Sri.Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister
of Bihar set the ball rolling by distributing
valuable gifts on the netas of his state, so as to keep them in happy stead.
Sri.K.Chandrasekara Rao, Chief
Minister of Telangana state got the cue and closely followed suit by announcing
a manifold increase in the salaries of his state MLAs, who are indeed blessed,
as they have literally hit a jackpot. Can there be a better New Year Gift to
those privileged coterie of prathinithis. A whopping increase of over 150% in monthly salary for
every MLA.
Not to be left far behind in the
race, Sri.Veerbadra Singh, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, has bestowed a
similar bounty on the elected representatives of his state. Sheer cornucopia.
An example has been set. Now it
is just for the other states to emulate and follow suit with similar
benefaction.
Can there be a more insidious way of irritating the ordinary citizens in general
and insulting the agriculturists in particular, when hordes of farmers are
committing suicide driven by crop failure, debt burden and poverty?
Is it not the most inopportune
time to indulge in such extravaganza and
gobble up public money when the peasants are immersed in penury and
nearly half of India is reeling under severe
drought?
Does it not tantamount to
thriving on human misery?
How can this salary hike and
lavishing of gifts be justified through rational thinking and interpretation,
when people are sweating it out to make both ends
meet.
Adding insult to injury is the oft
repeated news about the overseas trips and pleasure junkets made by the elected representatives’ of different states,
under the garb of study tours to educate
themselves about the infrastructure and other developmental aspects associated
with town planning and governance, effectively implemented and put into
operation in foreign countries. What transpires is entirely different, though.
Come a populist leader’s birthday
- By Jove, can there be a better occasion to spend tax
payers money than on throwing a bashing party, with glitzy film stars,
political and industrial leaders, all running riot with frenzy. Making merry
and freaking out at the commoner’s expense. Having seen such visual irritants
over and over again in television, the man on the street has become immune to
all sorts of political indifference, irresponsibility and callousness, that they do
not make any impact in his benumbed mind.
Oh come on man - After all
Emperor Nero played fiddle when Rome
was burning. There are historical
precedents to lean on and bank upon. Then why make an issue out of all this. It
is peoples’ money and it has to be spent lavishly on their representatives’. Logically so simple,
by existing political culture. Isn’t.
Stalwarts like Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari
( Rajaji ), Kamaraj, Kakkan, Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, were men of sterling
character, who lived a simple life and upheld probity in public life. Parallel
can be drawn to Sri.Manik Sarcar, the present Chief Minister of Tripura, whose
asset value is less than that of an ordinary sales representative. They will always be held in high esteem by the
laymen and live in their
hearts forever, whereas the flamboyant
lot will be looked down with disdain and fade from memory very soon.
Politicians should serve the
people and not do disservice to them through unjust personal enrichment.
The words of Subramania
Bharathi’s song – “ Nenju Porukkudillaye indha nilai ketta manidharai ninaindhu
vittal “ ring in my ears. May saner
political wisdom prevail.
Jai Hind
