A new moon rising

new wine old bottles can take. Our politics is exposing those limits. Atal Bihari Vajpyee, L.K. Advani, Harkishen Singh Surjeet, for all their marvellous contributions to politics, do not have the kind of energy it takes to engage in mass politics. Look at the current UPA ministry. Not to put too fine a point on it, ministries headed by venerable figures — whether the HRD, MEA, or Law — are less likely to be more dynamic compared to ministries headed by younger figures. The most energetic success of society in the last few years are in areas not tethered to the pieties of age.

Perhaps this thought is at last forcing entities like the CPM and the Sangh Parivar to at least begin discussing the problems posed by an ageing leadership. It is often asked: but where are the new leaders who can replace our venerated figures? This argument is self-fulfilling because new leaders will not be produced if the reins of power at the top do not become accessible to younger leaders at the right age. It is often said that the younger generation simply does not have the dedication, skill and sacrifice that the previous generation did. These kind of assertions are impossible to refute, but it would be otiose to deny the self-confidence, inventiveness, and ability of the next generation in India. For most Indians, the self doubt generated by colonialism, the pieties of socialism, the deep personal scars of Partition, the simplicities of the Cold War, the exaltation of the state, and the eternal stasis of tradition, are a thing of the past. Yet they continue to haunt the experiences of our decision-makers. Some politicians are unfortunate to be born old; others drink from the fountain of eternal youth. But it is time to pass the baton to the next generation. Political decisions better be made by those who are going to have to live with the consequences. This, surely, is the clinching argument!