Asaram Bapu Godman Should Find Vishram in Rajasthan Jail

Asaram Bapu Godman Should Find Vishram in Rajasthan Jail

Finally, after much drama, the self styled godman Asaram Bapu has been arrested by the Rajasthan Police and taken to Jodhpur.

Every political party has an underbelly of vote bank politics which they keep under wrap of some ostensible and openly presentable pretext. Parties like Samajwadi (S.P.) or Janata Dal (United) (J.D.(U.) do not even bother to cover up. The Congress Party clothes it in some fashionable socialist  or democratic designs. The Bharatiya Janata Party (B.J.P.) has no ready-made vote bank; what it has is an amorphous , mutating body of voters shaped by political dynamics the  times. So they have their belly shown bare under their saffron shawl. Then, Narendra Modi comes along and readily changes the shawl color in to a tricolor and make it a designer wear. People are fascinated and ready to make a vogue of it.

Leaders are there in every political party whose knees jerk and mouths blurt. The B.J.P. has one such in Uma Bharti, the samnyasin for all seasons. With all the yogic powers even Muni Durvasas could.not contain his uncontrollable anger, what then of poor rolled-gold samnyasini like U.Bharti when it comes to impetuosity! Like a quarrelsome bahu she had wandered in and out of B.J.P. house. There could be a huff and hue in the offing unless snapped or snubbed by the party High Priest Advaniji.. As robes come, Asaram Bapu's is not even saffron. His is pure white lie.. He apparently takes out the dagger he hides under that white cloak very selectively and not certainly in presence of fellow samnyasins.. Then how could have she, being also a politician, given a testimony for this 'Bapu'. For a party with an amorphous plastic vote bank such utterances could lead only to a melt down of their rank.

It seems crowd pullers have a numbing effect on the loose tongues of politicians. What else explains the reactions of muted tones, deafening silence, and cliches like "let law takes its own course" indulged in by the major and even minor parties? Even after Uma Bharti did a song and dance for the benefit of Asaram, the  B.J.P. bigwigs kept a studied silence, unfortunately leading the juveniles among the party to synchronize with that jarring tune till the genuine pulse-feeling Narendra Modi instilled some sense into all of them. Modi is the only leader in India now who is tuned to people's rhythm and beat. Others sway to pop and rock or to some cock and bull.


The very concept of a vote bank , especially in case of minority communities may have to be studied more. Gone are the days when religion dictated the political responses of the masses. Today the common man especially the middle class by and large are more bothered by means to keep up with Joneses in social status, and prioritize securing modern material comforts more than spiritual adherence at any cost. Religion does have a place certainly but there is a separate space for it. Even in our interior villages the living room or drawing room gets the best attention, and the prayer room is sequestrated untainted by drawing room overlap. More and more people are adopting a stand of god's due for god and devil's due for devil. Muslim observers particularly negate the existence of any Muslim vote bank. They say, Muslims vote like any other Indian voter and not en masse on religious cues. Much of topsy turvy political antics defying sense and propriety will disappear once this reality dawns on our political class.

Meanwhile, the godman turned fraudman Asaram was running amok like a fugitive without vishram. As is the wont of things happening to ordinary folks, Asaram should have been booked many days back. Let him now find ultimate vishram in jail.