OPINION

If there at all was any doubt about the timing of the raking up controversy around Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s portrait at the students’ union office of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), it has been set to rest by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The saffron clad leader, who is BharatiyaJanata Party’s most sought after campaigner in Karnataka after Prime Minister NarendraModi said at a poll rally in the state that “the glorification of Jinnah was unfortunate. My government would act strictly against all those who were behind the trouble (on Wednesday).”

The world was taken aback when all of a sudden BJP’s Member of Parliament from Aligarh,SatishGautam, demanded the removal of Jinnah’s portrait which has been hanging in Aligarh campus, albeit innocuously, for the past 80 years.Gautam timed his demand in a manner that it raised the “requisite sentiments” ahead of the Karnataka polls. The Hindi axiom of “KahinPeNigahein, KahiPeNishana (Eyeing one thing while targeting something else)” perfectly explains Gautam’s game plan.

To govern a state of such size and population of France and UK put together is not easy at the best of times. Successive regimes have resorted to gimmicks and appeasement politics to keep the masses amused and confused. The people in the state are used to it, bringing change here is not easy. UP treats changes in Government as cropping patterns, when a new regime makes way for the old, a new set of Mafias emerge who in fact are the old ones with recycled Gamchas and car flags. The present fashiontrend  is saffron, it is not uncommon to find UPites changing car flags with change in regime, nothing is permanent here not even political affiliations.

Ask a common man and he will tell you that though corruption has reduced at top (ministerial) level however the hardened Babu at Block and District level has only regenerated and reinvented himself, the loser is the Mantriji who in the first place changed parties from Blue or Green to Saffron to get a piece of the Cheese, but Yogi just moved his cheese. The Mantri can no longer recruit and give contacts to his army of camp followers and sycophants galore.

You read of it in advertisements and on hoardings, and hear of it in radio jingles and TV commercials - the ideal home, or 'dream home'. It makes you wonder if you're living the lifestyle you truly deserve, if your previous home purchase decision was too hasty and if there is a chance you could do better. The 'ideal home' is a ubiquitous marketing concept, and it haunts buyers before and after a property purchase. But is there really such a thing in India?

The 'Ideal Home' Paradox
By and large, the concept of an 'ideal' home is very relative in this country. While everyone carries a picture of their dream home in their hearts, that image usually cannot translate into reality in this country. 

People long to stay close to nature, yet also close to the excitement and opportunities of the city. They long for a home in an environment unpolluted by noise and vehicle emissions, yet depend heavily on public transport and roads to use their personal vehicles for commuting to and from work. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally spoken against the rape regime perpetuated by his political followers to establish the hegemony of the party which seeks to ensure that the country is free of all other political influences. When Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah gave call of a “Congress-Mukht Bharat”, none thought of its dangerous repercussions.
Presence of a political party is not necessarily measured in a democracy by the number of years it has occupied the seat of power but its ability to influence the public opinion. BJP’s tallest leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee is recalled majorly for his contributions from the Opposition benches of Parliament than as Leader of the House in Lok Sabha.
When a political party in democracy makes into its agenda to win polls at whatever cost, people like Kuldeep Singh Sengar become important. The Unnao MLA, who has finally been arrested by the CBI for using tools of rape and murder to establish his power, doesn’t belong to the BJP culture which a Vajpayee or for that matter even his compatriot Lal Krishna Advani practiced.
Sengar was part of the so-called “Goonda Raj” of the previous Akhilesh Yadav regime in Uttar Pradesh and changed sides only ahead of the 2016 Vidhan Sabha polls. With the BJP leadership under Amit Shah following a “Green Channel” policy of allowing anybody entry into the party, the traditional leaders schooled in the Shakhas of the RSS at the feet of Goddess Saraswati are at loss of words to justify why makes Sengar so important.

Anna Hazare, the anti-corruption crusader from Ralegaon Siddhi in Maharashtra came back to Delhi agitating once again in support of the agenda with which he had taken the nation by storm in 2011. He, however, ended his fast even before it was a week-old. The whole event could be best summarized as – Anna came to Delhi, fasted for a while and concurred with the government. 

 One of the main features of a protesting Anna this time was that it’s a real time agitation rather than made for the camera movement of 2011.Those partnering Anna this time in the protest demanding setting up of the Lokpalwere mainly farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In 2011, it was the middle class which had first taken control of the agitation at JantarMantar in April, and later at Ramlila Grounds in August.

Anna’s movement for now looks to be not poised for success, given the thin attendance, compared to 2011, thinner space in media and lukewarm response from the government; though Maharashtra Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis provided the face saver with his presence and requesting Hazare to end the fast.