Yogendra Yadav on Bengal politics: Illogical and monumentally silly

The West Bengal Assembly elections are solely weeks away and with the admittedly meteoric rise of the Bhartiya Janta Party within the state, it’s not troublesome to think about absolutely the and thorough panic assaults that your complete ecosystem is likely to be experiencing. Mind you, there’s completely no assure that BJP will be capable to clinch a decisive victory within the state, however the rise, the sheer rise has despatched sure parts inside the ecosystem right into a quite unusual spiral into insanity. One such panic assault was detailed in The Print, owned by Shekhar Gupta, written by our very personal Icchadhari protestor, Yogendra Yadav.
Article by Yogendra Yadav in The Print
In this unhinged ramblings of a presumably mad man, Yogendra Yadav, who appears to have made the swap from a newly anointed farmer chief to a political analyst but once more, primarily tells folks that they must be scared concerning the 2021 Bengal elections, not as a result of who would possibly win ultimately, however what the method of those elections would do to the state.
In a surprising show of simply what an abomination one man will be and likewise, how incompetent (contemplating earlier than turning into an Icchadhari protestor, he was once a failed psephologist), he really is, Yogendra Yadav has this to say:
Article by Yogendra Yadav on Bengal elections in The Print
He first says that BJP has an ‘outside chance’ of successful Bengal because it did quite badly within the final meeting elections. He then says that there may also be a scenario the place they arrive “so close, yet so far” and therefore, might primarily take pleasure in violence. First and foremost, this text offers me a greater understanding of why Yogendra Yadav was compelled to show into an Icchadhari protester – there’s completely no probability he might have made a profitable profession in psephology with such idiotic statements. Secondly, it offers us a peek into the beating his psychological well being appears to have taken over time – altering careers ever so typically can probably result in some type of cognitive dissonance that we see a mirrored image of right here.
Beyond the jibes, nonetheless, it’s important to know how Bengal politics work. When the TMC routed the Communists, it was following the precise trajectory that BJP has adopted. A horrible meeting efficiency, adopted by a good electoral efficiency and culminating in a clear sweep of the state. Electoral politics isn’t like fixing a easy equation the place LHS equals RHS. It shouldn’t be about Lok Sabha seats translating to Assembly seats to the decimal.
But, after all, the attractive thoughts of Yogendra Yadav is maybe too fried to understand such nuanced ideas – or maybe – that is simply him being devious. I depart that call to the readers.
Essentially, Yogendra Yadav began by saying that BJP has had a meteoric rise within the state. He then went on to say that they haven’t any probability of successful the state and ended with “it might be a close fight and hence, they might indulge in violence”. A mark of psephologist – all outcomes laid out neatly, so matter what the result’s – he will get to say ‘I told you so’.
What comes subsequent is much extra hilarious.
Yogendra Yadav lists 4 prospects that he appears to be paranoid about:
Raj Bhavan turning right into a BJP HQ as a result of the present governor is partisan. This would, in accordance with him, lead to a slugfest to regulate the native forms. Yogendra Yadav says that the credibility of EC is compromised within the eyes of the general public and on this election, its neutrality issues essentially the most (it does in each election, however then once more, this text has been written by Yogendra Yadav). He additional says that “this is where the Commission might come under pressure from the ruling party the most” – he doesn’t clarify the logic behind this tenuous conjecture. The central authorities is likely to be tempted into utilizing the powers at its disposal to neutralise the strong-arm ways of the TMC cadre on the bottom, for which the BJP has no match at this second. There are fears of blatant partisanship on polling day.He says that “BJP has already begun and is likely to pour money on a scale that West Bengal has never known before”. Divisive politics Now, allow us to briefly analyse Yogendra’s worries one after the other.
1. Raj Bhavan appearing partisan is a foolish conjecture that should be summarily ignored. According to the cabal, he’s being partisan as a result of he doesn’t keep mum concerning the violence being unleashed by TMC.
2. The article doesn’t precisely clear how the EC would possible be beneath extra stress from the federal government when he says that that is an election the place EC’s neutrality would matter essentially the most. But as I mentioned earlier, Yogendra Yadav is a senseless rabble-rouser. For him, the logic of his argument does probably not matter so long as it results in chaos. Sadly, we are able to’t actually evaluate him to The Joker both, as a result of the latter really had the posh of being extraordinarily clever.
3. In this argument, Yogendra Yadav is definitely apprehensive concerning the central authorities utilizing “its powers” to counter the violence by TMC. Let me get this straight – Yogendra Yadav is apprehensive that the central authorities would possibly attempt to cease TMC from utilizing violence. Ah! This abruptly all is sensible. This article is supposed to be a basis for the cabal to scream about how the elections are being “rigged” if the paramilitary forces, 150 models of which have already landed in Bengal – attempt to guarantee free and honest elections with out interference by different events. So Yogendra Yadav right here admits that TMC will take pleasure in violence on polling day, however is apprehensive that the central authorities will use its powers to cease the violence and therefore, he thinks polling day would find yourself being ‘partisan’.
4. Yogendra is extraordinarily apprehensive that BJP will spend bundles of cash in West Bengal – he has no proof for it, however he’s apprehensive nonetheless. He is prepared to disregard the a number of documented circumstances of voters being paid off by the TMC, Congress, AIMIM and the Communists, however he’s fearful concerning the BJP.
5. And thus, we come to his favorite schtick – communal politics. Mamata Banerjee screaming bloody homicide when she hears Jai Shree Ram shouldn’t be communal politics. Mamata Banerjee’s numerous minority appeasement schemes should not communal politics. Owaisi speaking in opposition to Hindus shouldn’t be communal politics. BJP chanting Jai Shree Ram is. Sure!
Essentially, on this article, Yogendra Yadav is dog-whistling. He is laying down each asinine argument that will be utilized by his cabal to cry hoarse after the Assembly Elections. If the BJP makes inroads or wins, they’d say it was as a result of BJP purchased the votes, the EC was partisan, the governor was partisan and the Modi authorities crushed dissent with paramilitary forces (this could after all imply that the forces didn’t let TMC, Congress or the Left take pleasure in violence and rig the elections).
Frankly, I don’t disagree with him so far as his primary premise goes. No matter who wins, the method of elections in West Bengal has at all times been a priority. In the 1972 elections that he alludes to at the start of his article, Congress and CPI gained the meeting elections, using on the recognition gained by Indira Gandhi publish the 1972 Bangladesh liberation conflict. the CPIM misplaced miserably. However, there have been a number of allegations of rigging. There was gunfire, unbridled violence to both cease individuals from voting or drive them to vote the Congress means.
In a Telegraph article, it’s famous:
“There was gunfire and bombing. The Congress had taken complete control of the election set-up and was freely rigging the polls,” mentioned Gopal Banerjee, 56, a CPM chief from Baranagar who had accompanied Basu on a spherical of the constituency as an 18-year-old that day. “Jyotibabu visited a few polling stations and decided to withdraw his candidature. ‘This cannot be tolerated,’ he told us,” Banerjee mentioned.
While blood has at all times flown low cost in Bengal and political violence has been rampant, it was peachy to consider Jyoti Basu pontificating about it. To put it mildly, Jyoti Basu is the mass assassin that India forgot. in 1997, Bengal’s Home Minister admitted on the ground of the Assembly that 28,000 political murders had occurred in West Bengal for the reason that starting of Jyoti Basu’s rule. And who can overlook the Marichjhapi bloodbath? Deep Haldar, who wrote a e-book on the bloodbath says in an interview, “Why the government suddenly became desperate to send refugees back to Dandakaranya remains a mystery. Jyoti Basu was like a dictator. He probably couldn’t digest the fact that they were disobeying his orders. It was his hurt ego, nothing else”. In the bloodbath, hundreds had been murdered, raped, buried at sea, humiliated and pushed off. It was all accomplished beneath the watchful eyes of Jyoti Basu.
Essentially, Bengal politics has at all times been marred by violence – blood-curdling violence.
Only 2 years earlier than the 1972 elections in Bengal that Yogendra Yadav remembers with such worry, a mom being force-fed rice soaked in her son’s blood. In 1970, the Sain Parivar was a outstanding household in Bardhaman which supported the Congress get together. The household had refused to affix the Communists regardless of the quite a few threats that had been issued and for his or her conviction, they suffered break.
On seventeenth March 1970, a mob of CPI(M) employees, allegedly led by a person who went on to change into a Minister within the state no much less, barged into the home, set it on hearth and dedicated probably the most horrendous crimes within the historical past of Indian politics. Two brothers of the household, Pranab Kumar Sain and Malay Kumar Sain had been hacked to dying in entrance of the relations.
A non-public tutor, Jitendranath Rai, who had come to show the children within the household was hacked to dying as effectively. Later, the mom of the slain brothers was pressured to eat rice smeared with the blood of her useless sons. Words can’t ever seize the horror that transpired in Sainbari that day.
One of the daughters-in-law of the household, Rekha Rani, now round 75 years previous, recounted the horrors of the incident in an interview with Indian Express. She mentioned, “My brothers-in-laws Pranab Kumar Sain and Malay Kumar Sain and Jitendranath Rai, a private tutor who had come to teach the kids, were hacked in front of my eyes. I was 26. It all began at 7.30 am… people started pelting stones at our house. Later, they set it on fire.” “My mother-in-law, Mrignayana Devi, tried to stop the attackers but she was hit on her head. Two attackers mixed Pranab and Malay’s blood with rice and forced it into her mouth… She was taken to the hospital… she survived,” she added.
This was solely two years earlier than the meeting elections, that Yogendra Yadav speaks of. However, he fails to say it. He says that 1972 was a blot on the opposite clear document of West Bengal holding honest elections. Fair? What was the try right here, one wonders? My readers know for a incontrovertible fact that I’ve completely no love misplaced for the Congress, however guilty Congress for the beginning of political violence in Bengal is deceitful, to say the least. The communists began the cycle of violence that has continued to this present day. That Yogendra Yadav refuses to say the path of blood that has been left in Bengal, makes him both silly, ignorant or plain malicious.
While whitewashing the atrocities heaped by the Communists, Yogendra Yadav additionally whitewashes the TMC and, lo and behold, finally ends up expressing his ‘worry’ about what the BJP would possibly do within the state in its “desperation” to win Bengal.
These arguments are mundane and anticipated and due to this fact, my concern for Yogendra Yadav’s psychological well being has solely peaked. He couldn’t hack it as a psephologist. He couldn’t cowl his tracks within the Delhi Riots. In the farmer protests, he was tossed apart like a rotten fish by the Modi authorities and ended up with egg on his face when his comrades indulged in rampant violence. If he can’t even write a good opinion piece with out sounding unhinged and monumentally silly – what does he do subsequent?