Post-Truth Political Narratives in India

Abstract

Post-truth, a new concept developed in the west, rhymes with post-modern, post-structuralism, post-trauma, etc. Since Truth is a complicated word with metaphysical implications, I would hence use ‘fact/s’ in an empirical sense. The opposite word being ‘lie/s’, it is understood that in the empirical world there are only facts and lies.  Facts are empirical and truth tends to be metaphysical.  There could be only one Truth in a metaphysical sense, but there could be many facts. We deal with facts and lies in the empirical world.  In politics, there are only lies, and facts hardly speak and create sensations.  Language/discourse grows with lies.  As there are umpteen lies, there are umpteen discourses. In much public discourse on issues, identity outranks arguments, ego outsmarts secular outlook, and deceptions erode fundamental norms.  Our reasoning is fiddled out with cognitive deceptions and biases.  Such narratives build a fragile social edifice.  Against this theoretical background, two political writings, namely, Sanjay Baru’s “The Accidental Prime Minister” and Shashi Tharoor’s “The Paradoxical Prime Minister” have been taken up for a study to examine how the political narratives in India have affected the discourse.  I have called them “Post-truth semi-political biographies”. Both the authors have broken the fourth wall and spoken directly to the audience.