Dear Mr Advani,
I thought I should congratulate you for undertaking a 7600km long arduous Jan Chetna Yatra at the ripe old age of 83. Or is it 85? Whatever!
But Mr Advani why do you think that my chetna is dead and you need to awaken it by your motorized circus? FYI, I am alive, aware and informed regarding the ills plaguing this nation. I struggle with them on a daily basis.
How I wish I could own one of your air-conditioned raths. Heard you have many. Since one got damaged, you ordered a new one. But who pray, is providing you with these high-tech chariots? And diesel? Oh, I forgot that Yeddy and Reddy have amassed enough to pay for your diesel bills.
You are lucky since no one is asking uncomfortable questions regarding BJP, because Anna is with you. And a jittery Congress ki to wat lag gayi hai.
Mr Advani, why did you start this yatra from Chapra, the birth place of Jai Prakash Narayan? Was it political symbolism or political tokenism? Honestly dude, it doesn’t matter. Today’s youth cares a damn for both. How difficult is it for you and your freaking dinosaur brigade to comprehend the fact that archaic symbolism is dead for us? And while others are debating, your protégé Uma behen Bharti has already endorsed your name as the future PM.
How can I forget her, "Ek dhakka aur do" historical comment uttered a decade ago. Can you?
Honestly, tell me Advani ji. Dil par haath rakh ke boliye. Do you really wish to be the PM? The other day I saw you on TV saying, “I do not wish to be the PM, but if the party so decides, I will abide by the party.” You know Advani ji when you say that you remind me of any B grade Bollywood actress who harps on the cliché and says, “I will strip only if the role demands.”
And what is with this fetish for garlands and head-gears? Perhaps because Modi got several head-gears during his sadbhavna farce, you thought why not me? What do you do with all the fancy headgears? Forget all that, tell me why were your party men caught distributing cash to journalists in MP? Such desperation? You thought you wont get a positive coverage, hai na?
Finally tell me if you are not awakening my chetna and you don’t wish to be the PM then why the ‘rath circus’? Why not sit in a room with your arch rivals and work on a few legislation's which will benefit the nation.
But why am I even writing this letter. You won’t get it, will you? You just got inspired by Anna and Modi and wanted to do something. Another fast would be juvenile. So another yatra. Aren’t you trying too hard to get noticed? As your well wisher; let me tell you that your yatra is much doo- doo about nothing. If anything, it is a colossal waste of time, money, energy and diesel. And it ain't taking you anywhere near PMs gaddi. Modi and Rahul will make sure of that.
Truthfully yours
Such a mockery of a 'cause'. Oh wait the cause is self-aggrandizement here and nothing else. And if the ratha is a freaking air-conditioned bus why the hell is it called a ratha? This is absolutely preposterous!
ReplyDeleteA complete farce. Colossal lost of precious money and time. Politicians...they just never fail to amaze us with their comic acts...If any one needs to awaken their 'chetna', they are the ones themselves...
ReplyDeleteHahaha...tongue in cheek;) What a waste of everything??? We wonder when will these politicos learn their lessons...And i love that part of 'strip if the role needs'. This Yatra is nothing but some effort to grab some eyeballs, which has failed dismally, thanks to Modi:P
ReplyDeleteI am not sure but doesn't this guy go on RATH yatras , This yatra , That yatra each time .. they want votes or whatever reasons .. Why are people so silly not ot understand that, when me sitting here in uk can understand its nothing but a drama ...
ReplyDeleteHow can this go on and on and on ..
So much wastage of money and resources and everything , doesnot anyone question that ...
Bikram's
I so wish that you don't write an open letter to me. I will not be able to take "it".
ReplyDeleteHamari "chetna " ko jagane ki koshish mein Advani ji apni jaan dene ko taiyaar hain; considering his age and kilometers the rath has to travel.
if synbolic gestures like yatraas, fasts, agitations, dharnaas etc were good enough to eradicate corruption, our nation would have become a "Ram raajya" long ago.....
ReplyDeletei don't understand the logic behind re-inventing the wheel by this gentleman.....
@Samasdrita, Kunal, Cloud nine.....
ReplyDeletei wonder why is it so difficult for them to comprehend the fact that times have changed. Such tactics dont work.
@Bikram...the sad reality is that the political alss is not in consonance with the present generation. They live in their own world.
ReplyDelete@Prateek..
Open letters are for those who refuse to hear or grasp the prevailing sentiments.
@Irfan...
Alas! if only our leaders could understand.
If you are opposing this move of LK Advani then you must write about Anna's movement which is, somewhat, no whait...most of the part of that movement has shifted towards politics..
ReplyDeleteSo, if Anna Hazare needs to call a campaign against congress, and he is not in politics, then what's the harm in doing so for LK Advani. After all he is one of the senior most leader of BJP, he has the right to do so...
Comparing Advani to a Bollywood starlet must be the ultimate blow to the octogenarian's ego :) In times when we are plagued by every conceivable kind of ill, our leaders think that some entertainment is in order -- inside and outside the Parliament.
ReplyDeleteTo say you chose a rather boring target for your article would be an understatement. What, Madam! The guy is more dead than the long forgotten dodos! But going by the current incumbent, we Indians surely have a flair for having cadavers for PMs. Ever heard MMS speak? So, you never know!
ReplyDeleteWell penned.. none of the political parties not even Anna I would add can bring on a change in India. It rests with us, the commonmen who votes but then all are corrupt and dishonest so election always result in voting for someone who is lesser corrupt than his competitor. Per end mein toh select corrupt hi bandha hota hai na :P
ReplyDeleteWeakest LINK
Very well written! I wish the people stop flogging a dead horse!!
ReplyDeleteWrath Yatra..Rot yatra call it by any name, but it sounds like a desperate attempt by a wannabe Prime Minister.
ReplyDelete@Its me Sharan....I am not opposing his anybody's yatra. I am simply questioning the relevance of it all...Do you think that in present times we need yatras? Even Annas yatra was a waste even though he was trying to create mass awareness.And from a veteran leader like Advani we expect better than mere symbolism and tokenism.
ReplyDelete@Zephyr....He has been so ambiguous about his candidature. why cant he come right out and say it? perhaps because there are other contenders in his party.
ReplyDelete@Umashankar...Politicians do not come to an end until the end comes to them. That reminds me of a dialogue from the movie Rajneeti...Politics mein murde kabhie gade nahin jate, vakt aane par wahi murde bolte hain.
@Rachit, Rahul, Purba...
ReplyDeleteEvery Indian like me is simply questioning the relevance of his yatra. Why are they not in consonance with what the nation wants is my question.
I don't know much but before someone takes the streets for opposition to govt., they should be asked whether they are honest in what they do ( as for Advani ji, whether he did well when NDA was in power ). Performance, I believe, lends credibility to what we do in public.I mean Gandhiji is a prime example ( his book would not have been popular if he did not have had actions to back it up ). As far as I know, Advani ji did nothing exemplary than just living out his term.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad that we,as people of India, lend more weight on parameters like experience,family lineage, place of birth etc. than performance. And for that reason, we are more known around the world as a country of talkers and not a country of doers. The journey from there to that, is imminent with our growing national stature.
ReplyDeleteAs for Advani ji, I do not know who in the world has time for his theatrics. I mean ideally, we make so much hue and cry over PC's assessment of poverty ( which I agree is ridiculous ) but that is all what we do. Rather, the effort would have been towards changing life-as-we-know-it. I mean who bothers for some agricultural reforms or a step up in developmental activities in the red corridoor. No one talked about that. All they did was strident complaining followed by zero efforts. Waste of breath, I think :)
But,all said, I am sure Advani ji is facing an India which he has never faced earlier. If only he had vision ... :P
@Sritatsat...Gandhi was Mahatma because he led by example and it is not an easy task. Sermons and rhetoric do not lead to mass following. Actions do.Basically we ned more action than political tokenism and symbolism of yatras. Yes Gandhiji also undertook a yatra but that was not for political or personal gains.Vision is the word as you said. Sadly it does not exist in the lexicon of our present leaders.
ReplyDeleteSo very rightly said !
ReplyDeleteThis seriously questions his own 'chetna' which was nowhere to be found during his earlier 'yatra' which ripped the nation right down the middle.
And to assume that people's 'chetna' needs awakening and that too through a 'yatra' simply undrlines the effects of age.
But I guess, the actual assumption he is making is that while the people are through and done with a mute Prime Minister, they would rather opt for one who is capable of riding a 'rath' around the country.
Another Yatra, another monumental waste of money and huge unconvinience to the common man !
ReplyDeletesheer stupidity...or is it? he is probably not doing it for the middle class educated mass, Anna's team is there for that...and i have no idea how their target audience in the villages are taking it...what ever it is, the PM gaddi is still far away from this old man...time for him to take that rath and go to the himalayas...
ReplyDeletenice post as always...
Cheers!
SUB
check out my new blog at http://evolvingdaddy.blogspot.com/
@Shobhit, Goutam and SUB
ReplyDelete...They are simply not in consonance with what the new gen wants.Moreover his own party worker in MP was caught distributing envelopes with currency to journalists for a positive coverage of his yatra..And to imagine that he is arousing our chetna against corruption is a big joke.
@SUB...Will check it out. Congrats for being a new daddy. It sure is a blessing.
Today Advani is in Bhopal... u know what the only good thing happened with his arrival was that the roads of Bhopal repaired :D LOL
ReplyDeleteFor this I'd say.. Keep coming back
Sadly it was one of those raths that pushed him into power
ReplyDeleteI meant BJP into power after Babri demolition
ReplyDeleteHe is a failed politician whose dream of becomng PM will remain only a dream
ReplyDeleteThis Yatra is a utter non sense.
ReplyDeleteHis last yatra started a dark period for India.
I strongly hope and pray to God that his non-sensical yatra goes unnoticed. India has made huge progress over the last 20 years, and as you rightly said, such symbolism will not work.
@Jyoti...U r right. That is the only bright spot when the VIPs come visiting....roads get repaired and garbage gets cleared.
ReplyDelete@Jon..Yes, but what worked a decade earlier has lost its relevance today.India has moved but our leaders havent.
@Pesto Sauce...He has had his time but he needs to reinvent his party...symbolism and tokenism dont work anymore.
@Venkatesh...The BJP needs to reinvent itself if it wants to grab what the Congress is offering them in a platter.
ReplyDeletenow that Yeddy is 'IN', I guess who will do mining for diesel? I liked this crisp, pin-pointed and 'rath-less' articulation of everyone's feelings ...
ReplyDeletesuperb... the race for 2014 is gearing up and this man has a better chance to be PM finally hoping anna continues his anti congress campaign... Last time around he gave it up for Atal ji... well finally RSS ll have it say but Advani wants to make sure he doesn't leave any stone unturned... This yatra is sort of for showing that he is still ther amidst all so dont ignore him...
ReplyDeleteDesperate moments ring in some desperate actions... All want their share of limelight... Sad that politics has become more of publicity...
@Ashish....I am glad you liked it...Reddy is presently getting treatment foe his chest pain...Dil par lagi hai.I bet he is showing his trademark victory sign in his hospital bed too.
ReplyDelete@Sourabh...True.It is a gimmick...'Rot Yatra'
A drama..
ReplyDeleteRegards,
J
http://mycreationz.wordpress.com
This whole thing makes me want to Facepalm. Che. And you have penned the whole thing down so vividly.
ReplyDeleteLol at the analogy with B Grade Bolly actress :D
ReplyDeleteAlka..these rath yatras are a colossal waste of time. I am not sure what purpose they serve.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha. I have water in my eyes. I am laughing so much. :))))
ReplyDeleteLOL at every sentence Dude :)))
PS:- For some reason, Reader did not show your posts. They showed up today.
People are fed up with MMS, PC, PM, SK among others at the central government and they are the epicentre of corruption.
ReplyDeleteL K Advani is trying to make people realise what is happening and maybe ensure vote bank in the process. But what is the alternative we have. The present coterie at the center will be replaced by LKA, MMJ, YS, JS. Today corruption is the issue. Tomorrow Mandir-Masjid maybe. That is the only change likely.
But do not loose hope. Parliament has 500 more members and they are not bloody fools.
@Mycreationz,Zeba,Giribala, Rachna, A and Kriti...
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading.
Very well written Alka, enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDeleteagain political jing bang-every few days a new old guy decided to hog some limelight with a new old nuskha...and AC chariot, really?????
ReplyDeleteand 85 mein bhi yeh shakti n sfoorti...i wonder kitne 30plus khaate honge;-)