Abu Azmi Oath Taking Fiasco: Raj Thackeray’s MNS Should Mend Ways
People have not voted Raj Thackeray’s MNS party into the assembly to create another soap opera. We have enough of these on the idiot box. Yesterday, November 8, 2009, was probably one of the darkest days in the history of Maharashtra’s Legislative Assembly. Abu Azmi, a Samajwadi Party Leader, who was earlier threatened by the MNS that he will have to face dire consequences if he did not take the oath in Marathi, started his oath in Hindi. MNS workers immediately started by snatching the mike away from him. In fact, some guy who could easily get the role a villain in any Indian film, actually uprooted the pedestal while Azmi was administering the oath.
After that it all got rowdy. It was so shameful to even watch the way people behaved, like absolutely uncivilized and illiterate bunch of people. Maybe they really are illiterate and uncivilized. My point here is not that: what I want to ask these MLA’s is “Did people vote you to power to do this?”. They cast their precious vote in the hope that you will fight for a better life for these people. I don’t think they care if Azmi took oath in Hindi, Marathi, English or Swahili for that matter! In fact they would care less if no one took oath, but really did what they are supposed to: “help people lead better lives!”.
Here, the MNS make a big deal of a non-issue, just because they want publicity. This is (dirty) politics at its best. They wanted to run a brand recognition campaign for their party. They want to be heard all over India. Well, their plan was a whopping success. Media was completely focused on this ugly incident, showing the slapping, the pushing and shoving over and over again, maybe 100 times in a minute – thanks to technology that lets you abuse whatever and whenever! TV media channels show these shots so many times, over and over again, it makes me throw up!
Now these MLA’s have been suspended for 4 years!. I do not know what that really implies, but if they are barred from the legislative assembly, how will they represent the people? Does it mean that the votes people cast for their candidates to come to power will be just a dead investment, even before they got started? Is this justice to the so many people who trusted that these people would make a positive difference to their lives? Who is accountable for such horrendous acts of violence and deception?
Would it now be better if Raj Thackeray, used this opportunity and focused on just 2 or 3 real people-issues and solved them? He could just take up the issues of creating hospitals and schools for the poor, setup more toilets in the slums, something that the common man on the ground can see and feel. Something they can relate to. Just getting your signboards in Marathi and oath taking in Marathi will not improve people’s lives. But getting health care facilities, sanitation, hygienic food, creating more jobs for people will certainly make a huge impact for his party. I think Raj is an intelligent person, he just needs to shed the “angry young Maratha” image and move on the 2nd stage of his political career. He has got to where he is by sheer ’street violence’ – but this cannot go on, people will not vote for his party next time, if they see that the MLA’s just know how to disrupt things and get publicity for his party without caring two hoots for the people they represent.
Raj and his MNS needs to make a real difference, something people can say “Raj’s MNS did this – they built this hospital and school. A lot of people can now get health care and education all because of this party”. Violence cannot take you far, you have this great opportunity, make real use of it. I also know that you already are a very wealthy man, then why not just get the wealth of “people’s blessing” by dedicating your party to doing some “real work for the people”.
I would have done that if I was in your position.
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