With a god-like glamour
The populists use their crude political grammar
And with an unparalleled gusto, breach the elementary democratic manners
A virtuoso of vilification.
These spectacular leaders don’t wait for a special occasion
To unleash their slow mental suffocation.

To see a spectacular show of entertainment,
Carefully listen to the demagogue’s scintillating statement
Political henchmen and electoral carnival barkers
Step onto news channels
And like disgruntled mighty mammals
Dismantle the journalistic instrument panel.

On the tainted territory of politics,
Devilish despots deploy divisions
And slice it with a streak of bogus secularist vision
Every drop of democratic voice threatens the demagogue
The decreasing clamour of mechanical propaganda deafens the demagogue
The politician’s manifesto’s majesty
Is laid bare as a naked travesty
When his electoral revelry
Is destroyed by the democratic cavalry.

In the political sophist’s veins, throb murderous impulses
With an intoxicating hate, his body convulses
Dark terror has imprisoned thoughts
Dissidence is dying due to a volley of orthodox gunshots
In this political clime,
Presenting barefaced truths is a horrendous crime
By censuring the autarch, you will commit a deadly thought crime.

This unprecedented and unclear fear
Is the demagogue’s strongest spear.

Yanis Iqbal is a high school student studying in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.

Featured image credit: Reuters

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.