Thread by @SavyasaachiJain

Deposing #RajivGandhi and renaming the #KhelRatna award after #MajorDhyanChand is a) a classic dead cat, b) hypocritical, and c) a cheap shot. Yes, it honours one of India’s greats, but it is no political masterstroke.

#PVNarasimhaRao did it with far greater finesse … 1/

a) It is a classic #deadcat as described by @LyntonKCrosby – a sensational topic thrown in to divert attention away from more damaging topics (of which there are many). This is a standard tactic now, especially among neopopulists. So, no real surprise there

... 2/

@LyntonKCrosby b) Hypocritical, because, among other things, it comes less than six months after the #Motera stadium was renamed after #PMNarendraModi. Oh come on

… 3/

@LyntonKCrosby But most of all, it is c) a cheap shot. Not classy. Graceless. Honouring #MajorDhyanChand is great, and overdue, but petty vindictiveness is, well … just petty.

If you want to “show the dynasty its place”, learn from the master, #PVNarasimhaRao

… 4/

@LyntonKCrosby In the mid-1990s, at a time when #SoniaGandhi was out in the cold and trying to retake control of the #Congress, Prime Minister PVNR paradoxically announced his intention to #rename Delhi’s #ConnaughtPlace after Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi

… 5/

@LyntonKCrosby The uproar against the proposed names #IndiraChowk and #RajivChowk was widely interpreted as a sign that the #dynasty did not have a place in Indian politics anymore.

Basically, it showed #SoniaGandhi her place and kept her out for several more years

… 6/

@LyntonKCrosby Now, that was a classy way to use #RajivGandhi in a renaming controversy!

#PVNarasimhaRao, the master strategist that he was, furthered his political aim by coming at it sideways, not by dethroning a dead man, which comes across as just unpleasant bullying

… 7/

@LyntonKCrosby As an aside, the idea of #renaming #ConnaughtPlace was proposed by #ManiShankarAiyar, often described as a Gandhi family loyalist, as a tribute to #RajivGandhi, but #PVNarasimhaRao saw his opportunity and took it

… 8/

I remember interviewing #ManiShankarAiyar (early 1995?) about the #renaming of #ConnaughtPlace in the #Eyewitness studio and upsetting him enough to have him complain to the boss, @KaranThapar_TTP

… 9/

I said to #ManiShankarAiyar: ‘chowk’ has its roots in ‘char’ (four) but #Connaught Place is a hexagon and #ConnaughtCircus is an octagon – so how do the names #IndiraChowk and #RajivChowk make any sense?

For once, this supremely articulate man was lost for words

… 10/

After a bit of spluttering, #ManiShankarAiyar finally says: So, we can call them Indira Ashtakon (octagon) and Rajiv Shatkon (hexagon). Ha ha.

I think even he realised how ridiculous that sounded!

… 11/

So, the morals of the story:
1) There’s more than one way to skin a #deadcat
2) There are many real-world #Chanakya role models to learn from
3) However low you go, at least pretend to go high

#MajorDhyanChand
12/Ends