Pro-BJP or Anti-BJP: Why should I even choose sides?

I have been thinking this for a while now, more so since last night. We have reached a strange state of politics in India. A state where if you show even a little bit interest in politics, you are forced to take sides. You can either be Pro-BJP or Anti-BJP. You just cannot not choose sides. People on Facebook, twitter and media in general will label you if you yourself don’t choose side. There really isn't a choice you have.

If you praise PM Modi or any of his policies, work, etc. – You are Pro-BJP. If you speak in favour of AAP (or Congress for that matter but I haven’t seen anyone do that in the last one or two years) – You are Anti-BJP. If you express an opinion that ‘India is not intolerant’ – You are Pro-BJP (that is BJP’s stand, remember?) If you support ‘Odd-even Formula’ – You are Anti-BJP (that is an AAP initiative and not BJP’s). Even vice-versa is true. You are a BJP supporter – You must hate all Muslims and oppose allowance of marital rape or of scrapping of Section 377. You are not a BJP supporter – You must agree that there is no freedom of speech in India and must stand by Kanhaiyya Kumar even in his anti-national ranting.

But, why? I have not had any political party allegiance since many ages. In my late teenage and all through my twenties, I was absolutely indifferent towards political parties. It was only during the 2014 elections with the emergence of Mr. Modi on the national scene did my interest divert back to politics. I am very appreciative of his pro-development agenda. Similarly, I do appreciate the awesome work being done by his cabinet members Sushma Swaraj and Suresh Prabhu and I admire the orator-ship and persona of Smriti Irani. But I still am not a supporter of the BJP party or all BJP members despite the fact that I am widely referred to as one or made out to be one on social media. Actually, sometimes, I think in contradictions which might be confusing for others. For example, I cannot stand the hard-line Hindu nationalists and detest people who use any kind of religious connotations to make a point. How dare I do so because I am a Pro-BJP, remember? Didn't I support Modi in the first place. So now it doesn't really matter that I am upset why Mr. Modi doesn't shut these people up.

I prefer to call myself secular and not secular as in pro-Muslims, again the way the word is used in Indian political scenario. I mean secular as in ‘The Free Dictionary’ definition: worldly rather than spiritual; not relating to religion or to a religious body; and having no particular religious affinities. I believe in one supreme power called God and believe Ram, Durga, Allah, Waheguru, Jesus to be just a few of it’s names or forms that may be used to spread messages of love and ethical living. It’s good and easy to have names and stories to get the messages across and they all serve that purpose. But how can I think like that? BJP is not secular and they hurl a saffron flag. Saffron stands for Hindus and hence I must be against Muslims because their colour is not saffron, it is green. How does it matter that green is one of my favourite colours too as it connects me to nature. I am a Pro-BJP and I just cannot be secular. It is contradictory. Also, I must assume that all our government is doing is only for Hindus. How dare I disagree with that and rationally say that all their policies are for the nation and not towards people for any religion, or caste. Nowhere it is mentioned so. But I am appreciative of a few BJP members and their work (which they do for all and not just for Hindus), so it should be assumed that I am Pro-BJP and I will definitely also agree with all the stupid BJP agendas like beef-ban, ‘saffronization of education’ (as it is referred), etc. How can I voice any such disagreement, would I not become Anti-BJP then? And if I do, then I should not any more support Mr. Modi and instead support stupid policy decisions or morons like CM Kejriwal like his “odd-even rule” and “2000 advertisements per day” and “waiver of electricity bills for 1st anniversary of AAP govt.”. That is what a good Anti-BJP person must support; not initiatives like “Swachchh Bharat”, “Beti padhao, beti badhao”, “Make in India”. Uff? Is your head going in circles now? You know what I mean? How confusing it is?

Let us also give a thought to the most popular topic nowadays in light of this debate – the ‘intolerance’ debate. I am Pro-BJP (because I am a Mr. Modi supporter, of course), so I have to say that I believe India to be tolerant. Good enough, I have already said that because honestly, that is exactly what I believe. (For the record, I believe we have just too many examples of people belonging to various religions living together, working together and helping together and just because media chooses to highlight the few instances where they don’t do that, does not make my country as a whole intolerant.) Well, by saying that India is “tolerant”, I have proven my Pro-BJP tag. Now, I should not support likes of Rohit Vemulla and Kanhaiyya Kumar. Well enough. I do not support them. Good. That is exactly what Pro-BJP people should do. After all, these people are Anti-BJP. But hey… That’s not why I do not support them. I do not support them because their actions have been Anti-India and not Anti-BJP. Confused? Let me explain. No matter how tragic and sad Rohit’s suicide is, the fact is that he was a Yakub Memon supporter – the very Yakub Memon who conspired against my country and helped kill many of my fellow citizens. Rohit, and Kanhaiyya Kumar for that matter, were pleading mercy for Yakub or condemning Afzal Guru's hanging, respectively, and shouting slogans about India’s doom. That is why I do not support them. Anyway, whatever my reasons, that still makes me Pro-BJP. Then, as a corollary, I do not support Kanhaiyya Kumar also proves that I do not support ‘Freedom of speech’? Hello! That’s not what I said. Oh c'mon, only Anti-BJP people support ‘Freedom of speech’ and I am Pro-BJP. How can I support ‘Freedom of speech’ and still think people like Kanhaiyya Kumar are a serious waste of space? Because: they perpetually feed on national subsidies, call themselves messiah of the poor, and then enjoy privileges like air travel, iPhones, luxury cars which they have not earned and for which they have not contributed a paisa to the nation, neither in the form of an active employment nor in the form of taxes. I do firmly believe in ‘Freedom of speech’. The fact that anybody – I mean literally anybody: a student union member, journalist, writer, actor, sports-person, entrepreneur – can rise up and speak about “no freedom of speech in India” and “India being intolerant” speaks volumes of how free speech in India is and how tolerant my country is. And I don’t need to be Pro-BJP to say that.

The point that I am really trying to make amid all this confusion is, why do I have to be Pro-BJP or Anti-BJP? Why can I, as an individual, not have an independent opinion about things and issues? Why should I choose sides depending on whether BJP as a party or even a few BJP members individually have or not have the same opinion? Am I not an educated, thinking and rational human being able to analyse any issue for myself and take a stand. I do not need a political party to tell me what is right and what is wrong. More importantly, no political party can ever be all right and all wrong for the simple fact that it is composed of humans, each of which, like myself can choose differently.

Odd-even Formula is good for Delhi: 'For the motion' and 'Against the motion'

Just as Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s ambitious "odd-even" formula, aimed at reducing pollution and traffic congestion in Delhi, began its second run on the 15th of April, a friend reached out to me to help her daughter write a 3-minute long debate piece on "Odd-even Formula is good for Delhi". Interestingly, she first prepared her speech for the motion. Later, when she made it to the next round, she was asked to prepare her speech against the motion.

Since I helped her with both and since odd-even formula is up and running again, I thought why not share both the debate pieces here. So here we go:

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Debate piece 'for the motion':

The heart of India, Delhi, is reaching new heights - this time, however, it is breaking all records in increasing pollution levels and decreasing air quality. According to a WHO survey of 1600 cities, Delhi has the worst air quality of all major cities of the world. Actually, you don't even need to look at surveys to gauge the deteriorating condition. Just step out on the busy roads of Delhi and you can easily feel first-hand what that means. There are no two views about the fact that we need really urgent and drastic steps to control the situation.

The Delhi government introduced one such measure to immediately counter the Delhi Pollution - the now famous odd-even formula. What this means is that one is only allowed to drive cars with odd registration numbers on odd dates of the month and even registration numbers on even dates of the month.The whole idea was to cut down the number of cars on Delhi Roads by almost half at any given point of time. The intention was two folds:

     (1) Cut down on fuel emissions of cars; and

     (2) De-congest Delhi roads.

The odd-even formula that was implemented in January achieved stupendous success on both counts. Of course, there were reservations. You are already hearing the words of my dear friend who is putting his/her  heart and soul in trying to convince you that the formula is useless. But even they would have to admit that they saw near empty roads in Delhi probably first time in their life. Can you even imagine reaching our school all the way from Gurgaon in 25 minutes flat? Yes, my friends, my mom actually achieved that feat during the odd-even formula. As to air quality during the formula days, all surveys proved that ambient air pollution came down. You will at least believe the numbers?

Also, you will definitely agree with me that there were scores of other benefits achieved during the formula days. People went all out to use public transports, car pools, share cabs. They made friends, interacted more with others and in general fostered friendships and happiness. Moreover, people showed amazing discipline and patience. Now aren't these qualities we would like to encourage more and more? They also learnt the importance of environment friendly travelling like using the metro, opting for CNG cars instead of Petrol and Diesel, etc.

As for arguments of inconvenience and security of women, I think that the government itself had included all necessary provisions of exemptions to need any further discussion on the same.

Honestly friends, I am now looking forward to the next round of odd-even formula in April so as to again be able to breathe freely and relax. I am sure you all must be just as eager as me.

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Debate piece 'against the motion':

The heart of India, Delhi, is reaching new heights - this time, however, it is breaking all records in increasing pollution levels and decreasing air quality. It is true that pollution is at its peak in Delhi. According to a WHO survey of 1600 cities, Delhi has the worst air quality of all major cities of the world. It's high time we all did something about it before the situation gets out of control.

The Delhi government introduced an extreme measure to tackle the pollution, namely, the odd-even formula, where one is only allowed to drive cars with odd registration numbers on odd dates of the month and even registration numbers on even dates of the month. No matter how noble the intentions of the Delhi government and no matter how much my dear friend tries to convince you, the fact is that the plan was an absolute failure. All the analysis show that the air pollution levels, instead of improving, worsened during the 15 days. The web-portal 'IndiaSpend' shows that the air pollution levels had reached "severe" on 11 out of 15 days and were on the level "very poor" on remaining 4 days.

The reasons were simple: There were exceptions granted to two-wheelers which are the biggest source of pollution in Delhi. Moreover, women drivers too were allowed to drive all vehicles on all days which diluted the purpose. And, to top it all, they supplemented the shoddy public transport system with old and school buses which anyway were affecting pollution levels negatively. And they cannot shut down schools every time naturally.

The only positive effect was de-congestion of roads, which albeit was a temporary phenomenon. In case, odd-even formula becomes permanent or even frequent, this effect will diminish as people will adjust their behaviours accordingly. For example, they will buy second-hand old cars instead of new cars because they will then get to choose the registration numbers - if you already have even, buy odd and vice-versa. Older cars tend to pollute more. Then again, who knows there comes a thriving black market of CNG stickers. Also, it is a drain on public money. The government spends crores on advertisements and arranges traffic personnel and 'volunteers'.

There are many examples of odd-even formula being implemented in countries like China, Cuba, Mexico, etc. But, it may have shown results temporarily but nowhere has it been successful in the long run.

What Delhi needs are concrete permanent measures like dedicated green areas, special encouragement to battery and electric modes of transport, better public transport, etc. and not some mathematical formula that adds and multiplies woes for its citizens rather than reducing pollution.

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Which view do you agree to? Would you like to add to the arguments?

Five things you experience as an independent divorced woman

I have always been a part of the cultured educated world and I had always assumed that with education and global exposure, India has moved ahead leaps and bounds and progressed away from the chauvinist, sexist mindsets in our lot. But over the years I have realized – generally through my personal experiences – that most of this progress is only superfluous. Even among the so-called modern, liberal-minded educated lot, you would find many an orthodox and even perverted people.

Moreover, if you happen to be an educated, independent and divorced woman in India, you will definitely be exposed to above-mentioned attitude as you go ahead to experience the following:

1. People assume your life is miserable: I had some time back written a post about how the general attitude of all people – male and female – you meet and happen to disclose your divorced status to, suddenly demonstrate reactions ranging from sympathy to outright pity. It is a fact that general mindset is to assume that you are divorced, so you are living a miserable and a traumatic life. Seriously, why is it so difficult for people to understand that a divorced woman can also have a happy and content life. For a confident independent woman, a husband is a partner and not an anchor. She doesn't normally need a man in her life to save her. She can do very well on her own. Thank you!
2. Women assume you are on the look-out for men: In India especially, even to this day, the society binds a woman’s happiness and the meaning of her life to a man. So it is automatically assumed that a divorced woman is on the look-out for a man to emotionally cling on to. And not just a man, a much married man too. Moreover, at times all of a sudden your married friends become really protective of their husbands even if you talk to them with normal expected courtesy; as if the poor divorced woman has nothing better to do in life than to pounce over your husband and steal him from you. Honestly, your silly little husband is not some teddy bear that anybody can pick up and walk away with; and if it is likely to be so; then you seriously need to re-think your relationship with your husband. Also, even men need to understand that if a divorced woman is talking to you or being generally friendly, she is not giving you a ‘hint’ or ‘line’. Just because she is divorced you do not get the licence to flirt or assume that the woman may be interested in you.
3. Male friends and acquaintances suddenly become overtly friendly: This is just so common. Like I said, men simply assume that if a woman is divorced, they have a right to flirt with her. In fact, I can almost sympathise with their wives and can even somewhat understand why they may act so possessive of their husbands. Well... at least in case of some of them. Once a divorced woman, like me, is fairly open and casual about her relationship status, all of sudden their male friends and acquaintances become overtly friendly. One person I used to work with ages ago and whom I had never met or even talked to since then, one day found out that my marriage did not survive. Next I know, every few weeks he starts messaging me at odd hours in the night. “Hey, what’s up? Are you still awake?” Turns out whenever his wife is away to her parents’ place, he is conveniently reminded of me. It happened once, and then again. But, the third time over I stopped entertaining his messages irrespective of the no. of “Hi” he sent me; though I admit that the last time round he tried contacting me again, albeit in vain, I had a very strong urge to block him forever. Maybe the next time I will. However, the fact is that he is not the only one. There are many others – former colleagues or clients with whom you have only interacted formally until now; normal acquaintances you meet at social gatherings, workshops etc. They all suddenly develop this very special deep bond of friendship over Whatsapp and Facebook Messengers. Seriously, these messenger services are a sudden boon to perverts. And though I do not normally respond to any messages of my male friends at night and even during the day I generally chat with them like I would chat with my other friends (considering that some of them are colleagues or even family friends or related to my daughter’s friends and it’s not nice to simply block them or tell them off); it’s not like I'm a fool to not be able to gauge their intentions. Nevertheless, I very well know where to draw a line.
4. Friends and relatives are always curious to know when you are getting married again: Well, it is the job of the relatives to always pester singles with when are you getting hitched questions; but once you are divorced it becomes the hottest interest in your life for other people. Be it friends, sometimes even colleagues and of course your relatives who keep on asking, “Aur? Dobara shaadi-waadi nahin karni?” or “Fir se shaadi kab kar rahi hai?”. Some of them even tend to sympathise, “Don’t worry, you’ll definitely find someone nice, who will also take care of your daughter.” Oh come on people, get a life. And please let me live mine.
5. Co-workers and subordinates assume you are taking out the frustration of your life on them: This too is quite common. The moment you disagree with someone at work for anything, no matter howsoever trivial; the moment you give any kind of a hard time to anybody at work; and even if you are generally really nice and sweet to all other wise; the first reaction is, “What the hell? Apni life ki frustration hum pe kyun utaar rahi hai? Pati-wati se bani nahin aur saari khundak office aake hum pe utarti hai.” Yeah… My office colleagues and subordinates are serving as my favourite punching bag because I am just so pissed off with my life that I would not even consider trading it off with any different one.