Sunday, March 22, 2009

Varun Gandhi - Pamela Anderson of politics

Babes in the woods…

Varun Gandhi is a babe. So is Rahul Gandhi. In fact, these elections are dominated by the Babe Brigade. Nearly all the newbies on the block fall into the babe category. Most are Pamela Andersons of politics, cashing in on the oomph factor. ‘Babewatch’ rules. Pamela had silicone in her breasts. Desi Babes have silicone in their brains. No issues. It’s sexy to be in politics these days. Especially if your surname is Gandhi. You can bank on the family name to save your butt after opening your mouth and stuffing both feet into it. As Varun has done with his recent hate speech. If jaws dropped, he didn’t notice them. Or perhaps, he doesn’t really care. This babe has made it to the front pages of nearly every newspaper , with tv channels greedily gobbling up every bon mot uttered by Maneka Gandhi’s beta. He himself insists love means never having to say you are sorry… and to hell with what civil society, the EC and others think of his outrageous, preposterous, provocative and - pardon the word – rabid comments. Mom Menaka has protected the interests of animals for years. She must know how dangerous a rabid dog is . What on earth was Varun thinking? He now claims it was a doctored cd that got the natives worked up. That’s a babe comment. He also adds he is proud of his faith, not apologetic about it and that he is a ‘Gandhi, a Hindu and an Indian in equal measure.’ Jai ho, bete. Bhagwan tera bhala karey.
I am not a Gandhi ( thank God for small mercies!), but I am also a Hindu and an Indian. Unapologetic on both scores. But I don’t want to cut off anybody’s hand or gouge out eyes to prove my credentials as either. Sensibly, the BJP has promptly distanced itself from the speech and the orator. But that’s the easy part. First you get an out of control babe to go out there and bak bak. Then the big boys back off leaving the babe to face the music. By then the damage ( or the dirty work) is done. Smart! But sometimes being over smart has a nasty way of back firing. As has happened in Varun’s case. This Gandhi Babe is looking bad as compared to the other Gandhi Babe, who dimples away prettily and sticks to the safe and narrow script. The faux pas so far have been harmless and largely inoffensive.Babe Rahul has stuck to the moderate path approved by Mamasita and other party veterans. He has not grabbed too many headlines, but his style of netagiri is distinctly different from his cousin’s. Which is not surprising given the political ideology of their respective fathers.
Gandhigiri is not the sole prerogative of these two families. But try telling that to the faithful. The scarey thought is that Varun’s bluster may pay rich, short term dividends. Just like his father Sanjay Gandhi’s once did many moons ago, when he instigated his mother Indira Gandhi to impose the Emergency ( surely one of the most shameful periods in modern India’s history). Sanjay found takers galore for his demolition drives and other autocratic moves to ‘improve’ Delhi. It was a short and tragic love affair, but ominous while it lasted. Perhaps Babe Varun’s minders are hoping he too will have the ‘Sanjay Effect’ on the gullible who might confuse his aggression and immaturity for dynamism and daring. One can only hope he remains in a minority of one . Someone should remind him that netas like Sanjay briefly streak across the political sky before burning themselves out and disappearing into a black hole. India has always voted with its head and heart and unfailingly chosen moderation over extremism. That has been the pattern so far. And chances are that is how it will continue. Bigotry and hate have been traditionally defeated by those who offered the middle path. That should give us all the hope we require to see us through the coming ordeal. Leaders who challenge democratic principles may succeed as regional satraps ( Narendra Modi, please note), but any leader aiming for national acceptancy instinctively knows it is just one thing that is going to do the trick this time - the promise of stability and security for all. The last two words are key – ‘for all’. Babe Varun has been misguided by his handlers. Winning Pilibhit may be comparatively easy. But winning the hearts of Young India will require much more than a baring of teeth.This babe’s bark had better be worse than his bite. Time to get rid of that silicone, sweetie.

37 comments:

varry said...

Wish politicians read this article of urs. :)

hitch writer said...

Seems you have posted the same thing 4 times or m i missing something....

for a change however the Election commission acted fast... we must ensure and nip this in the bud... dont let him get away with this and make him pay for it...

really....

we have enough of raj's muthalik's togadia's we dont need another varun ! pls

Rajesh Nair said...

Frankly don't know whether it is a good idea to have these 'babalog' in the Parliament. At least the last bunch shut their trap even though they did not do anything !

Lt Col Indrajit Gupta (Retd) said...

V for VARUN - V also stands for VILE; VITRIOLIC & VULGAR

Reflections said...

was wondering when u were going to react on this issue....
...and its quite mild when measured against ur usual posts..
But u've got ur msg across;-D

Kush said...

Vitriolic. Sarcasm at its very best. Where has this been published?! And you sure have courage to write like this... Don't you ever receive warnings by powerful ppl when you write like this?

I just googled some keywords in the article and have found this article published in the TOI's mobile version. Would love to see what the reactions are from various quarters.

Ankit said...

Wow! Thats what v call politically correct!

J P Joshi said...

Read it in the TOI, Bangalore edition this morning. A very hard hitting and factual account of our political scenario today. Jai ho, and Jai Hind.

Karan Bhardwaj said...

Varun Babe! Don't sell your cheap politics here! We are much ahead wiser of your 'Gandhi fame'.

Very interesting shobha! It made me laugh too!

Jogeshwar said...

Yes, winning the hearts of Young India will require much more than a baring of teeth. When will they realise such things no longer work?

naval said...

Varun babe had no other mean to expand his reachability other than playing a communal card just like many from the saffron groups had done b'fore.........

Shaunak Mukherjee said...

Satirical Verses, that's what this post should be called.
Had a good laugh on this!

To comment on what repercussions Varun's actions will have seems irrelevant now. The tides are too far in to change course on such issues I guess.

Anonymous said...

Shobha,

What can one expect from a character, whose father allegedly slapped the then President of India, and also his own Mother, the one who forcibly got young men .....under the Family Planning programs, buldozed shanties and was also responsible for the Emergency.
God help India, if we have a few more of these specimens here and in Parliment. Rest assured we would be going the Arab way, if not the Taliban.
We sure need more people to voice their disapproval of such elements.

Norman

Sidhusaaheb said...

Varun Gandhi could have been an ambassador for national integration, I suppose, with Sikh maternal granparents, a Hindu paternal grandmother and a Parsi paternal grandfather.

Anonymous said...

Varun gandhi just spoke mis heart. I know lots of people used to say these things (yes same thing). Whether it is old or young people, doesn't matter. And you also know this fact. I have lots of friend in Mumbai who scared alot after 26/11. When they used to scare when they see someone with beard. This is happened. This is fact. Fact remains fact, you can not change them.

You just thought that he made statement in favour of Hindu to gain cheap publicity. Thats really funny. He came in politics in 2004. At that time he wanted to contest election but BJP denied as he was just new at that time. Later on, BJP asked him to contest election but then he wanted to work for people. Why did he need cheap publicity as he is already working for people. He just voiced his concerns for the Hindu people in that region who were suffering.
Atleast he has courage to say that.
And when People from Congress, SP, Paswan's party do something for muslim, why dont media speak against them. Why congress always give some advantageous to particular religion when there is no need?
Thats what I think, he represents common man at the moment.

Another Kiran In NYC said...

So what exactly did he say and why cant I find his words on the net?

Desh Ka ladla (DKL, yaani ke Hamari Italian Bahu ka Beta.. haan woh apna Rahul) is coloring with lacklustre crayons within the lines. Maneka ka Ladla (MKL wahi apna ladla Varun)Piccasso ban-ney chala?

Anonymous said...

@Kiran:

Let me tell you scenario in Plibhit. Lots of Hindus were targeted in Pilbhit. He said something like this: if somebody lifts hand against Hindus, or thinks they are weak, there is nobody behind them, then I swear on the Bhagavad Gita that I will cut off that hand. Here, he did not mention about any religion.
Later on in his speech, he said:

Some people have such scary-sounding names... Karimulla, Mazharulla... If you ever encountered them at night, you will be scared.

As I told before, some of my friend in Mumbai experienced similar situation after 26/11.

And he also said: he has a little cousin sister, she saw some photos of people with beard on some banner and she said to him that "Bhaiyya, I did not know that Laden is contesting from your constituency".

Gr@t!F!c@t!0N H@ngEd said...

Let the barking (rabid) dogs bark....and the let the activist moms stop them from being kicked in the ass...as long as they enter the public regime, kick boxers (janta) won't stop.....

India has been very perseverent towards such petty issues which last no more than a day and no larger than getting a few TV channels their TRP raised high...(again for a day)...

At the end, these creatures end up calling 'alive fools' of the Mother Earth; while we sit, read a good article and laugh at their foolishness....

Mohammad Umar said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mohammad Umar Baba (Byline: Baba Umar) said...

I was waiting for news channels like India Today, IBN and Aaj Tak to blow up the issue. But it seems the more Taliban gaining ground in Afghanistan, more is the time spent on Taliban bashing. I wonder How long it will continue.

The Panorama said...

Loved this piece, like I enjoy reading most of your posts. You have a very ironic and funny way of putting your point across. Thanks for this post!

Bala said...

This is interesting ... hate ka jawab hate ....!!!!!!!!

I was trying to analyze how hate is selling like a hot cake in India. Someone in politics ( who is actually nobody) starts his hate campaign ... then what happens next is the guy gets support from some sections because he is totally on their side and ready to bash others .... so he starts getting the support of some people


But what media or writers and editors do ... they in turn hate this guy ... and at times it creates symapthies for such idiots who wouldn't have got it otherwise.

The core issue of working together is left out in the process ... no one else but electronic media has given rise to these sensational news... I guess media needs to exercise the control and completely ignore these stupid type of 24x7 news telecast and focus on what really matters to people .. I haven't seen any news channel analyzing and focussing on different candidate's backgrounds, what good or bad work they have done so far ... the news channel needs to be source of information for the people .. and not the source of violence oriented hindi dramas ...

I hope at some point the journalists will get it .. they have power to change how India thinks ...provided they use it in right direction.

Pritesh Patel said...

De, i expected more from you. Besides the take on class, i think you should have commented on her brand of politics as well. I too dislike Mayawati for the exact same reasons pointed put by you, but one expects more from a writer-activist.
This post is absolute crass; I am disappointed!

Sidhusaaheb said...

I wonder whether all those who've commented here about how Varun Gandhi touched their hearts with his alleged hate-speech (since he probably vocalised the hatred that they too have in their hearts for any one who practises a religion different than their own) are heart-broken now, since Varun is doing his utmost to prove that he never said anything of the sort.

If he, indeed, is a bigot, he certainly doesn't have the courage to stand up and accept as much. Howzzat?

:D

BTW, I read another blog-post on the subject at http://www.razarumi.com/2009/03/22/varun-gandhi-is-a-scary-bigot/ .

Priyadarshini Karanjai said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Priyadarshini Karanjai said...

outrageous- immoderate, shocking, grossly cruel
preposterous- utterly absurd, contrary to nature, reason and common sense
rabid- unreasoning, headstrong, fanatical...other meaning? dog infected with rabies..he he
credentials- evidence of a person's achieveness or trustworthiness
prerogative- a right or previlege exclusive to an individual or class

what u wrote was witty and correct(not politically) except for the last bit on Indira and Emergency.. but then, your view. i think he(varun) is trying to ape u and be politically incorrect. its not ur cup of tea varun baby. u need to sugarcoat if u desire to survive. now ape some diplomatic babe. go play.

sharad said...

With the latest controversy Varun Gandhi have emerged stronger, more mature. For a 28 yr old politician seeng the bottom level of politics and to be valiant indeed shows his Fighting Spirit. The furore and politics behind the whole episode saddens an ‘aaam Indian’ like me.

Varun Gandhi is charged with violating election code of conduct and spreading communalism(sic!). He is charged with inciting public with inflammatory speech. The charge that Varun denies. Although he insists that in India it has become fashion to brand communal anyone speaking for us Hindus.

Now I stand behind Varun. I would appreciate BJP and allies to stand beside him. Not to leave him alone to fight this ‘gandi rajneeti’. Infact we have the reason to doubt the entire controversy.

Why is the Election Commission so active in this case. When in the past violations by many leaders it has taken soft approach.
It is Varuns’ Mama who have released the CD’s. This ‘Shakuni’ mama had earlier fell-out with his sister Meneka Gandhi, Varun’s mother and have even contested against her on Congress ticket against her. This time also he manages to get the Congress ticket.
Why are CD’s released 16 day fter it was supposed to be made. The Mama insists that Varun is flaring communal tensions for the past couple of months then why no other CD is out to date.
Now news is that a cd with Varun distributing money to the electorate is out. What a sham!
CEC says it is onus on Varun to proove that the tapes are doctored. So will they apply the same criteria to other violations also.
Indeed to push the issue to limits would it not have been better to sternly warn Varun on future violations, when this had been done most of the times earlier.
Why the media is over-board. Are they motivated by someone in the ruling family, ahh ruling party!


When during the last Gujrat state assembly elections Sonia Gandhi said on Narendra Modi as ‘ maut ke saudgar’ it changed the scenario there and results are for everybody to see. To corner Varun for speaking for Hindus may lead to similar situation with National consequences...
http://omsherryom.wordpress.com

Uma said...

HAA HAA...Woman you rock!
Have hated many of your posts. Now you silence the critics with flair.

pressclicker said...

PRESS RELEASE IN SUPPORT OF VARUN GANDHI
>
> The Indian American Intellectuals Forum expresses regret at
> the no-holds-barred campaign of vilification and calumny
> unleashed by the entire ‘pseudo-secular’ establishment
> of India on Varun Gandhi, the BJP candidate for Parliament
> from Pilibhit in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India.
>
>
> Varun Gandhi is reported to have said in an election speech
> that “if someone thinks that Hindus are weak and
> leaderless... if anyone raises a finger towards Hindus -
> then I swear… I will cut that hand."
>
> This rare display of utter fearlessness and exemplary
> courage from the young BJP leader has echoed the simmering
> feelings of millions of Hindus all over the globe. For
> coming out openly to speak the truth, the Indian American
> Intellectuals Forum congratulates him.
>
> Judging from the unchecked spate of terrorist attacks on
> large metropolis like Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru,
> Jaipur, Varanasi, etc., in which the Hindus incurred the
> maximum financial damage and the huge loss of lives, there
> is a widespread feeling that the Hindu Nation is in a
> ‘State of Siege’ in its own country.
>
> Despite the bitter condemnation from the English language
> press, Varun Gandhi is being lauded all over India in the
> vernacular media. We suspect the slanderous crusade against
> Varun Gandhi is backed by certain anti-national elements for
> the sole purpose of demoralizing and demonizing this young
> would-be MP.
>
> It is worth noting that at the moment Hindu Nation is neck
> deep into an unprecedented crisis because of the double
> whammy of Islamic jihad on one hand and the pseudo-secular
> Congress Party politicians protecting even the high profile
> terrorists like Mohammad Afzal Guru, the convicted
> mastermind of Parliament attack, on the other.
>
> It is not hard to look around and see that most Hindus have
> already been religiously cleansed from the neighboring
> Pakistan; they have been either converted to Islam or simply
> killed. The same thing is fast happening to the Bangladesh
> and Kashmir Valley.
>
> In many other parts of India, Hindus are under attack from
> the Jihadists in collusion with the Maoists, Naxalites or
> other Marxist terrorists. (The recent murders of Swami
> Lakshmananda Sarasvati in Orissa and other prominent Hindus
> in Kerala are the gruesome reminders of this deadly
> combination).
>
> We have to understand that Varun Gandhi’s Pilibhit
> Parliamentary constituency is up north near the Nepal
> border. Thousands of Muslim mosques and madrasas have sprung
> up in the area. An extreme fear psychosis is created by
> Jihadi forces in the region. Several young Hindu girls have
> been molested and raped in recent times. Cow slaughter is
> going on recklessly on the streets in open.
>
> In the conditions, Hindus find themselves very unsafe. They
> feel persecuted. The local Hindu population is in a state of
> shock and bewilderment.
>
> All the above things are, obviously, happening under the
> very nose of young and vigilant Varun Gandhi. Instead of
> attacking him thoughtlessly, his speech describing the
> Muslim terrorist activities in the area should, on the
> contrary, be analyzed from the national security point of
> view.
>
> We do not see anything wrong with Varun Gandhi’s
> statement. Actually, his assertion that “I am a proud
> Hindu, I am a Gandhi and I am an Indian” should come as a
> breath of fresh air for all Indians in the suffocating
> pseudo-secular politics of India.
>
> We look upon Varun Gandhi as valiantly fighting like Veer
> Abhimanyu, the brave son of legendary Arjun of Mahabharatha.
> Our modern Abhimanyu has been encircled in a chakraviyuh
> (the deadly maze) and is being viciously attacked by
> Kauravas.
>
> The role of modern Kauravas is played by an unholy
> combination of the pseudo-secular politicians of country
> led by Congress party and other anti-national elements
> directly or indirectly shielded by this Grand Old Party of
> India.
>
> As such, we appeal to the Non-Resident Indians in general,
> and the Indian public in particular, to solidly stand behind
> Varun Gandhi, the gutsy young leader of the modern India.

As received in an email doing the rounds.

Anuja said...

"What is in a name?" Everything it seems. Varun is only the latest in a long line of bad - ass Gandhis. Indira, Sanjay, Rajiv... Jawaharlal Nehru's legacy to the country in the form of his offspring has become a curse. Indira's totalitarian rule, Sanjay's gangsta tactica, Rajiv's Bofors... Need I say more? Mahatma Gandhi was one of a kind and there will never be another like him. Lets make our peace with that, move on, and get rid of the imposter Gandhis.
For more scintillating views check out www.anujamouli.blogspot.com

wadani said...

I absolitey agree these hate mongers should be disquilified to contest any election

Anonymous said...

@Juanita.Albert:
Very right....but when we are talking in favor of Varun it does not imply that we are talking against any religion. But with pseudo-secularists politicians and media talking Hinduism is fundamentalism. OK your Islamist country where you are residing is very liberal but try speaking out against them, surely some fatwa would be waiting for you. So you will never dare it. But in India it is a fashion, a HS symbol to cricise Hindu and to pmper Muslims.
Now imagine how far this issue have gone. Varun courts' arrest. He has every right by constitution to do so. He is now charged with NSA. How shameful. But if I am feeling betrayed in my country, who cares ? Varun concocted CD will make Pak out of India....So what? India has already gone the Pak way when our ruling Congress Party cannot arrange security for IPL cricket tourney.
So Sir/mam, be an HS NRI and continue passing judgements. We in India will sort our things!

http://omsherryom.wordpress.com

Tejo Panini said...

"But I don’t want to cut off anybody’s hand or gouge out eyes..."
What if the hands are raised to kill you.Atleast you 'raise' your hands to protect yourself , right?Varun is refering to THOSE hands.
This is lost in media cacaphony.

Khanna said...

Hello Mam,
Nice article. I like the way you represent it. It is totally different style of looking at this case.I came across your article when i was browsing in

http://toostep.com

Ranu said...

Ms. De:

Kindly let us know when you might have the same courage of conviction in taking the ever so sophisticated Omar Abdullah to task in firmly aligning himself the protector of valley muslims on the parliament floor with a thunderous 'apni zameen ke liye laade' while claiming to represent all of Kashmir (there is a fast diminishing Hindu minority there you know, in case it slipped your attention). Also I would like to know your opinion on Abdullah senior predicting dire consequences for the nation and judiciary if an enemy of the country who attacked her icon of democracy was meeted out his court ordered punishment after a trial.

I among a lot of other Indians would like to know who these people are whose commitment to a convicted enemy of the country so trumps any regard for her democratic institution they will resort to violence and killing and unrest, and why are they not behind bars along with Mr. Farouq Abdullah under NSA for his egregious support and advocacy of this dangerous sentiment.

If you have already written about the above stated, hopefully with the same alacrity and chutzpah you have shown on jumping on Varun Gandhi, let us know where we can have the benefit of the pearls of your wisdom. It does not appear to be on your blog.

Also, while you are at it can you direct me to the sources of your inside facts (where by facts, I mean facts not assertions packaged in outrage and partisan opinions) on Varun Gandhi's hate speech - all I have had access to so far is the same brief clip a 100 times over, where I can't really hear clearly from the horse's mouth with the voice of the ibn commentator interrupting with her commentary on what is being said, telling us what to think.

I hope this request will not automatically make me a Hindutvavadi fanatic in your mind..or is that too much to ask?

Thanks much.

Unknown said...

ya that cannot be altered...

Work from home India

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