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Ashok Malik, as he himself describes, is a media person and trend-spotter.
It is fairly obvious the Baba Ramdev affair has been a public relations disaster for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
In facing a challenge of this nature — thousands of people congregating under the mesmeric influence of a preacher, making moralistic but ultimately impracticable demands — how should a government respond?
In cold-blooded, value-neutral terms, there could be three alternative responses. First, the government could be muscular and bring to bear what used to be called the “majesty and might” of the state.
In plain English, this means using strong-arm tactics from moment one, not in some farcical, anti-climactic finale. Actively prevent crowds from gathering; keep Ramdev followers from crossing into Delhi — however anti-democratic, these are tactics governments have used in the past.
Second, the government could simply surrender and succumb. It could sign a peace deal and mimic the late Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Neville Chamberlain, at Munich — which in any case seems to the UPA government’s precedent of choice in domestic and foreign policy alike. This would allow Baba Ramdev to declare victory.
Third, the government could play subtle and crafty politics. It could run a propaganda offensive against its opponent, whittle away at his credibility, spread facts and factoids — and often an artful mix of the two — about Ramdev’s sources of funding, political associations and ambitions and attempt to get neutral people to question his credentials.
Whatever, U-Turn UPA deserves, Flip-Flop Ramdev and vice-versa and this Nation deserves neither!
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