Snakes and electoral planks

"Good sense will prevail even on those who are opposing it... We feel confident in front of his funeral pyre." – The words of the head of the government in what is supposedly “the world’s largest democracy”. Food for thought here. Indians have been continuously misled by people (read “politicians”) who have harped on this (erroneous) fact for ages. Erroneous, considering that India is not the biggest country in the world and also because most of the countries which are bigger are also democracies (or so they claim). Hence do we treat such claims seriously? Hmmm, I am transgressing as usual here.

Well, I initially started this post with a line delivered by India’s Prime Minister at some random person’s funeral. I mean no disrespect to a dead citizen of India, but I think too much newsprint has been wasted on the death of someone who was part of the whole jamboree that still aims to disturb the peace in India everyday. This random person happened to be the head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, a society that claims to be at the forefront of the struggle for a temple at Ayodhya, a struggle which (if successful) would doom India to the very fate that it was left to when the British left. That the Prime Minister chose to be there at his funeral and also made such a provocative statement proves that doom is in the horizon unless the vote bank wakes up. Lets let go of religious interests when we vote.

This is a lesson for all of us voters. A poisonous snake never loses its capability to kill. That’s nature.

QOTD: "We will fulfill his (the Mahant's) last wish. We are confident that all obstacles will be removed and the path paved for it” - A. B. Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India (August 1st, 2003)