Rahul Gandhi (Raga-II) and Narendra Modi (Namo) are the two sides of a coin, so it seems for now -– when one is discussed the other necessarily has to follow. Last week I heard an interesting analysis on these two sides, which went as follows:
Raga-II appeals to the heart and Namo appeals to the mind of the voter. What dominates the voter on Election Day will decide who wins.
I stressed my mind to recollect whether the country had ever witnessed a vote, which was driven by the heart. Two instances came to mind.
The earliest my memory could support me was 1984, when Rajiv Gandhi (Raga–I) won a never-before majority in the Indian Parliament. The Congress party under him won in excess of 400 seats, which was a historical feat. What had led to this landslide victory was an outpour of the heart which was filled with grief and emotion for the just assassinated Indira Gandhi. The heart refused to recognize that Raga-I was an absolute political novice. We know that everything is fair in love and war and the thumping majority given to the Congress was surely love for Indira Gandhi. By the time the mind began to dominate and the heart felt betrayed, the damage had been done -– both to the nation as well as the Congress party.
In the 1989 elections, the mind had regained superiority over the heart and as a result, Congress was thrown out of power. Thereafter the Congress party has never been able to rule the nation as a single party. A lesson learnt - the heart treats betrayal in a merciless manner.
Among the more recent elections, which saw a huge outpour of the heart in terms of vote, was the West Bengal Assembly election held in 2011. In this election, Mamata Banerjee appealed to the heart and voters obliged wholeheartedly. The result was not very different from 1984. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by the maverick Mamata Banerjee won 184 seats out of a total of 294. Left stalwarts like Buddhadev Bhattacharya and Ashim Dasgupta could not retain their assembly seats.
We realised that when the heart shines, rationality has no choice but to fade away. The TMC is midway in its term and the radiance of the heart has already started fading. Levels of governance are falling and the mind is pointing the finger towards the heart. If history is any basis, very soon the mind will start domination and the TMC may meet the same fate as the Congress in 1989. But the result may be different if the TMC has studied history and is willing to learn a few lessons. Let us wait for the result to be out on this one.
The above two examples point towards disastrous consequences when voting takes place based purely on the heart. Winning votes and governing thereafter are two different things. The former needs the heart for sure but the latter needs a strong mind.
Raga-II should realise that to survive in one’s personal life, heart might be enough. But to survive and win in the game of governance, a brilliant combination of the heart and the mind is a must.
I have purposely used Raga-I and Raga-II, as in this age of dynastic politics, this terminology seems more relevant and logical.
Raga-II appeals to the heart and Namo appeals to the mind of the voter. What dominates the voter on Election Day will decide who wins.
I stressed my mind to recollect whether the country had ever witnessed a vote, which was driven by the heart. Two instances came to mind.
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In the 1989 elections, the mind had regained superiority over the heart and as a result, Congress was thrown out of power. Thereafter the Congress party has never been able to rule the nation as a single party. A lesson learnt - the heart treats betrayal in a merciless manner.
Among the more recent elections, which saw a huge outpour of the heart in terms of vote, was the West Bengal Assembly election held in 2011. In this election, Mamata Banerjee appealed to the heart and voters obliged wholeheartedly. The result was not very different from 1984. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by the maverick Mamata Banerjee won 184 seats out of a total of 294. Left stalwarts like Buddhadev Bhattacharya and Ashim Dasgupta could not retain their assembly seats.
We realised that when the heart shines, rationality has no choice but to fade away. The TMC is midway in its term and the radiance of the heart has already started fading. Levels of governance are falling and the mind is pointing the finger towards the heart. If history is any basis, very soon the mind will start domination and the TMC may meet the same fate as the Congress in 1989. But the result may be different if the TMC has studied history and is willing to learn a few lessons. Let us wait for the result to be out on this one.
The above two examples point towards disastrous consequences when voting takes place based purely on the heart. Winning votes and governing thereafter are two different things. The former needs the heart for sure but the latter needs a strong mind.
Raga-II should realise that to survive in one’s personal life, heart might be enough. But to survive and win in the game of governance, a brilliant combination of the heart and the mind is a must.
I have purposely used Raga-I and Raga-II, as in this age of dynastic politics, this terminology seems more relevant and logical.