitcs—the mushrooming posters everywhere in Patna, announcing the arrival of Priya Pushpam of Plurals, who intends to change the face of Bihar and insulate it from hitherto its accumulated burden of corruption and vices, appeared surrealistic, much like Bollywood potboilers or the latest South Indian movies dubbed in Hindi. Naturally, it provided fodder for the media gossips, which is always on the lookout for some sensation, and here this new sensation girl is providing the basketful of it. Nonetheless, everything appeared pretty soothing to the minds of Biharis, for someone, at such a young age, was reconciled to take the bulls by both its horns, going gung ho with her ambitions to bring changes in poliitcs, added fuel to the fire of the collective excitement of Biharis in partuicualr and Indians in general. As the established politicians began to unravel about this young phenomenon, their pivotal concern was: Whether it was BJP’s another stratagem to play a hard ball with Nitish Kumar, so much so that it was opening a new front to harass him. In the midst of flurry of speculation, one thing became crystal clear to one and all, that this girl, notwithstanding who funded her or whose patronage she enjoys, this girl is the audacious enough to stay and not to vanish from the political firmament as few days or few months wonder—though it is yet to be seen that how far she stays reconciled to carry on her political battles against the high and mighty if Plurals gets the drubbing at the hustings.
Interestingly, she is viewed more with excitement than with any amount of seriousness when she begins canvassing for votes –for herself as well as for her party–in such a polarised scenario when the society is so starkly divided between voting for Modi or against Modi. Further, when BJP is going to unleash the Modi blitzkrieg across Bihar–12 rallies, he is set to conduct–where Pushpam and her Plurals will stand, is anybody’s guess. Worse still, in a society which is so much divided along the caste lines, being a Brahmin, whatever the level of intelligence, is not considered as much a USP as being from a backward community with no intelligence. Regressively enough, the state where the poliitcal system is so delicately and precariously premised along the caste lines, how Pushpam Priya’s poignant argument will convince the voters, majority of whom are known to vote along their caste loyalties, is another factor that will prove to be the biggest stumbling block for her when she is stepping into the poliitcal arena which is earmarked for Bahubalis of different castes. Also, when the muscle and money power is a sine qua non for winning elections, the determination to go ahead without any of the pre-requisites, is itself a sign of robustness to withstand and negotiate with the volatility that has all the ingrediants to sweep the players aside into the sidelines much before the game has even started. But then Pushpam, a young girl with an inculcated democratic values and egalitarian vision, is bent upon ushering change and consequently prepared for being instrumental to bring such a change, she canvasses for voting for her as well as for her party.
But then Pushpam, notwithstanding all her dynamism and accompanying enthusism, has neither political credentials nor any credibility to induce the voters to vote for her or for her party; all she has, is the vision to peddle to the voters to make them believe in her; repose their collective trust in her and consequently vote for her. In fact, much like Rahul Gandhi, she is coming from nowhere to seek votes from the people of Bihar. Significantly, Rahul Gandhi was in politics for almost a decade, although he never held any political position, to claim for the Prime Ministerial position. He had the credentials of hailing from the first Congress family, which Pushpam so conspicuously lacks. Barely a year ago, before the assembly election was announced, she appeared from nowhere to lay her claim for the position of the chief minister of the state. For anyone it would appear to be funny, a laughable proposition, yet it honestly proclaims her honesty of belief that she feels eligible for the post and consequently believes that she should be outright voted for the post. Unfortuantely, the people need to have something to showcase other than their vision. Here Pushpam is awfully short of producing anything tangible. All her lofty vision aside, she has nothing tangible to prove about her creedentials, apart from proving her own academic background, which could be sufficient for claiming a job, but not for claiming the chief miniserial chair and, that too, in one straight go. \
Notwithstanding the credible absence of the pre- requisites that are needed to win the election, Pushpam has the tenacity to go ahead with her mission, even though if it meant going all alone seeking votes for her as well as for her party. All her candidates contesting from almost all constituencies, have to seek their votes without any paraphernalia that are associated with those who canvass for votes. She, in fact, walks all alone, descending from her car, walks alone, poses for photo ops in a smiling gesture, engages her fans in Twitter and facebook. This is her innovative method of campaigning, where she is striivng to send the messages to the voters of Bihar that how she sincerely endeavours to bring changes in the system, if she were voted to power. While the voters too watch her with amusement, it remains uncertain whether they will vote for her. Because she is neither crusader like Mr Saryu Roy whose clarion call to the voters of the constituency of East Jamshedpur against the sitting chief minister, was so seriously accepted by the people. While Mr Saryu Roy had a strong credentials which so strongly resonated with the people of East Jamshedpur, who fought for him; Pushpam, being the new entrant, has nothing for the time being to showcae other than peddle her vision before the electorate to repose their faith in her.
Significantly, Pushpam Priya Choudhary should not remain an election wonder, disappearing from the scene once the result is out and her party gaining no electoral traction; she, on the other hand, will have to march ahead with greater vigour and the corresponding level of enthusiasm to continue to struggle in politics and prove the point that she means business, and she and her Plurals have come to stay in this hustle and bustle of politics without the least of equivocation. She, being a student of Political Science, should change the definition of politics as given by Sir Stafford Cripps when the architect of Cabinet Mission plan had said, ‘ Politics is the means of getting money from the rich and vote from the poor while promising to protect each from the other’. When she is is determined to change the politics of Bihar, she should remain robust in her stand and consequently should not allow herself to be swayed by the outcome of the electoral battle. Also, her political manoeuvrings like writing a letter to the president of India for dissolving the Bihar Assembly, will evoke some reaction here and there, but in the long run all this will prove infructuous; what will prove effective and tangible, is the long term determination to change the polity of Bihar, which desperately is crying for change since long time. Unequivocally then, when she has picked up the gauntlet to don the mantle of a ‘change agent’ and is reconciled to adopt Tagore’s invocation to wallk all alone in the mode of ‘ Jodi tor dak sunay kyou na asay taholay aekla cholo ray'( Hearing your cries of agony, none comes, you walk alone). Further, if she has conceptualised the vision of Bihar being the land of millions minds without fear, she should be prepared to face all sorts of short term hostilities to usher in the long term dividends to the people. As of now, Bihar awaits a new dawn with little expectation.
Vivekanand Jha is an author of Yes, I am Bihari and the upcoming book The People’s leader based on the political exploits of Mr Saryu Roy.
India Speaks 