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Assembly elections 2018: Ah! To comment on fluctuating fortunes

Delhi, IndiaWritten By: Amit ChaturvediUpdated: Dec 07, 2018, 04:09 PM IST
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File photo. Photograph:(Zee News Network)

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There is a streak in people who rejoice when Humpty Dumpty has a great fall, but insist that rise and fall are the part and parcel of leadership.

The election season is reaching its climax. Today, the power corridors and media fraternity are busy discussing the fortunes of BJP and Congress in the assembly elections ahead of the results.

The common theme interwoven in almost every discussion is whether the BJP will lose, will be 'taught' a lesson and so on and so forth. The BJP, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being judged for every decision the government has taken in states ruled by it.

These discussions evoke a lot of interest among people because it entails the fall of a leader.

Everyone who has read comics, seen superhero movies and watched a system at its pinnacle, loves the fall of the leader. It's an emotion which generates a lot of interest among the section of people who follow politics and is astonishing for others to see someone they look up to, fall.

Leaders often take a decision or a series of decisions which lead to a downward spiral and cause reverse momentum. This is not a piece where I will be dissecting the good and bad of Narendra Modi government. This is about leadership.

Watching a big leader fall also gives a certain kind of pleasure to people who for decades have been suppressed. Social evils exist in every society - India is no different - and certain practices (I will call them mistakes) followed by socially elevated sections of society create and propagate these feelings.

Among the various reasons given for the failure of a leader is not giving himself/herself enough time to process things which leads to a lack of discernment and sometimes disastrous decisions. Other reasons can include immaturity, lack of knowledge, less awareness etc.

There is a streak in people who rejoice when Humpty Dumpty has a great fall, but insist that rise and fall are the part and parcel of leadership. In the end, it's history that judges better because it sees things with deeper perspective and greater hindsight.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)