By *Does it matter?
You do not know Navjot Singh Sidhu's views on any of the contentious issues facing Punjab or the country.
You do not know if Navjot Singh Sidhu is against increasing privatisation of education, or if he is in favour of the Allahabad High Court judgement that makes it mandatory for all government employees, whether IAS officers or peons, to put their wards in government schools.
You do not know if Navjot Singh Sidhu is against increasing privatisation of medical health care sector. He did not raise his voice even once when primary health centres to civil hospitals in Punjab saw little recruitment of doctors, no addition of beds, and virtually medicine-less health facilities. He remained a part of the party that led the privatisation at a breakneck speed.
You know what BJP thinks of Arundhati Roy, but you do not know if that is what Navjot Sidhu thinks of her. So far, he has never spoken. You know what silence may mean.
You do not know Navjot Singh Sidhu's stand on Kashmir.
You do not know Navjot Singh Sidhu's stand on Amit Shah's politics, though you do know that he bows unconditionally before his party's bosses.
You have never heard Navjot Singh Sidhu critically engaging with any issue -- from federalism (for which hundreds, thousands were killed in Punjab), presidential rule in states imposed via Art 356, Ishrat Jahan case, fake encounter deaths, the struggles in what Indian government calls The Red Corridor, farming crisis, continuous doling out of incentives to corporate houses, attack on subsidies given to farmers, regular police lathi charges in Punjab on teachers, students, farmers, nurses, doctors, simple, common people.
You do not know all of this in respect of most political leaders in Punjab, in fact.
But somehow you are still waiting for a Sidhu.
PLEASE ASK FOR A BETTER POLITICS, ENGAGE BETTER. LET'S START ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS, HOW ELSE WILL WE GET THE RIGHT ANSWERS?
Will Sidhu join AAP, and will he be the Chief Ministrial candidate? -- IS THE WRONG QUESTION.
WHAT IS SIDHU'S POLITICS? DOES HE EVEN HAVE ANY POLITICS? -- is the right question.
AND POSE THESE RIGHT QUESTIONS TO EVERY POLITICIAN - TO SUKHBIR (who wants to run buses in water), TO AMARINDER (who has magic formula to end drugs in one month), TO KEJRIWAL (who thinks sewa-drama is enough to wriggle out of a tough situation).
DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED.
Navjot Singh Sidhu deserves a fair chance at explaining his politics. Everyone else also does. SO DO YOU.
Punjab's politics has to be about its people - its young, its aged, its students, its farmers, its traders, its shopkeepers, its schools, its health facilities, the opportunities for its people, its dreams, its historical destiny. IT HAS TO BE ABOUT YOU. YOU MUST ASK, ENGAGE, QUESTION.
SAB PAR SHAQ KARO, SAB SE SAWAL KARO, SAB SE JAWAB MAANGO. Kabhi kabhi dil udaas hoga, bus wahi ikk pal sarthak hoga. WE WILL FIND OUR POLITICS AND OUR POLITICIANS, but without being taken for granted.
BEWARE OF THE MIRACLES -- zindagi reality tv nahi, te comedy circus vee nahi.
(*Does it matter? asks Does it matter who wrote this?)