BABA RAMDEV

I am not getting into the issue of corruption and black money, that need to dealt with at different time and space, as of now I am concentrating only on the drama enacted by three dominant players – The Government (Congress), the opposition (BJP), and Baba Ramdev.

Mid-night crackdown was disturbing to say the least. The strategist for the government seems to be overlooking some of the important aspects of human psyche. In a patriarchal society like ours, women are abused in private life but worshipped and respected in the public realm. The sight of women struggling against armed force will melt even the hearts of criminals. The government ignored this simple reality in executing the operation. Their strategy looked perfect on the paper, but at the time of implementation they messed it up.

The government played the age old game called ‘good cop and bad cop’. On the one hand they were bending backwards to appease the Baba and on the other they used leaders like Digvijay Singh to play hard ball with him. It looks like that the Baba’s camp was aware of this game but failed to take necessary precaution. Had they taken the precaution, Baba’s behavioral pattern at the entry of the police would have been one of courage and steadfastness. Baba missed the opportunity of playing the role of a hero.

Like any exciting drama, all three main players had their high and low times. Who will be the hero? Time only can reveal. The government had the upper hand in the beginning, they could set up the stage and assign roles and dialogues to every actors involved in the drama. But the problem in real life drama is that one cannot control all the variables to suite one’s interest. In the beginning they overestimated Baba and towards the end they underestimated Baba. Now they are paying the price.

There is no doubt whatsoever in the fact that Baba Ramdev is a charismatic leader. He can easily connect with the masses and emotionally excite them with his words and actions. The mastery over yoga is his biggest strength and the image of a yogi is well accepted by his followers. What he lacks is the Machiavellian thinking and strategizing. He seems to view the reality as black and white, and blissfully ignorant of the gray area where life is enacted day and night. As of now he is getting support from all walks of life, he need to bring in established players like Ram Jethmalini into the think-tank and formulate his strategies carefully. He should not forget that politicians are politicians no matter to which party they belong, accept the support and trust no one. He should master the art speaking two languages: emotional language with the masses and rational language with policy makers and the media. He is already a master of first but has to go a long way to master the second.

The opposition was given a golden opportunity; it is pity that they are not making use of it. They are behaving like children in the toy shop, not knowing what to choose. Ms.Shushama Swaraj dancing in the Rajghat was the comic scene of the century. They are like the emperor Nero who played flute when the Rome was burning. They are acting like picnickers in the battle field. It is perfectly understandable when one rejoices at the misery of his enemy, but a true politician should put up the act of a concerned wise man who is sorry at the misery of the enemy and play the lead role.