Column

For several weeks, I had been planning to spend this Sunday going to rallies of various big ticket politicians who will descend into Mumbai’s streets to whip up a last-gasp voter consensus in favour of their candidates as V-Day approaches, but am having second thoughts as I write this. Is there anything to be gained?

Sonia Gandhi, Narendra Modi, Sharad Pawar, Arun Jaitley, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Ashok Chavan, Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, Nitin Gadkari — to name a few — is a stellar roster by any count, but my enthusiasm has waned because there has been so little originality in the campaign rhetoric so far, so little to hold interest.

Even Modi, Bal Thackeray, AR Antulay and Laloo Prasad Yadav, otherwise endowed with a sense of timing and a good understanding on how to swing the mood of an audience, seem to be stymied for issues. Perhaps that is the major problem in these elections where campaigning is concerned: there just seems to be no issue for any political party to tom-tom about.

A robust election manifesto is obviously a good starting point in establishing the credentials of a party and its candidate, but perhaps even more important is the art of talking to a crowd, which William Safire captures so brilliantly in the introduction in his New Political Dictionary.“The new, old and constantly changing language of politics,” writes Safire, “is a lexicon of conflict and drama, of ridicule and reproach, of pleading and persuasion. Colour and bite permeate a language designed to rally many men and women, to destroy some and to change the minds of others.’’

Effective public speaking (or speech-making) is the lifeline of politics, especially during election time, and should be the staple diet of any practitioner, rookie or old pro. Before winning over votes, a politician has to seal the trust of his supporters, and win over that of the fence sitters even as he/she demolishes the opposition. What makes for a good speech is obviously highly subjective. But if an audience feels that a politician is speaking from the heart and not merely posturing, it warms up early and in huge numbers. Raising expectations is par for the course, but a good speech-maker would know when enough is enough, especially when the populace is already cynical about politicians.

Reading directly from scripted speeches — as does Mrs Gandhi — can be a turn-off. But equally dispiriting is a politician who is primarily a negativist eg LK Advani’s ill-conceived assault on Manmohan Singh as a weak prime minister when he has no sensible alternative to offer. An upstart trying to play with hate politics when the country needs reassurance is, of course, delinquency bordering on criminality.

Often, one simple, evocative sentence can become a winning strategy. In recent times, Barack Obama’s “Yes we can” not only won him the US presidency but also resonated all over the world as a metaphor for change from status quo. A couple of terms earlier, the other charismatic Democrat Bill Clinton won over America with his sentimental “I feel your pain” proclamation. Or consider, in the Indian context, Lokmanya Tilak’s immortal line during the freedom struggle, “Freedom is my birthright, and I shall have it.’’

Alas, the campign for this year’s elections have seen no spectatcular speakers. It’s been the same old, uninspiring stuff from almost everyone, replete with clichés and imbecilic arguments that wouldn’t stand the scrutiny of a fourth-grader, leave aside a lie-detector; and this when a whopping chunk of new voters is seeking new direction. If anybody across the country has heard – or read — a speech from anyone that has compelled more than fleeting attention, I would like a clipping, a CD, DVD or even good old taped recording, I would like a copy, courier costs guaranteed.

Meanwhile, this Sunday, I feel like curling up and listening to Jawaharlal Nehru’s “Tryst with destiny’’ speech of August 15, 1947.At least it will keep my faith in the republic alive.