This article has no claim on the chitta or the bhukki
sold in the state, nor is it focusing on the two biggest P’s of the world, Pokémon-Go
and Pummi Aunty. It just focuses on Punjab, my kind of favorite word that
begins with P. One of the smaller states of the country, it is going to have
its elections early next year and the temperatures are sizzling high, with one
of the most interesting, hard-fought elections of the country. Punjab has a way
of surprising everyone. We have been written off from time immemorial but the zeal,
zest and jazba that we have (yes we also come with bragging rights) is
un-parallel to any other state. From the partition where one limb went to Pakistan,
a line etched and drawn between the people which are essentially one, to the Green
Revolution, to the 1984 riots, to the dark period of terrorism and to finally
being the present day Punjab. We have always risen like the proverbial Phoenix.
Yes, I hear you, the critics that love pointing out me
all that pains the state and the fact that everything and every one is wrong
and as if all is breaking down.
How come, then we still function? Something, somewhere
is going right. Right now in the run up, for 2017 we have coffee with
Captain (subtle play on the alphabet C
to re-enforce the party Congress), AAP di khichdi, Sukhbir di lassi.
All the three parties are trying to woo the electorate,
to promise us a clean, corruption less, with a better development plan to usher
in a successful Punjab promising us the moon and back. It was interesting to
ask the question today morning on face book and I had six likes and just
thirteen people commenting over a strong 450 plus friends from which more than
half are Punjabis. It went from
advocating military rule, to a mixed ‘new’ party where all the candidates were
from the parties to be the best and form the best government.
One of them candidly was on a diet and didn’t like my
idea. One very sweetly, said NOTA were the dessert option.
One of them was open enough in saying that the present
government that he hates is finally making the right moves to development.
While Congress has record of giving prosperity to the state, but that doesn’t
seem to be happening, while the bubble that was AAP is bursting, they peaked
too fast and they have no administrative skills. I personally don’t like them
one bit.
In fact, the surprising sentence was that he would
rather go with the Akalis and BJP alliance rather than AAP.
The Maharaja true to his royal lineage and his
mannerism fails to translate his charisma into votes and they have infighting over
every constituency, they have so many power camps.
Another point that I feel is going to play a huge role
is the fact that disgruntled, upset, politicians who are not getting their due
in their own home party are leaving and joining another party thinking that
would translate in to a higher percentage of votes and are causing all the
ruckus. The Punjabi election is so interesting that we have singers, poets and
sundry all singing paeans over the lost glory and also hoping for a revolution
to change the winds in our state.
Isn’t it interesting we look for answers from people
who rise from us, (we give them power) forgetting that they all have feet of
clay and we start giving them demi-god status? Hoping for a change overnight is
a dream that will become a reality if we all help and do our bit.
Hoping that the linen count of 150, white starched
kurta pajama wearing turbans the color of their political parties; and sporting
expensive watches and flowing beards is not the answer .
We need not a khichdi , but a clear mandate to rise like
the Fawke’s .
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