A personal touch

A Personal Touch

The recent elections in the five states across the northern and eastern part of the country has found the Congress wanting. Various reasons are attributed to this lacklustre showing, some say that this is because the Congress did not project a Chief Minister candidate; others say the party had become too arrogant, still others talk about the wrath of the people towards the central government, its paralysis and seemingly stirring the corruption broth.

The Congress wanted to devise schemes and tell the people about them. In the words of Narendra Modi the Congress party is showing the lion its gun license upon being confronted, when it should be shooting the malice and doing so in a firm and decisive way. Various schemes of the central government have been rushed keeping in mind the elections and some of them have not been able to grow roots in the hearts and minds of the people leave alone deriving substantial solace in the form of subsidised food or wages as guaranteed. The schemes on paper or the ground will not be able to fill the empty and starving bellies rather practical implementation and unbiased distribution keeping siphoning and pilferages to the minimum.

Look at the BJP, whose chief ministerial candidates have done intense reaching out to the people around their individual states. The victory of the Rajasthan Chief Ministerial candidate and her party can be attributed solely to reaching out to the people, rather than offering doles to the people. The Madhya Pradesh Chief minister and aspirant had a personal rapport going with the electorate, that is why in spite of many cabinet colleagues being corrupt, he was able to sway the vote of the citizens to his advantage. The same goes for the Chhattisgarh Chief minister and aspirant who is perceived to be the man in touch with the people. Contrast this with the Delhi Chief Minister who was seen as progressive and forward thinking but lacked the common touch with the people.

She should take a leaf out of the Chief Minister of Kerala Oommen Chandy who is going out to the whole of Kerala and meeting people to know their problems and their woes. In every camp set up by him there is an unending serpentine queue of people waiting to see him and tell him their woes. Things that can be dealt with then and there are committed by the Chief Minister instantly. This has given a feeling of personal communication with the masses. The public conceives him to be a leader who reaches out to the masses and takes extra pain to mitigate their problems and redress grievances. The problems he faces and is accosted with during these camps are more often personal, nothing that falls within his chief ministerial duties, but a patient ear helps in drowning the tears of discontent and suffering. This is why all tantrums thrown in by the opposition LDF do not hold well and peters away in quick time. Mass contact programme should be more about meeting the masses individually rather than gathering them together at an appointed place and time and whispering sweet nothings in the garb of speeches.

Everyone is looking for a shoulder to cry on, and whoever offers one is considered a friend sympathiser or plain considerate. The end result or a positive redress of his/her grievance is not so important in comparison to a shoulder to lean on, a person who will listen to you, someone who would seem non-judgmental irrespective of the nature and severity of one’s cry.

 This is why the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Mr Y S Rajshekara Reddy is still sought after today in the garb of his son Jagan Reddy. This is why Arvind Kejriwal is successful; this is why Sheila Dikshit in spite of being entrepreneur, inspiring and a progressive Chief Minister failed to carry the voters with her. If the Congress party wishes to put up a fight in the general elections scheduled for 2014, this is what its chief ministerial aspirants and central leadership must do, keep pace with the aspirations and woes of the people. Console them, Lend a patient ear, provide a warm hug or a handshake, be seen in their midst, rather than announce doles and lord over them from far quarters. At the end of the day what an ordinary citizen wants is not someone who can take away all his woes, but someone who seems eager to take away his woes, and for that the congressman has to be seen, with and amongst the people.

 Robin Varghese -- robin_vargh@yahoo.com

16^th December 2013