Rs 10 crores.
A week or so back on attending a social function came across a person who is deep into Dravidian politics.He is active member of the ruling party of TN.He has that party's flag on his car.Since the air is thick with the heavy scent or rather acrilic odour of the oncoming general elections i couldn't restrain myself from asking him this question."Are you standing for the elections?"He said "No.One needs 6 to 10 crores of rupees to do so.I haven't that much money.But i go for campaigning and give speeches,etc".
I felt disappointed .Despite the allergy i have developed towards politicians i have to admit it is useful to have a politician in one's circle..So a flag in a car is not big thing.I had thought that it connoted a high place in the political heirarchy.Apparently it doesn't.
Next i asked him ,will your party win?He said ofcourse it will .Haven't we given RS 1500 and 2000 to all? So it is but natural that we will win!
I remembered my watchman bringing us a register for us to sign a month back so that our family would get Rs 2000 from the govt.I asked him Isn't this scheme only for the poor?He said It is for every one.We didn't sign.
Came back home with stomach satiated with delicious food but with a mind full of questions.
If a candidate has to spend 6 to 10 crores --[ooff i can't even imagine having money beyond 50 lakhs in my hands-] for a seat, why is that seat so valuable and so sought after?
Is it because such rich persons want to do public service and help the poor and needy?MP's and MLA's are supposed to be elected so as to serve the people.This is said to be the socialist democracy we are into.
If a candidate can spend 10 crores on an election which has only five years tenure with the noble goal of serving people why can't he do it straight away with all the extra money he has ,to wipe the tears of the poor and needy by creating a trust or execute small developmental projects on his own?
If it is for' prestige' or 'status' people as a whole hardly know these candidates Who knew EPS when J was around ?I didn't. Nobody did.It was J and J everywhere and through out.Only after EPS became the CM after J's demise did i and many others got to know about him that such a person existed in that party and about his administrative skills.. It is only now in this election times i got to know that in his political speeches he is capable of directing witty barbs at his opponents.
Similarily does any one know the opposition parties candidates apart from the members of the first family?I know only Stalin, kanimozhi and Maran .
So apart from the stars others have no status , but enjoy the trappings of power.So may be for some who have tons of money to blow, it is prestige .
So why is so much money being spent on elections which in ordinary course of democracy only the govt should be spending -like organising voting centres etc.
Does one requires crores of rs to travel in one's constituency .Is so much petrol consumed for touring 4 kms radius?Are crores needed to hold rallies? Mind boggling.
So in general a person stands in elections not for service to the public or poor nor for prestige but for some thing else .Something more.
In a recent IT raid 11 crores was seized from opposing party man , all neatly labbelled in small stacks with the destinations written on them .In other words they were being hoarded and readied for distribution to voters .The news stunned me --the ease at which so much money is made and the desire to spend it to reap good dividends in the oncoming elections.
It also shows that all those who spend crores on elections are sure that they will earn it back in full + more.
.Excepting for few fools like me nobody does anything for free.
This is our democracy! Great!
This dole giving in here is the benign face of elections there are other cruder faces to elections .When we were in Ranchi in 1990's during election a group of men with guns will capture a booth and chase away all and then stamp the papers and vote for all those in that constituency and make thier candidate win .
Isn't democracy about choosing ones representative in peaceful manner without any fear and blood shed? Few hundred deaths connected to elections will take place routinely all over this country during every elections but it will be soon forgotten and news papers and tv will hail the spirit of the people and strength of democracy once the results start coming .
A few days earlier on my way back from shopping i saw the one year old grand daughter of a maid known to me since long .Gave that child a 100 rupee note as it is the custom to do so.Soon some men from the nearby tenements who were loitering on the street , crowded around me .On seeing them the maid went tense and ordered me to leave .I left immediately sensing that she was warning me about them.
Next day when i saw her i asked her as to why she shooed me away in such a harrassed manner?She replied that those men who crowded around me were all drunk and that they would have forced me to give them money.
Was it to do with politics?So i asked her as to whose side she was .'Amma'as the prompt reply but immediately changed track and said that they --viz J's party had given others scooters on Amma's birthday but they didn't give her ,hence she was vexed&disappointed and may vote for those[opposition party] who were giving tokens, if she got one.And then instantly switched over to me and said in her loud malish voice"Tell me whom you want me to vote and i will vote for them""Come on Tell me".
I was taken aback I said No No , I am not for any party. I may not even vote and if i did it will be a NOTA as i don't trust any party.They have all played a havoc in my personal life and are still doing it.But she persisted with her offer like a broken record and i had a tough time extricating myself from her and some how managed to fend her off politely.
Came home thinking that maybe that maid found me a clean, naive person who can be easily approached unlike the politicians she has voted for hence she was willing to vote for any one i want her to or even vote for me .This thought thrilled me and i felt a warm glow of pride and reeled in self appreciation which was soon punctured in the house when it was pointed out that i had actually drenched her hand before other parties did[viz that note i gave her grand daughter] and therefore she was ready to do my bidding..
I felt disappointed .Despite the allergy i have developed towards politicians i have to admit it is useful to have a politician in one's circle..So a flag in a car is not big thing.I had thought that it connoted a high place in the political heirarchy.Apparently it doesn't.
Next i asked him ,will your party win?He said ofcourse it will .Haven't we given RS 1500 and 2000 to all? So it is but natural that we will win!
I remembered my watchman bringing us a register for us to sign a month back so that our family would get Rs 2000 from the govt.I asked him Isn't this scheme only for the poor?He said It is for every one.We didn't sign.
Came back home with stomach satiated with delicious food but with a mind full of questions.
If a candidate has to spend 6 to 10 crores --[ooff i can't even imagine having money beyond 50 lakhs in my hands-] for a seat, why is that seat so valuable and so sought after?
Is it because such rich persons want to do public service and help the poor and needy?MP's and MLA's are supposed to be elected so as to serve the people.This is said to be the socialist democracy we are into.
If a candidate can spend 10 crores on an election which has only five years tenure with the noble goal of serving people why can't he do it straight away with all the extra money he has ,to wipe the tears of the poor and needy by creating a trust or execute small developmental projects on his own?
If it is for' prestige' or 'status' people as a whole hardly know these candidates Who knew EPS when J was around ?I didn't. Nobody did.It was J and J everywhere and through out.Only after EPS became the CM after J's demise did i and many others got to know about him that such a person existed in that party and about his administrative skills.. It is only now in this election times i got to know that in his political speeches he is capable of directing witty barbs at his opponents.
Similarily does any one know the opposition parties candidates apart from the members of the first family?I know only Stalin, kanimozhi and Maran .
So apart from the stars others have no status , but enjoy the trappings of power.So may be for some who have tons of money to blow, it is prestige .
So why is so much money being spent on elections which in ordinary course of democracy only the govt should be spending -like organising voting centres etc.
Does one requires crores of rs to travel in one's constituency .Is so much petrol consumed for touring 4 kms radius?Are crores needed to hold rallies? Mind boggling.
So in general a person stands in elections not for service to the public or poor nor for prestige but for some thing else .Something more.
In a recent IT raid 11 crores was seized from opposing party man , all neatly labbelled in small stacks with the destinations written on them .In other words they were being hoarded and readied for distribution to voters .The news stunned me --the ease at which so much money is made and the desire to spend it to reap good dividends in the oncoming elections.
It also shows that all those who spend crores on elections are sure that they will earn it back in full + more.
.Excepting for few fools like me nobody does anything for free.
This is our democracy! Great!
This dole giving in here is the benign face of elections there are other cruder faces to elections .When we were in Ranchi in 1990's during election a group of men with guns will capture a booth and chase away all and then stamp the papers and vote for all those in that constituency and make thier candidate win .
Isn't democracy about choosing ones representative in peaceful manner without any fear and blood shed? Few hundred deaths connected to elections will take place routinely all over this country during every elections but it will be soon forgotten and news papers and tv will hail the spirit of the people and strength of democracy once the results start coming .
A few days earlier on my way back from shopping i saw the one year old grand daughter of a maid known to me since long .Gave that child a 100 rupee note as it is the custom to do so.Soon some men from the nearby tenements who were loitering on the street , crowded around me .On seeing them the maid went tense and ordered me to leave .I left immediately sensing that she was warning me about them.
Next day when i saw her i asked her as to why she shooed me away in such a harrassed manner?She replied that those men who crowded around me were all drunk and that they would have forced me to give them money.
Was it to do with politics?So i asked her as to whose side she was .'Amma'as the prompt reply but immediately changed track and said that they --viz J's party had given others scooters on Amma's birthday but they didn't give her ,hence she was vexed&disappointed and may vote for those[opposition party] who were giving tokens, if she got one.And then instantly switched over to me and said in her loud malish voice"Tell me whom you want me to vote and i will vote for them""Come on Tell me".
I was taken aback I said No No , I am not for any party. I may not even vote and if i did it will be a NOTA as i don't trust any party.They have all played a havoc in my personal life and are still doing it.But she persisted with her offer like a broken record and i had a tough time extricating myself from her and some how managed to fend her off politely.
Came home thinking that maybe that maid found me a clean, naive person who can be easily approached unlike the politicians she has voted for hence she was willing to vote for any one i want her to or even vote for me .This thought thrilled me and i felt a warm glow of pride and reeled in self appreciation which was soon punctured in the house when it was pointed out that i had actually drenched her hand before other parties did[viz that note i gave her grand daughter] and therefore she was ready to do my bidding..
posted by K.C. Sujata at
4:30 AM
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