Rahul Gandhi’s press conferences By Justice Katju

These days Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s press conferences, and his accusations against the Election Commission of India ( ECI ) for being hand in glove with the ruling BJP have gone viral

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Jokers and buffoons like Ashutosh, Ajit Anjum, Ravish Kumar, Begum Arfa Khanum Sherwani, Yogendra Yadav etc keep shouting and screaming about vote theft, ECI being in cahoots with the BJP, murder of democracy, etc etc and Rahul Gandhi’s ‘brave’ fight against it

Not once do these jokers ever ask the 3 questions I have repeatedly posed : 

(1) Even if there was no vote theft or rigging in the voters list, would it make any difference to the lives of the people ? Will it abolish, or even reduce, the massive poverty, massive unemployment, appalling level of child malnutrition, skyrocketing prices of food and other essential commodities, almost total lack of proper healthcare and good education for the Indian masses ?

I have explained my point of view in detail in these interviews and articles, hence I am not repeating the same :

https://justicekatju.com/all-this-cacophony-is-irrelevant-399a988f254a

The basic fallacy in the thinking of the clowns and comedians abovementioned is that they have a fetish and obsession for democracy. They treat democracy as a holy cow, as an end in itself, when the truth is that it can only be a means to an end. The end must be raising the standard of the people, and giving them better lives. If democracy helps in attaining that end it is a good thing, but not otherwise.

Everyone knows that in India democracy runs largely on the basis of caste and communal vote banks. Casteism and communalism are feudal forces which have to be destroyed if India is to progress, but democracy, as practised in India, further entrenches and strengthens them in our society ( because it largely runs on their basis ). How, then, can democracy be a good thing in India ?

So if democracy in India is a bad thing, why raise such a hue and cry and hullabaloo about rigging of the voters list ? Even if the voters list was not rigged, and elections are fair, will that help improve the lives of the people of Bihar ( and other parts of India ), will it reduce the massive poverty, massive unemployment, appalling level of child malnutrition, almost total lack of proper healthcare, and skyrocketing prices of essential commodities like food, etc ?

(2) Moreover, even if the voters list was not rigged, most people in Bihar ( and elsewhere ) will still vote on the basis of caste and religion, not on the merits of the candidate.

https://justicekatju.com/rahul-gandhis-expos%C3%A9-9c4cfd438fbc

 It is well known that in India, when most voters go to vote, they do not see the merit of the candidate, whether he is a good man or bad, educated or uneducated, criminal or not, etc. They also do not take into consideration exponential rise in unemployment, price rise, etc in India. All they see is the caste and religion of the candidate ( or the caste/religion his party claims to represent ). Thast is why about half the MPs elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections have criminal backgrounds.

https://www.indiatoday.in/diu/story/glass-half-empty-nearly-half-of-lok-sabha-mps-face-criminal-charges-2553578-2024-06-15

All that can happen if the voters list is correctly prepared is that after the elections there may be change in the leadership of the state government in Bihar. Instead of Nitish Kumar, Tejaswi Yadav may become the Chief Minister of the state. But what difference will that make to the lives of the people of Bihar ?

I am reminded of Manthara’s statement to Queen Kaikeyi in the Ramayan :

” Koi nrip hoye hamein ka haani

  Cheri chhand ka hoib rani ”

i.e.

” What difference will it make to me who is the king ( Ram or Bharat ) ?

 I will remain a slave, not become a Queen ”

It is evident that Ajit Anjum, Ashutosh, Ravish Kumar, Begum Arfa Khanum Shervani, Yogendra Yadav, and other nincompoops, who seem to have inane, shallow, superficial minds, do not understand this, but are gloating on their ‘khulaasa’

(3) Many people are projecting and presenting Rahul Gandhi as the savior of India, a new Moses, who will lead the nation out of its distress and into a land of milk and honey. But what is the truth? The test of every political activity and political system is one, and only one: does it raise the standard of living of the people? Does it give them better lives?

Rahul Gandhi has said that he has opened a mohabbat ki dukan in a nafrat ka bazaar. This is to be welcomed ( though I suspect it is only for getting Muslim votes, not for any genuine concern for the plight of Muslims ). But how will such platitudes and homilies abolish the massive socio-economic problems of poverty, unemployment etc which India is facing ? What solution does Rahul Gandhi have for these problems? I am afraid he has none.

https://justicekatju.com/what-next-in-india-2f6821b7ec87

  All Rahul Gandhi has in his mind is that he belongs to, and is the heir-apparent, of the Nehru-Gandhi family, which is the royal family of India, and he must be restored to the throne of India, from which his family has been so wrongfully dethroned 

It is time the heroes and clowns I mentioned above start thinking about these 3 points I raised, instead of only dishing out cheap ‘mirch masaala’ ( sensationalism ) for increasing their viewership, circulation, and TRP rating.