VIEWPOINT
In the age of absurdities, everything is possible. Priyanka Chaturvedi in the Shiv Sena – so what?
Avijit Pathak is a Professor of Sociology at JNU, New Delhi.
In an age in which politics is consumed like a product, and political parties need ‘brand ambassadors’ for people like us addicted to television channels, Priyanka Chaturvedi looked promising. Yes, her English was good (what else does the metropolitan audience of the likes of NDTV/TIMES NOW/REPUBLIC need?); as a Congress spokesperson she ‘performed’ quite well, particularly at a time when the triumphant BJP was doing everything possible to eliminate the ‘opposition’ from the country; and above all, she seemed to be ‘graceful’, especially when one compares her with the over-confident noisy Sambit Patra.
And then, as a woman with ‘conscience’, she raised her voice of dissent against the goons inside the Congress – the way with their brute masculinity they tried to humiliate her. Yes, we were touched; we liked her position. Possibly, as she alleged, the party didn’t prove to be sufficiently sensitive; those goons were back again in the party. This too is not surprising because at one level, despite ideological differences, all the dominant parties look similar in terms of the celebration of money/muscle power. And she has every reason to be shattered.
She resigned, left the Congress. But then, when the ‘festivity’ of the elections is all around, the drama doesn’t end easily. Suspense – thriller – and then the ultimate surprise! Priyanka Chaturvedi has finally joined the Shiv Sena.
Perform and Marketize: Good Luck, Priyanka!
Yes, as it is said, in politics everything is possible. And as voters/passive consumers of politics, we are taken for granted. We are only required to see the spectacle, enjoy the magic show , and watch the noisy television channels. So accept everything: Pragya Singh as a reincarnation of the divine , Jaya Prada in the BJP, and Mr.Modi urging us to vote in the name of the martyrs. And yes, in this age of falsehood and absurdity, Priyanka Chaturvedi– what else can we do? We too accept you as a ‘woman with conscience’ finding the possibility of ‘feminist’ politics in the Shiv Sena. Possibly, with your fluent English, metropolitan sophistication and cultural capital, you will be able to convince us that Bal Thackeray was humane and tender; and Uddav Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray have been inspired by Simone de Beauvoir and Savitribai Phule; and never did they promote the goons and brute masculinity because they truly practiced what the feminists regard as the ‘ethics of care’.
The fact is that in the age of marketization and visual culture, politics is a career, a professional ‘performance’, an act of making oneself omnipresent. Yes, Mr. Modi himself is an extraordinary ‘performer’; in fact, young students from the National School of Drama can learn a couple of lessons from his dramaturgical performance and what sociologist Erving Goffman would have regarded as the technique of ‘impression management’.
Possibly, Priyanka Chaturvedi too was a ‘performer’; for so many years, like a ‘disciplined employee’ of the corporation called the Indian National Congress, she was selling a ‘product’–the ‘secularism’ of the Congress as opposed to the ‘communalism’ of the BJP. And now, it is yet another offer–the way bright MBA graduates change the companies for better prospects. So, she would now sell a ‘new’ product–the legacy of Bal Thackeray.
Why should you and I feel shocked? Do you feel shocked if a cricketer changes his side in the IPL? Or do you feel shocked if your son changes his job–from the Infosys to the Tata Consultancy? So don’t activate your conscience–the burden of ‘good’ and ‘evil’. Keep this luxury for the old-fashioned/ museumised Gandhi.
Congratulations, Priyanka Chaturvedi for your new assignment. Possibly, as a school student, you participated in the typical debate contest. You must be knowing what to speak in favour of the motion, and what to say against the motion. Till now, we saw you speaking in favour of the Congress. And I am sure, you will do an equally ‘excellent’ job as an ideologue of the Shiv Sena, and speak exactly the opposite of what you were doing till yesterday. This is the gift of ‘meritocracy’.
The Shiv Sena needs you because television channels need English-speaking orators like you. Or even the city of Mumbai can find a potential ‘representative’ in the new Parliament. This is called business.
