Overrated Chanakya

Realpolitik works on realism and pragmatism. With many uncompromising characters and groups involved, the political scenario is presently too complex. It is bursting with many options, possibilities and pitfalls to stitch together a political opposition. No one is realistic, pragmatic.

One should have abilities and credibilities. If not, even Princes cannot succeed. If Pawar is a real Chanakya, why has he not made his daughter a Queen or Ajit Pawar a King? Akhilesh will not be Mulayam, Tejashwi will not be Lallu, Abhishek cannot be Mamata. That is reality.

Pawar knows the depth and realities of the problems involved. Old age does not end ambitions but blunts vision. So he talked to strategist Prashant Kishor to explore possibilities. He may help to some extent. But he will not be able to succeed in this assignment, if engaged.

Pawar has to deal with firebrand Mamata, wean away Stalin whose party has time-tested relationships with Congress; parties like SP, RJD, AAP with limited jurisdiction but unlimited ambition. They have different characteristics and local challenges to encounter. 

How are they going to trust Pawar? What great motivation will they have in toeing his line? Can they ignore Congress? All have a mind of their own. They will not yield so easily. That is why he needs a strategist who has a working, professional relationship with most of them.

Pawar would prefer traditional, political ‘power tools’ to modern operators if age is on his side. He is a man in a hurry with a much-harried path to achieve his mission. He also has to tackle Congress. But the operator he opts for is not a great magician to do the rope tricks.

Over-smart Strategist

Prashant Kishor is an over-smart strategist or operator with technical tools, statistics, theories and half-truths. He has intellectual imagination, visualisation rather than vision. These strategists may look apparently honest and not transparently so. Their claims are doubtful.

There is too much euphoria built, but their successes are to be studied in-depth. PK’s ‘Khat pe Charcha’ UP election campaign with Rahul in 2016 ended in fiasco. It was worse event management, typically an artificial approach of an intellectual far away from reality.

One cannot give too much credit for his reported or claimed successes in securing wins for YSRCP, AAP, TMC, for Congress in Punjab, Mahagathbandhan in 2015 in Bihar. They were all one-sided contests. Congress was almost nonexistent or withdrawn in Andhra, Delhi, Bengal.

The contests were BJP vs others and TDP vs YSRCP in Andhra. The spectacle of storm and fury in Bengal elections was due to the personalities involved and their fiery campaign style. The final vote percentage is very much similar to those in Delhi, Andhra.

The recent win of DMK was not due to PK. It had earlier swept the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with the same alliance of Congress and others. Further, the near-sweep of the Kongu belt by AIADMK in Tamilnadu does reflect negatively on the work of the professional strategist.

The idea of engaging a strategist now for the Lok Sabha elections of 2024 appears to be impractical. What will happen in state elections before that is far more important. The scenario may change entirely. What strategies can one plan now? They can play it live if they are alive.

What is the actual utility of these strategists and Event Managers? We do not learn even after suffering for seven years from Modi, the Great Event Manager and his creators in 2014. We are still crazy about engaging one such manager without understanding the truth and reality.

We neither need Chanakyas nor strategists. They mainly indulge in all tricks to fool people, changing their perception, clouding their vision with half-truths and lies. The best and shortest way to earn a good name and trust from people is to be good and trustworthy. Rahul has it.