Machiavellian Politics at Its Scheming Best

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 19 December 2023 Fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim is neither poisoned nor dead, intelligence sources told India Today on Monday. The rumours surrounding Ibrahim's alleged poisoning and hospitalisation began circulating after a Pakistani YouTuber, relying on unverified social media reports, speculated on the matter in a late-night video. The YouTuber also linked these rumours to an abrupt internet shutdown in Pakistan. However, credible sources dismissed these claims, attributing the connectivity disruptions to a virtual meeting of the opposition Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). This entire tamasha (charade) of whether Dawood Ibrahim is dead or alive and idlers' fondness for rumours reminded me of Edgar Allan Poe's famous quote, “Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.” Alas, we tend to believe whatever we hear without verification. That we're wasting our time on a fugitive's life, existence and misdeeds is proof of our collective frivolity. His rumoured death also activated BJP IT cell and it's being projected as the triumph of India's intelligence agencies and Ajit Doval's acumen in eliminating all such shady characters and Dushman-e-Hindustan in other countries. Great! Desh Ke Dushman can be eliminated in foreign countries but Desh Ke Lutere Aur Balatkari (plunderers, looters and rapists of the country), viz, Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya, Mehul Choksi, 'Swami' Nityanand, among others cannot be brought back to India! Whenever a big issue threatens to upset the apple cart of the current political dispensation, a red herring in the form of a puerile Parliament attacks or Dawood's alleged death is there to divert people's attention from facts to frivolities. This is Machiavellian politics at its scheming best. Now when the general hustings are approaching, the inauguration of grand Ram temple in UP is on the anvil. Religiously inebriated and bovine masses of India are ecstatic that such a huge temple of some fictitious mythological characters is being erected. Will these mythical characters give you a morsel or get you a job? No one seems to be bothered. Will Dawood's death help unemployed youth find a job? So, why this Begaani Shadi Mein Abdullah Deewana type euphoria? V S Naipaul and Nirad C Chaudhary would often say, "India is a country of idlers and indolent lotus eaters." Very true. What they opined more than half a century ago, is still relevant in the 21st century. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/machiavellian-politics-scheming/d/131337 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism