Some people say Indians are dishonest and they have no integrity. I want to refute it strongly. For one, I am an honest citizen ; I believe in democracy and I cast my vote according to my rights. I listen to the speeches of the leaders, the contestants, the newspaper reports and also what others say to me personally. I also take into account what the party the candidate belongs to says. I make my decision, go to the polling booth, stand in the long queue and cast my vote. I do not allow my conscience to be swayed by the money I have been offered by his agent or by the persuasive urgings of my friends or the nice pillow talk of my better half. I take my decision independently and objectively.
Later I am dismayed by the utterances and activities of the Member of Parliament I have voted for. I watch his activities in New Delhi. Mostly he signs the register at the Parliament Hall and turns away to his five star hotel. When he attends the sessions to qualify for the privileges, he spends time talking to his friends or meddling with the cell phones or playing games on his I Pod. He is seen frequently in the canteen tasting the special dishes. He scouts the chairmen of various committees to persuade them to include him in one of them ; it is his fond hope that one of the committees may leave for Mexico or Brazil for some inexplicable survey or discussion. If at all he gets a chance to leave on a foreign sojourn, he makes sure his paramour accompanies him in the position of his secretary or wife. He thinks nothing of making untrue declarations as he is aware that almost all the members of the group have done the same thing.
Once I met him during one of his rare visits to his constituency. It was announced that he would meet the people in the Circuit House at 10.00 am on a rainy Monday. I was there sharply at 10.00 but there was no trace of the MP. Nobody knew when he would come ; nobody bothered when I told them about the newspaper announcement saying he would be there at 10.00.
They laughed at me. “Are you so naïve as to believe the words of a politician?” they said. But I preferred to believe his announcement and waited until 2.00 pm when he made his appearance. He apologized for the late-coming and asked if we had had our lunch, and quietly left us to go inside to have his lunch and then his siesta. He came out at dusk, fresh and ready to leave. Most of the people had left but for a couple of us. Except me, all the others were his lackeys. He turned to me and touched my shoulder.
“Do you want any favours?” he asked.
“No, sir. I just wanted to discuss certain local issues with you. We rarely get to see you.” I said.
He looked at me as if I were a creature from the underworld, and smiled at me. “Do you want a loan from the Bank? A community certificate? An engineering seat for your son? Tell me, I will help you.”
“But it is not personal. I voted for you, and I would like to discuss with you the state of our economy and what you are doing at Delhi to improve our lot?” I said.
“But our MP is a busy man.” His secretary, who had all the attributes of a bully, told me. “ He has to be at the International airport in another 30 minutes.”
“ I will talk to you when I come back for the Republic Day celebrations. We will have a meaningful discussion then,” he said, patted my shoulder and was whisked away in a long limousine.
He never made his appearance for the Republic Day or Independence Day celebrations. He indulged in cross-voting and it was said huge amounts changed hands. He transferred his loyalties to the ruling party, but was careful to see that he was not disqualified. When an investigating journalist reported that he was seen cavorting with a Mumbai starlet, he denied it hotly. When he bought a three bedroom apartment in the heart of Chennai, he did it only in the name of his wife’s cousin.
When his brother got a huge loan from a nationalized bank and started his industrial unit with foreign collaboration, he was aghast when newspapers said it was nepotism.
“My God” he slapped his forehead.”Is it mandatory that all the members of the MPs family should be morons?”
Later it was rumoured that he received a lump sum of Rs.50 crores and transferred his allegiance to the ruling party along with some of his cronies so as not to be disqualified. The other day I read in the newspaper that he was aggrieved that he had been denied a seat in the Cabinet as promised. He was in deep despair and was at a loss how to further advance his political career.
People in the know tell me that I am an honest citizen but a moron. How can I be so naïve that he will be more interested in the country’s well being than in his progress? As long as there are such fools, the politicians would continue to hoodwink the people.
Was I wrong in electing him casting my honest vote? Is there any way to make these ambitious but dishonest politicians pay for deceiving the electorate?