It is beyond understanding that why the
political analysts and the pundits give undermining (and derogatory) epithets like ‘the humble onion’ to the evergreen
vegetable of Indian cuisine, especially when it is having the singular
achievement of creating a sense of fear in an otherwise insensitive, brazen,
corrupt and ruthless political class in the country.
After all, a vegetable that has single handedly
brought down elected governments, and that too, more than once in the political
history of India, and has been regularly bringing tears to their eyes, should
be given the respect it deserves.
The politicians and the pundits must realize it
in the context of the fact that this ‘humble
looking onion’ is ferocious enough to extort even from the hard-nut
politicians.
Also, undermining onion is not aesthetic. Its ‘power politics potential’ when combined
with its bright red shiny outer cover (the
prevalent variety in India) makes it an aesthetically
ominous symbol warning the stakeholders to beware and take stock of the
situation.
Those who get it in time escape its wrath. Those
who still ignore its lethal potential get the boot.
Why don’t the politicians and the pundits
understand it? Why do they fail to understand it over and over again?
But that’s the way Indian politicians and the
pundits have been!
Also, onion has yet another ‘powerful’ power quotient.
Indian polls are dominated by two types of
sentiments largely – religious sentiments and caste sentiments.
These two anti-development factors have pushed to
the periphery almost every element of the pro-development politics giving rise
to the criminal and corrupt elements in Indian politics to a level of epidemic
where the rot is self-evident and is eager to put its brazenness on shameless display
with an increasing audacity.
And the power of onion politics has been able to
give the ‘household sentiments’ dominance over the religious and caste
sentiments on more than one occasion in the electoral history of India,
something that makes it a logical tool to be exploited further.
India of the day needs an ever increasing dominance
of the ‘household sentiments’ in its electoral politics.
And, onion politics is one of the ways to go
further!
So, be aware! Never doubt potential of the
onion, not even while writing a political analysis on ‘onion politics’.
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
