The contest and us

We are headed for the biggest showdowns in elections in less than six months. It promises to be the mother of all battles, with three of the oldest parties in the country wrestling for control for one of the most lucrative states. Whatever you might say, my state Punjab is like the apple that tempted Adam and we know what happened then. There is something so magical and seductive about this state that it is like a red flag to all politicians, maybe it’s our passion, the fact that we like to live king size (the advertisement was lifted from here) and the biggest factor that we know it all.

In fact, everyone here from the vendor in the street corner, to the drivers of the buses to every Aunty ji, Sarla Aunty, Pummi Aunty to every child is busy in sloganeering and has two bits to say about the elections.

The state saw for the first time, give rise to MP’s to the center from a new party that promised to be revolutionary and also sold us dreams saying all will be changed, and revolution was on the cards. I honestly thought for some time, we would witness a similar Arab uprising. In my own small village a shopkeeper and his wife stopped talking to each other as they were at loggerheads, one supported the Akali’s and the other was a firebrand supporter for Kejriwal. His muffler had all of them under wraps ,confused and deluded.  . The blue of the Akali’s was refusing food to the muffler wala husband and quite a many days we had interesting anecdotes. Congress is still there and has deep loyal pockets of supporters in the village and is in demarcated sections of the society. The educated, moneyed business man , or the blue –collar will always support the congress , and interestingly don’t like being associated with the rural , crass, open bearded kurta pajama jathedars . It just doesn’t go with the image you see.

They all like the outer packaging, the smart , sophisticated politician who is dressed in his whites like the heir apparent but can quote Ghalib , Tao and has a foreign degree in his resume , and is of course moneyed to the hilt with some connection to the power center or Maharaaj ji.

The Britishers left but still left the mark on us where we are in awe over the sign of royalty. We still bend backwards.

The grand old man of Indian politics and more so Punjabi state has faced many a set back , with his nephew leaving starting a new party, and then to contest against his own sister in law and  to join hands with a party that was their common foe. As, they say politics makes strange bedfellows. I wonder which hand is favoring who and what? He has singlehandedly seen and witnessed a sea of history, more than what we all can even begin to imagine. Yes, I am biased towards him, to say that we can rule him out along with his alliance partner the BJP would be the stupidest thing.

The disgruntled MLA’s who left and have started another front also promise us the moon, clean politics, change in system , no corruption ,sports development , cleaner environment , better life for all of us, more employment, higher deployment into the armed forces ( nation’s pride) miraculous rise in agricultural productivity ,and basically utopia.

I just want to ask all of you, aren’t you again fooling us? Promising to fight against the system, against family politics, but what isn’t congress guilty of the same? How do I know you wont give a ticket to your family member?

Why do you ask money for fighting elections, why ask for funds if all you want is clean politics? Shouldn’t your actions speak louder than words? So, if you offer liquor, or things in kind , that is acceptable but the ruling party does it is a sop to buy votes?

Why do they need palatial houses to run its campaign ? Why are stories of women exploitation coming up? Why is the Punjabi and its Punjabiyaat disliked so much and made fun of? There are video clips to support this..

Why is the state so important to his grand plans of becoming the Prime minister? Or, is the water that we have a bone of contention? So many questions, and myriad answers .

The only thing I wish for is a state which is run realistically , because 117 leaders cannot run it , it‘s run only when the people wake up and start realizing they want a better state .A state is made up of its people , who collectively own up , sadly the moral fiber went missing as we all suffer from constipation . And , what better testament to this that Piku made money !!

The views are mine and I voiced them today , when an automatic driving examination that was supposed to be fool proof to kill the middlemen still asked for jugaad  money from me !