Today I went to a small shop with Koni. He asked the person there (a lady who does not belong to Andhra Pradesh) where the regular shop keeper was. She said that she has gone to the village because of the elections. I have heard at least two other people say the same. A maid, a driver, someone else. Some voters I have seen in the news are returning to villages that they have left months ago following communal flare ups. Why are people going to the villages during election time? Are they so eager to vote?
For the money silly. They reckon that the least one gets is 500 bucks a party or candidate and some other goodies like clothes, utensils and cricket kits. Perhaps the tipplers get some booze too. And maybe the biryani. But certainly one does not want to lose out on any count. Each vote in the family must pay. In the jhopadpatti must pay. And pay they will. So we have people giving up the job and buying tickets to return to villages during the election time.
The cost of an election is high. I asked a person who seemed to know how much an ordinary candidate may have to shell out. Anything between 2 crores to 100 crores he said. I cannot believe that figure. How much would fly and where. How many pockets would get lined up, how many bought over. It's a fantastic exercise, mind boggling in its scale of lies, duplicity, cheating, bribing, corruption, arm twisting. It's only a question of who can lie longer and louder, who has deeper pockets. How can any system check such rampant corruption?
How many are looking to serve the people? I find little hope there.How many are qualified to lead the country? No hope at all. I find not a single leader worth his or her salt to lead the nation. All I find are people finding ways to throw mud at the other, make unholy alliances, and do all they can to get to power.
So we have the power hungry throwing out money that they will ensure is paid back in full and with interest. And we have the voters, hungry to vote. Only we don't know who to vote for. At least it might not be a bad idea to head to the villages for a while.
For the money silly. They reckon that the least one gets is 500 bucks a party or candidate and some other goodies like clothes, utensils and cricket kits. Perhaps the tipplers get some booze too. And maybe the biryani. But certainly one does not want to lose out on any count. Each vote in the family must pay. In the jhopadpatti must pay. And pay they will. So we have people giving up the job and buying tickets to return to villages during the election time.
The cost of an election is high. I asked a person who seemed to know how much an ordinary candidate may have to shell out. Anything between 2 crores to 100 crores he said. I cannot believe that figure. How much would fly and where. How many pockets would get lined up, how many bought over. It's a fantastic exercise, mind boggling in its scale of lies, duplicity, cheating, bribing, corruption, arm twisting. It's only a question of who can lie longer and louder, who has deeper pockets. How can any system check such rampant corruption?
How many are looking to serve the people? I find little hope there.How many are qualified to lead the country? No hope at all. I find not a single leader worth his or her salt to lead the nation. All I find are people finding ways to throw mud at the other, make unholy alliances, and do all they can to get to power.
So we have the power hungry throwing out money that they will ensure is paid back in full and with interest. And we have the voters, hungry to vote. Only we don't know who to vote for. At least it might not be a bad idea to head to the villages for a while.
2 comments:
I went to my erstwhile village- Bengaluru. But got nothing.
Thanks for the post Hariji. As an advertiser, I work (and yes there is my choice involved) with few politicians. I am surprised to listen their reason on how they plan to win the elections. On corruption, I think it is a form of individual mental sickness - and all individual mental sicknesses, I believe, are solved inside out not outside in. It is people like us (or rather me) who don't mind taking a rupee extra for a milk packet, for a cool drink, a few paise extra at petrol bunks, and then shout against hundreds of crores 'they' eat. How can we solve 'them' and 'their crores', with out address 'us' and the 'extra rupee'. That's why I think Anna Hazare's moment lost its heat. Because we are all inherently, mentally, emotionally corrupt and no Anna Hazare or Gandhi can do anything about it (sorry I dont want to sound angry, but can't chose better words and form for lack of time to sit and rewrite at the moment - and of course I know you'll understand and I can get away with it ;) ).
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