Vijay Hashia
Albert Einstein said, “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in opposite direction.” W.Churchill dubbed Gandhi ‘a half naked fakir.’ Calling anticorruption crusader Arvind Khejrewal an insane and an anarchist is no new castigation to hear from political circles against opponents. Why is he called so, is a point to ponder over? Yes, he himself admits openly, “I am an anarchist and want a debate over the issue.” It is somewhat an ideal too weak and astounding for a democrat unaware of revolutions in the history. When institutions become defunct and fail to deliver as promised to the public, democracies fail. The situations may erupt to anarchism.
A revolutionist is instinctively against system, the system that shows signs of syndrome and degeneration like silent cancerous cell of a human physiological system. True Gandhi, Thoreau and Mandela created history, fought to revolutionize their own world. Gandhi fought imperialism against British; Thoreau was unknown until he established his reputation through ‘Civil Disobedience’ in the wider political world; Nelson Mendella spent most of his life time fighting a system of governance that discriminated black South Africans. Any revolution to take place must have idiotic leadership, ideology, propaganda, terror or force and a way of twisting. Idiotic leadership includes charisma, dynamism and confidence. Ideology is important to let citizens know what their leader stands for. Hitler for example, made Germans believe that the Jews were responsible for everything that went wrong for their country. Kejriwal used wit to open up corrupt practices by exhibiting proofs, thereby convincing people through media. Propaganda contains a lot of convincing, persuasive information and only a bit of it may be true but so far Kejriwal has had it, made startling revelations exposing politicians and their kith and kin. His lieutenants are no lesser than godfather. One openly takes law into his hands, mocks and earns flak for racist remark, another goes viral for calling referendum over Kashmir which attracts fist of fury over the remark.
Society is replete with several examples of intelligent men doing idiotic acts but bringing total transformation. Considering that, psychologists are of the view that extra intelligent people are though generally of irrational mind but good thinkers & some with revolutionary DNA are not stereotypes. Does it mean, the intelligence shows zero correlation with rational mind? Yes, while intelligence could be the ability to act outside the realms of logic and rationality, rationality does not venture new but is programmed to stereotype. This typifies people fighting against obsolete and are instinctively different and as perceived ‘insane.’ This superficial insanity or idiocy makes a big distinction from a dull. If Kejrewal openly admits anarchist attitude and says that politicians are chips of the same block, he is fundamentally drawing attention to a new paradigm that draws immediate attention to public awe. Yes, here he speaks something genuinely dangerous, exciting and new, that is, to conform to new paradigm and overhauling stereotype.
The most successful element in bringing people together is hate and prejudice against the opponent. Twisting the truth a bit rather standing for it fully, is also very important in a successful revolution. Kejriwal is using the method of inciting and informing, infusing hate and prejudice against corrupt practices and the woes of public for transformation, as he said, his task was not winning or losing elections, but changing the way politics functions in the country. His idiocy may be thought a puerile short stint political gamble of a little creature at the incubation stage similar to JP and VP movement but presently, the damage caused to leading political parties is what a mosquito does to an elephant which is beyond one’s imaginations.
Call him a simple intelligent idiot or a megalomaniac; he dares oxymoron of incongruous substance for epigrammatic effect before media and public. He is no ordinary moron but an audacious brilliant idiotic against behemoth political elite. Look how he paved himself so hard for several days on fast and then disintegrated from Anna, organised, schemed and publicised twisted art, cacophonous, rhetoric that enthralled aam admi. He no more wears ‘Mein Anna Hoon’ cap now but proclaims emblazoned ‘people’s servant’, ‘Mein Hoon Aam Admi.’ With several big wigs in his administration already targeted and shifted, he and his anti- graft band has left jittery politicos wondering who’s next to dodge a bullet. The wit and wisdom with which accusations and counter-accusations of Kejriwal, against Robert Vadra, Salman Khurshid, Gadikari, Digvijay Singh, Sheila Dikshit and recently against Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde were unleashed, have carefully constructed postmodern demolitionist approach which only an intelligent could resort to. Known as master strategist, Kejriwal’s provocative disclosures have irritated both Congress and BJP. The oldest national parties (INC) and the BJP are on challenge by A Kejriwal & Co. He has taken on openly against BJP, Delhi police administration and Union Home Minister while congress is silent to wait and watch policy. Never has a social activist like A Kejriwal disturbed the peace and sleep of a politician, the way he has. With his jumping in the political arena, India the largest democracy in the world having the biggest number of people with franchise rights and the largest number of political parties, where political problems remain unsolved, is on the throes of transition.
Clever heads seldom show wisdom. As rightly put by someone, the mightiest of weapons is truth, and everyone knows you’re not permitted to enter into parliament building with this kind of a weapon. Kejrewal may be rightly building to develop the weapon of stupidity to counter stupid’s arsenal.
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