Hope Azharuddin loses

My desire for the Congress to return to power is surpassed by the desire to have an informed and, most importantly, engaged polity led by our Members of Parliament. Celebrities, as discussed in another post, do not fit the bill.

I grew up loving Azharuddin’s batting and it heartens me that he is one of the few Congress candidates who is a serious contender in Uttar Pradesh. Nevertheless, his comments in Mukul Kesavan’s eminently readable (great writers make great journalists) profile show why I hope he loses.

I asked him when he decided to get into politics. “Last October,” he said. “My brother-in-law said to me, you’ve stopped playing cricket, you aren’t doing anything else so why don’t you join politics?” This was disarmingly candid and Azhar must have thought he had overdone the frankness. “To work for the people,” he clarified.