AUSTERITY HO! HEIL AUSTERECTOMY
Continued
from:
3000
DAYS ABROAD IN TWO YEARS - UPA MINISTERS WORKING TOO HARD
Early
polls: When the UPA-2 began, it
was on the high of the second consecutive term in the office. The traditional
Indian National Congress arrogance had a perfect ploy to creep in. And it has
been right on the job. But certain other factors pushed our lords to think more
for the ‘aam aadmi’ of Manmohan Singh.
The
king-in-waiting had been waiting to take the charge. The 2009 triumph and a
fractured Opposition had led the Congress party to believe that it had the luminous
chances to sail back home in the 2014 general elections and the king-in-waiting
would certainly get the top office.
All
they needed was to look concerned for Manmohan’s ‘aam aadmi’ in order to get
the necessary votes. Global economy had still not recovered and domestic
factors were worsening. Delay on many corrective measures along with many scams
derailed things even further. From the high of 2009 win, it reached to the low
of possibility of the early demise of the UPA-2 government. That was probably
the inflicting point for our lords. Lavishly parasitic on public’s money, they
saw their access to the greener pastures restricting to fewer days. That
probably pushed a panic button.
Some
of the insightful souls had probably realized it way back in 2010 when the term
‘UPA scams’ became the rightful buzzword for the UPA-2 misdeeds. CWG and
the 2G scams had achieved their full fervour by then scrapping many members of
the UPA coalition partners putting strain on the intra-coalition relations.
So
they went on the job immediately, cornering as much of the bounty as possible
like indulging in more scams and increasing their over-the-salary earning limit
by deeds like eating into phone bills, consuming hundreds of subsidized LPG cylinders
annually, refurnishing their official bungalows with expenditure running into
crores, making a huge splash of luxury with public’s money like Montek’s
ultra-modern toilets at the Planning Commission building, or going on foreign
or domestic jaunts as frequently as possibly.
Me
too: Once an opinion leader sort
of the lord or a group of illuminated lords started acting on the early signs, soon
it was overflowing. Everyone was on a hurry to board the ‘loot-bus’. And what a
coordinated result they have produced. The scams run in the lakhs of crores.
The money splurged on lavish lifestyle runs in thousands of crores. In the
later case, it is just the initial data. Much of the information has not been
allowed. We can safely use the catchphrase ‘tip of the iceberg’ for it here.
Certainly
these are the reasons good enough to stir anyone like Mr. Agrawal and there are
multiples of Mr. Agrawals in India
Our
lords are not unaware of it. They have framed and started on their agenda.
Right now, the largest share of the damage is coming from a law that the lords
had to introduce after they found their subjects were two adamant over it. So
after decades of the subjects continuing with their demands, the lords, in
order to placate, provided their subjects with a law named ‘Right To
Information’ believing the sleeping democracy of India would not be able to use
it much and if any ‘untoward’ thing happened, they would sleep induce their
subjects even deeper.
But
what about the likes of the lot who have come to be knows as the ‘RTI
Activists’?
Realizing
that the subjects are engaging the lords using the tool and thus dissipating their
as well as precious energy of the lords, now they are seriously considering to
make the ‘RTI Act’ toothless and efforts are already underway. Manmohan
proposing to amend the RTI Act and Sonia disposing it is just one aspect of it –
to maintain the ‘aam aadmi theatre’. Slowly, the government will have its way
they know like they could do with the ‘Lokpal Bill’ by creating a political
unity across the party-line in the name of ‘common interest’.
Would
the lords mount a final pressure to kill all such dissenting voices lest the
voices become so strong that they dethrone our ‘larger-than-their-life’ lords?
They
would – with certainty.
Epilogue
Manmohan: Manmohan has been
successful in derailing all the opposition; completes his term; fights the next
election in 2014; installs the king-in-waiting in the highest office of the
country; and heaves a sigh of relief as he pays back his gratitude and proves
his loyalty for given a chance to run the country.
To
compound his gratitude and to smoothen the road further for the
‘king-in-office’ now, he has ably killed the ‘killing’ provisions of the RTI
Act so, at least, one significant pestering element is removed. A new bunch of
lords is ready to write-on or write-off its subjects. Meanwhile, the foreign
excursions of the lords have increased manifold. Now they are spending 6000
days a year touring abroad. And the traditional Indian National Congress
arrogance is spilling over now.
Epilogue
Manmohan’s ‘aam aadmi’: Under its
own pressure and opportunist political supporters, the UPA-2 government falls
necessitating the general election in 2013. Manmohan’s ‘aam aadmi’ betrays him.
His party performs badly. Manmohan has not been able to maintain the outreach
to his ‘aam aadmi’ this time unlike in 2009. Manmohan’s good intent is marred
probably by the selfish intent of his other political brethren, inside and
outside his group. Though, his ‘aam aadmi’ is not convinced of any other
alternative either, he is forced to let the other group of lords assume the
office.
This
is the only time Manmohan’s ‘aam aadmi’ laughs, but for how long?
He
knows he will be treated by this set of lords in the same way as the lords have
been doing with him most of the time in the history of the independent India
In
any case, our lords remain our lords.
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
