A very quick note about today's election result in UP.
1. I don't think this is a terrible result, given that the main opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) literally snoozed for five years and just didn't play the opposition's role. (1/n) In spite of that their vote share has increased by roughly 10%. There was discontentment on the ground and if the main opposition party isn't actively trying to consolidate that, then votes don't come for free. UP didn't even have an opposition till now. (2/n)

Quick points about Lakhimpur Kheri:
1. In UP, kisan aandolan was mainly active in West UP & Terai belt of UP. Lakhimpur Kheri is in the latter. Activists I strongly trust in Gorakhpur and Azamgarh tell me that the recent incidents have now led to strong ripples in East UP. (1/n People, particularly farmers, are aghast at the recent events at Lakhimpur Kheri. As tragic as the incidents are, but the martyrdom of the four farmers will not go in vain. We might soon see effects of the aandolan in East UP as well. This is an important turning point. (2/n)

In certain circles I've often heard a statement made ad nauseam, 'AAP is way more dangerous than Congress'. I've never been able to make sense of that statement.
If it's my political naivete, I am willing to be schooled. Could someone please explain how and why?
1/n I have several criticisms of AAP too. But I still can't wrap my head around the above assertion.
Some reasons I have heard people to justify above statement:
2/n

To all those deeply upset at Deep Sidhu's comments, here's a little lesson in mass movements.
Mass movements involve all kinds of people. The movement against Emergency involved people from all political hues, including RSS. Does that mean we disown and reject that mov't? (1/n) Similarly, a massive movement emerging out of Punjab will have a few Khalistani supporters and Bhindranwale sympathisers as well. So what? How can that be grounds to override and reject a movement???
This is outrageous.
(2/n)

Some of what I write may sound like a conspiracy theory. Till some months back, it would have seemed the same to me. No longer.
Till a few days back, haunting images of daily wage workers struggling to go home were circulating on Social Media. Now these images are changing. (1/n) They are images of vandalism, violence and workers finally beginning to explode. This government has transgressed all levels of indecency and callousness towards the poor. The ugliness of our systems has been exposed. (2/n)