Retributions  

Why Shashi Tharoor needs to go

The legal case against Shashi Tharoor is rather weak. While it may be argued that his associate Sunanda Pushkar has got a rather sweet deal in the Kochi consortium, sweat equity deals are not illegal per se. The involvement of Mr. Tharoor remains indirect at best—after all, for a politician still finding his feet in the rough and tumble of Indian politics, ensuring an IPL team for his state is no small coup. And if a certain associate of his benefited from the deal—well, it is one those cases sitting on the hazy boundary dividing ethics and law.

But as Greatbong points out nothing has been proven against Mayawati too. Reasonable minds may well argue that the cash-for-garlands is merely the reflection of her people’s affection for her. And the hard reality of politics is that money is essential for party operations. Mayawati clearly has monetarily benefited from her political success—her income tax returns are evidence enough—-but in a country where parties and governments are handed down generations as hereditary Jagirs, it is hardly the worst case of political opportunism.

But when evaluating Mayawati and Shashi Tharoor, what clearly needs to be taken into consideration is the differing nature of their political careers. Mayawati with no family connections or political background, has built her party almost single handedly. Whatever the nature of her relationship with Kanshi Ram—she is no Kusum Rai–she was BSP’s most powerful leader even when her mentor was still alive. For a single women—a dalit ke beti no less—to achieve what she has in an essentially feudal UP politics is no mean achievement. And the infamous UP guesthouse case where she was molested by goons sent in by Mulayam Singh Yadav remains one of the worst incidents of political violence in independent India’s history.  Mayawati has endured much. It is not to defend her corruption or utter lack of interest in governance—Retributions has been extremely critical of her in the past—but middle class’ standard response to politicians like Mayawati is a shrug of the shoulder and the question: What else you expected?

Shashi Tharoor on the other hand has lived a charmed political life. Parachuting straight into Kerala politics from his global gigs, he won a Lok Sabha election taking advantage of a Congress wave across the state. And then was offered the high-profile ministry. In a seniority conscious congress where political experiences are routinely measured in decades, Tharoor’s rapid rise has been surprising indeed. (To be fair, it may also be a source of jealously in the Congress party and Delhi’s chatterati.) To borrow a phrase from the lexicon of American politics, people like Tharoor are Carpetbaggers.

The success of  Shashi Tharoor cannot be attributed to political skills. ( Though to be fair he has brought some fresh perspective to the foreign policy establishment.) Rather they benefit from a fawning middle class which sees in their success a reflection of their own—Tharoor’s victory for instance was hailed as the return of “Anglophile politicians’ by Sagarika Ghose. That they can speak the same language helps. And the fact that they have gone to the same schools and colleges. As it does the fact that they are seen above the graft and nepotism characteristic of much of Indian polity. Contrast Mayawati’s hinterland politician with Tharoor’s suave self, and it is clear which side much of the middle class and the English media falls on. Even their lack of larger political appeal or inability to win electoral battles  is not held against them; it is simply a reflection of their exceptionalism.  They are People Like Us (PLU). They represent hope.

So when Shashi Tharoor is caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar—whatever the legal complications, the Kochi imbroglio raises troubling moral questions—two contrasting reactions are palpable. One is of utter disappointment; a feeling of being let down; and of betrayal. On the other hand, some point to likes of Maywati and question if a minor infarction is being given too much credence. After all, if everyone is doing it, should not we opt for the lesser devil—at least, the scheme is more sophisticated! Imagine Mayawati bothering with the niceties of associates and sweat equity and the legal mumbo-jumbo. A 70 crore garland would have done just fine for her.

Retributions sits firmly on the first side. Those who live by the sword must die by it. Tharoor cannot and must not escape by claiming to be Mayawati-lite. Worse, actions of people like Shashi Tharoor breed cynicism. The Great Indian Middle class has largely seceded from the Indian republic. Shashi Tharoor strengthens that process of disenchantment. All politicians, it appears, are indeed the same. That meme may make for great television drama but is ultimately dangerous for Indian politics.

With its burgeoning economy, and rapidly growing middle class, India needs more of its educated to take part in the political class. India’s polity needs the voice of its middle class. However, the representatives of new India cannot behave like the politicians of yore. And if they do, they must be dumped.

It is not the demand for purity—pragmatism is no crime—but is it too much to expect probity?