Will Broom Sweep India Clean?

Death knells to Incorrigible Traditional Parties?

 

          Dare and hope! Go national hoping against hope! Victory is for the young, energetic, honest, upright and transparent! All should join hands with this humble, hard working team, untouched even with a trace of arrogance, to succeed.

Dr.James Kottoor

             Anyway who is Kejriwal just 45, who passed the acid floor test vote on Jan.2^nd? A secular politician  or a spiritual Guru --  secular with a  streak to serve the underdog like that  of a Nehruji  calling  himself  the first servant of the nation or  a God-sent Guru, humble and  simple like a Pope Francis calling  himself a sinner?

           He prides to present himself as  a street worker with broom in hand to sweep away  the glut of dirt in the  stinking political highways of India  while onlookers look aghast at  this  unimpressive  lean and lanky  David  not only challenging  but emerging victorious  over Goliaths who dominated  political space in India for over 60 years, and so are tempted to shout: ”Here is Messiah of the masses!”

           Listen to his own words countering political arrogance and puffed up pride with spiritual strength: "Sometimes I am very scared as people have pinned their hopes on us and I pray God to give us courage and keep us on right track so that we don't commit any mistake." But on which track  and to do what?  To show, honesty is the best policy even in politics. "The politics of this country had destroyed everything but in these assembly elections the people have shown that honest politics is possible. Elections can be fought with honesty and won with honesty," he had explained in his victory speech on Dec.8.

        To soar to greater heights he exhorted his fans: "In the past 60 years, the distance   between the Aam aadmi and the Amir (rich) aadmi has grown. To end it, traditional politics must die and be replaced with moral and modern politics which we represent. I request my party ministers, MLAs and workers to never be conceited and arrogant. Our struggle will go waste if our MLAs and ministers become arrogant. AAP was formed to overthrow the arrogant parties and I don't want another party to come up to put an end to our arrogance...our volunteers should be humble since we are Desh Sewaks. We didn't come here to become chief ministers or ministers but to serve the country and we should never forget that we are Sewaks." Words of a politician or an upright, God fearing spiritual Guru?

Atheist turned Believer

        He said this in spite of his not being a believer in God once.  “Yes, I was once an atheist. But look at our movement in the last three years. Is it possible to go from where we were to where we have reached today without divine support? ....Of course, with people's support. But that wouldn't have come unless there is also a divine role,” he had told Times of India in an interview as reported. He repeated the same after the floor test on Jan.2. ^”Common man's victory in elections has made me have faith in god. I never used to believe in God but after December 8 AAP victory, a miracle happened. I started believing in God.”

 

         When God (or Truth) is with you and you are with God, who can be against you?  Before joining Anna movement he was working also with Mother Theresa for some time. That also must have influenced him for a change of mind in him.

 

        To another question from TOI he answered: “I can't say how long this government will last because it will be there on their (Congress) support but whenever it falls and there will be re-election.  I see AAP winning that with an overwhelming majority (not the personality-driven Congress or an ideology-driven BJP). If Delhi does away with the lal batti culture, people in other parts of the country will ask their ministers to follow our lead. When I refuse to stay in a bungalow and live in a flat, it will be expected of other leaders too that they live like the aam aadmi. It's by our performance that we will campaign in the Lok Sabha election....”

Six Months Assured

      As for the duration, after the present floor test victory, it is now assured for six months since a no-confidence motion cannot be moved within six months of another. But in renouncing lal batti culture, security and princely bungalows, whom is he imitating if not a Pope Francis, unknowingly perhaps,  who has been doing the same to inspire the whole world, even though  the majority of bishops in India refuse or are reluctant to imitate him or pretend not to have seen or heard him. But among the political class here, both Congress and BJP are already aping Kejriwal on security, Lal batti and poor friendly programmes. The CM Vasundara Raj of Rajastan has cut down her security by half and is moving to a less posh accommodation. In Maharastra they are asking for a cut in electricity and water bills.

 

       As for me, I personally had fallen in love with Anna Hazare’s anticorruption team from the beginning, more with Kejriwal, Prasanth Bhooshan and  Yogendra Yadav for their honesty, sincerity, transparency, democratic spirit and clean image than with Anna himself due to his infallibility complex or with Kiran Bedi due to allegations about her inflated travel bills. I have written several articles on them. When Aam Admi political party appeared on the horizon brandishing a worthless broom that sweeps clean nonetheless, I could not resist not joining it just because it was more a people’s movement  of honest aspirations and an uprising to achieve them, than a political party, since I never could be a card carrying member of any of the political parties – all corrupt, none clean. 

       And why? “Lastly, my Lord and my God Jesus, deign to use me today as a broom, but a broom held in your holy hands, your powerful hands, your hands that shower forth graces and blessings only, in order to sweep clean all the nooks and corners of my today’s ways according to your holy will. Amen.” For the last 15 years, this has been my daily morning prayer, “USE ME TODAY O LORD”, starting with: “Deign to use me today as your Ass carrying you on my back to the lime light of today’s modern world….”and ending with what is cited above, for light, strength and courage to act aright in church and society. (See, “Use me Today O Lord,” & my daily prayers in website: http://sites.google.com/site/jameskottoorspeaking/)

Must Go National

       Will the aam aadmi  now spreading its wings to four corners of India with its 18-point people friendly agenda come out victorious in   the approaching national election and wipe out corruption from this land of Dharma? To those who love GOOD everything will turn out for their own good, because every thing – what happened, happens and will happen – is good and for good as Gita teaches us. Besides the power and prayer of one addicted to  Nishkamakarma  should be: “Lord give me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the strength and courage to change things I can,  and the wisdom to know the difference.”

          Perhaps this prayer of the Red Cross could have prompted Francis Papa to visualise his “Poor Church for the poor” as a Field Hospital busy with caring for the wounded, dying, abandoned and uncared for and not worried about faith and tradition, moral or doctrinal definitions and least of all with legal niceties of Canon Law, Oriental or Occidental. Can you imagine, recently he even said that one should not be afraid of making mistakes or even committing sins instead of refusing to act for fear of committing a mistake which is a worse mistake because : "Life is complicated; it consists of grace and sin. He who does not sin is not human."   But corrupt church men and politicians hitch on to legal loop holes like “not proved guilty by court” to prolong in undeserving offices even when they are caught in candid cameras doing  dastardly deeds. 

Prayed for Public Figures

            On three occasions I was instantly and instinctively prompted to pray for public figures. First was when Barak Obama was campaigning for US presidency and the prayer was that no crack pot may put a hole through his head. Second was when Francis Pappa started on his shockingly and scandalising (for the too Orthodox)  simple, humble life style as a commoner, that he may not face any untimely death. And the third was when Kejriwal said good bye to all police security our politicians demand and delight in having, that he may be kept out of harm’s way to accomplish his cleansing mission with his broom. Not that my prayers are of any worth or will work wonders.

           Honesty, humility and Jesus-like transparency (I have spoken always from house tops, Jesus said)   are very very rare commodities to be found both among admired politicians or adored god-men today. But when these humane human traits are unearthed and unleashed for all to see, a tsunami of public support from across the globe in today’s interconnected internet world is bound to gush forth because the number of honest, humble, simple, hard working people ready to put their whole of “widow’s mite” to help the poor and needy, believe it or not, is astronomical, much, much more than the number of arrogant, crooked socio-political-religious leaders we have, all out for profit and exploit the week and ignorant.

           The proof is the outpouring of donations Aam Aadmi’s transparency is deluged with. It is now Rs.17.5 lakhs per day while it was just 6-7 lakhs till Delhi elections, according to reports. And remember they had earlier asked the public to stop donating when they reached their target. Have you heard of any outfit on earth, worldly or other worldly, having said: “Please stop sending money”? Now that they need money to go national,   the catchy slogan is: “Donate Rs 2014 in the year 2014”  dreamt up by the young, inventive  group in the AAP. And it is working wonders to find voluntary donors not seeking a quid for quo but public good alone, that of achieving a corruption free India.

          The huge crowds that gathered at  his swearing in ceremony came on their own and at their cost, unlike the paid pipers political parties bring together for such functions.  Besides it is reported that the number of volunteers to join AAP, some of them quitting their highly paid jobs, is much more than the lean organisational structure the party can handle now.  But make no mistake AAP is going national and Kejriwal is not a PM candidate, though Yogendra had proposed his name, to spoil the electoral margins of the two top contenders, he doesn’t  even want to contest in the national election. He said it on Jan.4^th. Then why go national? To arrest both the corrupt parties on their track and help a third option to capture power, could be the game plan.

         So make hay, Aam Admi battalion, when the sun shines. Leap for the moon, for the unreachable heights and impossible excellence. Only when we strain for the impossible can we rest assured of reaching at least the possible and with divine help also the humanly impossible. “I plant, Apolo waters God gives the increase,” according to the Bible. Dare to do the impossible task providentially thrust upon you as  true Karmayogis and when you have done it  in the spirit of  Nishkamakarma, rejoice in whatever the Giver of all good tings gives you on a platter.

        Tail Piece: Late news: Kejriwal was about to move into a posh 5-bed government bungalow. Then came the thunder from the street: “From Rags to Riches?” Responding to such an outcry instantly he  cancelled the move, requested government to allot a spartan residence and decided to stay where he is now till that happens. Lesson: Unlike other politicians who act like Maharajas once elected, he listens to people’s cry and sets a commendable example. He went for congress support also in response to an opinion survey.

jkottoor@asianetindia.com, Mob.9446219203

 

+++++++++++++++++