The ‘politician’ takes over the idealist in CP Joshi

Alas! Joshi fell prey to politics of opportunism. It took just one electoral season for a man whose life has largely been dominated by idealism-driven belligerence to turn into a mere politician.

Dr CP Joshi has for most politicians of the breed that has come to rule the mainstream parties, been unpalatable, his brand of politics driven by in-the-face rebellion making it difficult for his own partymen to follow in his footsteps.

Joshi, an explosive mix of Che Guevara’s ideals and a career academician, never sought approval of his actions from others. For until now, he never made an attempt to camouflage with his peers fretting over the outcome of their collective opportunism; just raw, unbridled faith in his ideals and a vision, even though skewed at times, directed at greater good.  

His loss in 2008 Assembly polls by one vote, and a failed shot at CM’s post, has come to be regarded as the epitome of sacrifice as he chuckled and said his victory was in the party’s win (As PCC chief Joshi headed the campaign in state, which culminated in formation of the government under Ashok Gehlot).

So when Joshi, a man whose career is rooted in Udaipur, decides to change his Parliamentary seat from Bhilwara to Jaipur (rural), he has not only come far from home, but also gone a little too far in politics.  

Many of his peers and the younger MPs flirted with the idea of changing their constituencies. But only Joshi was extended the privilege by 10 Janpath. Joshi supporters might be thanking their stars for taking out their leader of Bhilwara, which he won on a wave for a man who was denied his ‘rightful berth’ in the league of extraordinary leaders, but this move defeats the very ideals for which he had once stood for.

Machiavelli, arguably one of the wiliest politicians the world has seen, had said that a king must be as cunning as a fox and as ferocious as a lion. But in Joshi’s move there is no urgency of a Machiavellian thinking, only opportunism. For Joshi doesn’t fit the mould of a fox, and he is ill-equipped to be plain cunning.

Joshi was reluctant from the very beginning to contest this year’s poll – call it Modi effect or political fatigue after the rout in Assembly polls. At one point of time the party must have put its foot down for all its chieftains directing them to fight like a braveheart despite the opinion polls predicting a massive erosion of party’s political base. So Joshi steps in after all, but not from Bhilwara.

Like a captain never leaves his ship, an idealist doesn’t run away from consequences. So, ideally, he should have stayed put in Bhilwara. But then Joshi the politician has arrived, idealism has taken a backseat. A win on this seat will be the adrenalin shot to his flailing political career; a loss would be the epitaph for his ideals laid to rest forever.