Thread by @shrikanth_krish

Subramanian Swamy turns 80 today

Not a fan. Never warmed up to him

But when the history of India for the years b/w 2008 - 2014 is written at some point, we will remember him as a pivotal, talismanic figure

A man who helped alter the political climate more decisively than most

https://twitter.com/Swamy39/status/1172822257242001409

There was his "infamous" article in the DNA after the Mumbai bombings in 2011

Then there was his crusade against Sonia, Rahul, and the UPA on multiple charges of corruption during that period 2010-2012

It's easy to take it all for granted. But to me that's when the tide changed

And the tide never reversed

Modi wasn't quite at the forefront in the early phase of that period, afaik

It was men like Swamy and also people unrelated to the Right like Anna Hazare who did play a critical role in changing the winds of opinion

Many of his comments in that period were outrageous. And often made little sense

But the talking points he triggered gave a fillip to the Hindu nationalist movement - a movement which was sort of moribund and in doldrums in 2009

Here's the DNA article for those who have forgotten it

I didn't read it at the time...But I remember the impact it had

Some of the talking points still haven't left us to this day - 8 years later

web.archive.org/web/2011081823…

E.g. Today among the young people on the Right (on twitter and elsewhere), we hear talk of making Sanskrit learning compulsory etc

I wonder how many young people on the Right were taking such a line say in 2004? I am old enough to remember those times. And there weren't many

It was the embrace of these ideas (including Sanskrit learing) in this article that sort of triggered the debate on this in such a big way

Not just among "Traditionalists" and old fogeys but among young people

Ofc it is not as simple as I make it sound.

But I dont believe the role of Swamy in triggering these debates can be overstated

Ofcourse Subramanian Swamy goes back a long way in Indian politics

One of the founding members of the Janata Party. A man regarded as somewhat close to Morarji Desai as well as Jan Sangh men like Nanaji Deshmukh

But I wonder how many people in India "knew" him all that well before 2010

Sure. Lots of people did. But it was post 2010 that he became a pan-Indian celebrity (at least in urban India)

That gives us all hope on one count

Never give up in life

You may attain great heights even after passing the age of 70

I am sure the number of *new* people who have come to know him b/w 2009-2019 is more than all the people who knew him all through his life till 2009

Another thing that makes Swamy remarkable is his background

He was no silver tongued orator from Lucknow, or Allahabad

Not a politician with a huge mass base in the Hindi belt

This guy was an Econ PhD. A deracinated, cosmopolitan Brahmin

Yet he succeeded

He became more powerful than most people in shifting public opinion

This just goes to show that you don't have to tick all boxes to be a successful politician

Even the person with the unlikeliest background can make a difference if you have ideas that strike a chord