The BJP is a party with a difference only because of two things. First, it follows the Congress closely at its heels, doing what it has done and as it has done. Second, it justifies what it does by what the Congress has done. And does both, with ease and éclat.

But, there is a difference. That difference is that while the Congress is corrupt, the BJP is, irrespective of what it does and fails to do, infallible. Ask the BJP spokespersons, if you are not convinced.

The dynastic element in democracy is now hallowed in merit. It has become a good thing; now good politics ‘runs in the blood.’ So, we have a new category: merit-based-dynasty. So-and-so gets a ticket only because he/she is an exemplar of merit; it so happens that he/she is the son/daughter, kith and kin, of this influential politician or that. Anything wrong about it?

Foot over-bridge has become a national symbol. One, of CWG fame, crashed in 2010. The army was called in then, as though the army was a subsidy of the PWD. Now the army will build three in Mumbai, in the wake of the horrendous Elphinstone tragedy that claimed 23 lives. Who, except the army, can have the expertise or the limbs to build FOBs?

Political neutrality of the army is a principle that should not, under any circumstance, be compromised. Indian army is a creditable entity. Party affinity, overt or covert, is inimical to professional competence. It augurs ill for the country to undermine, even unwittingly, the professionalism of the army.

The distinctiveness of the army from civilian life especially its political quagmire is vital for national interests. It is crucial for the survival of our democracy. The, trend therefore, of calling in the army to do what essentially are civilian chores, should make all of us worry. This is not a party issue, but a mistake that bodes ill for the nation as a whole. At the far end of this myopic trend sits the Pakistan model of the army calling shots in civilian life.

The FOB-issue is significant; for it separates pretense from reality, fiction from facts. A euphoric expectation was created in 2014 that India was being, finally, steered into a new world of efficiency and integrity. It was this myth that the Elphinstone tragedy exploded in a particularly shattering and compelling fashion.

I began by reflecting the general and growing skepticism that the difference between BJP and Congress is fictitious. But, there is a difference.

That difference lies in BJP’s consummate, unmatched ability to turn words into scintillating substitutes for deeds. BJP’s profit, and long-term loss, is the overpowering oratory of Modi. His tongue is mightier than the army. It was Modi’s tongue that prevented the demonetization fiasco from becoming political hara-kiri for BJP. It was the very same asset that turned GST mishmash into a mighty stroke of achievement. BJP, under Modi, has the ability to turn disasters into windfalls, potential fiascos into fanfares, utter failure into bursts of forward thrusts. But it cannot last long! It’s too good to last.

Words can substitute for action only for a while. Citizens cannot eat words or clothe themselves with the propagandist euphoria dished out to them. Life separates, sooner than assumed, fact from fiction.

If a report card on the Modi dispensation is made, based on the predicament of the common man, it will not make impressive reading. Undoubtedly, life has become harder. It does not look easing up any time soon. Uncertainty looms large in our life horizon. Our loses far outweigh our gains.

The government claims to be doing mighty well for itself. We need not dispute this claim. We can take positions only according to our experiences, which is all we know. So, if the government is a gigantic gainer, and we are all losers, what we to make of it? Surely, this is not a claim that belongs to, or can be justified by, the democratic canon. It was only in the days of conquerors that the victors thrived at the expense of the vanquished. The wealth of the conquered people belonged to the conqueror and they were entitled to only what the new ruler was pleased to allow them to retain, as he pleased. Surely, such an arrangement cannot be licit in democracy!

Let us return to the FOBs. What this issue proves is that national reality has not changed one bit. We may import bullet trains; but we are still far away from being able to provide a fair meal to the common man. Bullet train is only a ‘magic bullet.’ It is meant to mesmerize the credulous. The canard that it is going to boost our ‘development’ and catapult the country into a new level of prosperity looks less than lunatic only because of the hypnotizing power of our PM’s oratory. Like all things else, bullet trains are only going to increase our burden. And the risk, perhaps, of gruesome tragedies; given how inefficient we are at maintaining passenger safety. Will the army be called upon to manage bullet trains too?