OMG — it’s OROP versus ODOMOS: Acronym politics in vogue
Jean Buridan’s ass and the acronymous politics of competitive polarisation.
By ET Bureau | Updated:
BCCL
(L-R) Amit Shah, Omar Abdullah & Narendra Modi
To illustrate the perils and pitfalls of total freedom of choice, commentators cite a paradox, named after the 14-century French philosopher Jean Buridan, in which an ass placed equidistant from two equally tempting stacks of hay dies of starvation, being unable to decide which one to eat.
The Indian voter, certainly no donkey, might well dismiss the Frenchman’s hypothesis as evidence that the philosopher didn’t know his ass from his elbow.
For far from being starved thanks to a surfeit of choice, the voter’s appetite has been whetted thanks to the buffet options on offer from the politics of competitive polarisation, and the bounty of toothsome acronyms that have cropped up as a result.
Jean Buridan Gone are the days of political monopoly when one party could field as its electoral USP the mantra of TINA, There Is No Alternative, echoing US automaker Henry Ford’s take-it-or-leave-it proposition to customers of his Model T that they could have any colour of their choice, provided it was black.
Even as the Lotus Party reinterpreted defence services’ Orop slogan as Only Rahul, Only Priyanka, it only served to invite the Opposition’s pertly pesky riposte of ODOMOS, Overdose of Only Modi, Only Shah.
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When it comes to pick and choose, the voter has no dearth of acronymic stimuli, including a reinvented Nota, Never Opposed To Alternative.
Gandhi, Nehru: A Look At Real Heroes Of India Inc From The Independence Era
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Turning the lens back on those photos of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru with some big corporate names of the time.
In pic: Mahatma Gandhi (left) and then PM Jawaharlal Nehru at the old JD(S) office which became new Congress Bhavan after the Congress party occupied the building after fighting years long legal battle, at Race course road in Bengaluru.
Turning the lens back on those photos of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru with some big corporate names of the time.
In pic: Mahatma Gandhi (left) and then PM Jawaharlal Nehru at the old JD(S) of..
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The incoming and outgoing presidents of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Tulsidas Kilachand (left) and K D Jalan (right) escort Nehru as he arrives to inaugurate the 23rd Annual Day of the Federation on March 11, 1950 in New Delhi.
The incoming and outgoing presidents of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Tulsidas Kilachand (left) and K D Jalan (right) escort Nehru as he arrives to inaugurate the 23rd Ann..
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Nehru is being greeted by Purushotamdas Thakurdas (centre) on his arrival at the offices of the Indian Merchants Chamber as industrialist Naval Tata (extreme left) looks on.
Nehru is being greeted by Purushotamdas Thakurdas (centre) on his arrival at the offices of the Indian Merchants Chamber as industrialist Naval Tata (extreme left) looks on.
JRD Tata (centre) receives Nehru at Santacruz Airport with other dignitaries on his return from the United Nations. Tata asked Nehru about his experience of flying Air India’s ‘Everest’ flight.
JRD Tata (centre) receives Nehru at Santacruz Airport with other dignitaries on his return from the United Nations. Tata asked Nehru about his experience of flying Air India’s ‘Everest’ flight.
Mahatma Gandhi with Jamnalal Bajaj (left). Here, Bajaj was collecting funds for his Harijan Welfare program.
Mahatma Gandhi with Jamnalal Bajaj (left). Here, Bajaj was collecting funds for his Harijan Welfare program.
Ramdas Kilachand (left), president of the Indian Merchants Chambers, hosted a reception in honour of then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on April 26, 1948, at his Napean Sea Road residence, Bombay.
Ramdas Kilachand (left), president of the Indian Merchants Chambers, hosted a reception in honour of then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on April 26, 1948, at his Napean Sea Road residence, Bombay.
Gandhi came to Bombay on January 17, 1936 to attend to his health. He was staying at RD Birla’s bungalow in Juhu. This picture was taken as he was leaving for his morning stroll.
Gandhi came to Bombay on January 17, 1936 to attend to his health. He was staying at RD Birla’s bungalow in Juhu. This picture was taken as he was leaving for his morning stroll.
