These born-again messiahs abruptly embraced pop religion and victimization conspiracies, even as the structures that produced them turned against Khan and Kejriwal.
The Awadh Times: Pakistan: The recent acts of violence committed by the followers of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, have shocked Islamabad. Both protesters and security forces lost their lives as a result of their march on Pakistan’s capital.
Although it appears that peace has returned, given Pakistan’s acrimonious political situation, tensions will undoubtedly continue to be high.
Given the fragmented electoral outcome that handed PTI the most seats, Pakistan’s coalition government has a difficult time maintaining any sort of confidence and power.
Another battered anti-corruption activist, just out of months in prison, is quietly nursing his wounds on the eastern side of the Radcliffe Line. Arvind Kejriwal promised to break the two big parties’ duopoly and introduce a new kind of politics in India.
With a populism that transcended class, caste, and creed in the nation’s capital, the Aam Aadmi Party won repeated elections in Delhi by impressing people with well-thought-out giveaways. With appeals around the country, the formula looked invincible and achieving the stars felt achievable. Once the stench of the booze policy was exposed, all of that was for nothing.
There are many similarities between Imran Khan and Arvind Kejriwal’s meteoric political rise and eventual collapse, despite their very different upbringings, educational backgrounds, athletic prowess, and basic physical attractiveness.
The messiahs who were sent to purify the political system were imprisoned due to corruption, which cannot be just dismissed as a political grudge.
The sole difference between the two crusaders’ levels and methods of corruption was their complexity, which accurately reflected their respective levels of intelligence. For a long time, Imran Khan was mocked for his inability to have intellectual discussions.
This is the most accurate appraisal possible in the age of political correctness. Furthermore, it is by no means a critique of Arvind Kejriwal’s intelligence and savvy, not just because he went to IIT and went on to have a civil service career that most people would desire.
When he methodically fired his mentors and those who saw of themselves as the gurus and mentors of a poor civil servant who was trying to purify the system, his political acumen was clearly on full show. After all, he belonged to the system and was a product of it.
In contrast, Imran Khan came out as an outsider who aimed to correct the injustices that political parties were inflicting on Pakistan’s unfortunate citizens. He appeared to be the ideal fit—Pakistan’s first cricket celebrity, with the good looks to go along with his affluent lifestyle and all the benefits that come with it.
Aside from that, politics is a brutal sport where winning is everything and using all means necessary to achieve victory is necessary. Until he fastened his horses to the military rails, he was obviously lacking in resources, intelligence, etc. As they say, the rest is a fairy tale.
However, fairy tales are works of fiction, flavored by the imagination of a person who wants to escape the everyday grind and the harsh realities of life. Imran Khan’s ideal tenure as prime minister was cut short by the harsh realities of politics.
Unaware of the space and advantages that political parties had to share with the Pakistan Army, the largest player of all, he felt his administration had the authority to rule Pakistan as a whole.
Victimization that is promoted
In fact, Imran Khan started to spread his wings and enjoy the sunshine of fame and money once he felt he had outgrown his mentors and the military system. With the exception of the fact that real, five-year elected office is difficult to obtain in South Asia. But when Imran Khan attempted it, he failed miserably.
The far more astute and educated opponent of corruption, Arvind Kejriwal, attempted it and nearly succeeded. However, the Indian bureaucracy had become allies of Kejriwal and his drive to purge the nation of corrupt politicians due to the lax corruption of the UPA II era. When he dipped his fingers, they turned against him.
These born-again messiahs abruptly declared their support for victimization conspiracies and pop religion, even as the systems that produced them turned against both.
For Arvind Kejriwal, it was schoolboy Hanuman Chalisa, but for Imran Khan, it was Sufi-istic gibberish. All of this faith was supported by well-marketed conspiracies of victimization. Of course, none of that is good for the courts, but there are enough fools who go to the streets for the sake of the Messiah.
That has already been demonstrated twice by Imran Khan’s followers; hopefully, when the time comes, Delhi won’t be any different.
Manvendra Singh is a BJP politician who serves as the chairman of the Rajasthani Soldier Welfare Advisory Committee and editor-in-chief of Defence & Security Alert. He uses the handle @ManvendraJasol. Opinions are subjective.
