Kamlesh Singh / Tau@kkstau
Resignation Is Dead.
Stop demanding resignation. Resignation is a voluntary act, and voluntary acts require shame. Shame took voluntary retirement from Indian politics several elections ago. Expecting today's politician to resign is like expecting a politician to not divide the people. She/he won't, least of all Dharmendra Pradhan.
Demand REMOVAL. A minister serves actually at the pleasure of the Prime Minister, and displeasure is strictly the PM's department. Address your demand to the boss. And the boss serves at the pleasure of you, the voter, renewable every 5 years. That is the chain of command. Pull it. So what to do before the term's end?
Between you and the boss stands your own employee: the MP you directly elected. Make that employee work. March to their office, it will be more effective. Because it will be all over the country, not limited to Delhi's version of the Hyde Park. Your agitation will earn the adjective, nationwide. Force them to place your demand on record in the Lok Sabha. A slogan evaporates after the heat of the moment; a demand recorded in Parliament sits in the proceedings forever, waiting to embarrass someone at the right moment. The Member of Parliament cannot claim to have represented you. Formal language is required because democracy is a system, and systems are inherently formal.
Protest, absolutely. But protest with paperwork. Submit a written demand along with your placards. A protest without a document is just decibels, and decibels can be declared illegal by the nearest police station and dismissed by the party. Without paper, "the youth demand" shrinks into "a bunch of youth demanding". Lung power fades. Paper, in this kaagaz-obsessed system, survives.
And remember what the word democracy comes with: representative. In a representative democracy, you must represent, through the representative you elected, not through a self-declared spokesperson of "the people". Self-appointed voices of the nation carry the same official weight as self-appointed godmen. They have followers who will die for them, but to The benefit of the godmen. There will be some selfish tent-present populist poop who will get their moment of relevance riding on your back. You will go home. They will go home. The system won't change, unless you know the real levers. The system only hears you when you speak through the microphone it gave you: your elected representative, your vote.
The minister you cannot remove today, file him away for the queue where you hold absolute power: the polling booth queue. His resignation is his choice. His removal is yours. If you can't wait, demand accountability from the fellow, you elected. He/she is having fun standing, unseen in plain sight. Don't speak into the vacuum.
Speak to someone specific. Place specific demands. Your general dissent will be treated as general dissent. So, kudos for your passion and drive. It has happened before. It will happen again. A resignation, even if the despicable disaster does tender his, wouldn't solve anything, except calm your nerves. Ganja does the same. At the venue itself. The red flags have used the green stuff to enhance their delulu. So, go on. Hope something comes out of it. Hope is not a strategy though. Just a small reminder.
Now, you have two options: dismiss the above as quote unquote justification. WhatsApp uncle rant, boring Sanghi trope, use some expletives, and feel good OR think and support the cause you want to, oppose the government you want to, but give it what it takes. Value your emotions and give it all it takes. It will take a lot, so be ready to give it all. If you are looking for a leader, you aren't ready to be one. So, be led to wherever the leader takes you for a ride. Be happy. More in Part II.