How They Hung The Parliament

In a small rural town in Tamilnadu, poor and hungry Palani was sipping his tea when he heard about the election announcement. He started drooling thinking of the biriyani, a quarter and at times even extra cash. Now he can attend many meetings and shout slogans. “Acche Din” had finally come.

The parties engaged jobless sports stars, film stars, and aging musicians. They needed some blusters and jesters in their party. While the joblessness was growing in the country.

Crorepatis became candidates; wonder what else was there to loot. Dynasty epidemic was spreading across parties from grandfathers to grandsons; it did not matter that the spouses were in the opposition party. Party hard was what they wanted to do.

They pedaled hard, their ideas and wares. They hopped from choppers, jumped into jets. They drove distances, in the heat and dust. They shed tears for the farmers. Then they sped to embrace their donors. They talked about the nation and the alienation.

They abused each other. Even the Mahatma was not spared. The sanctity of the dead was also violated. Violations were galore. EC took it easy.

First-timers voted; old-timers too voted. EC then counted and counted. Short of billion of votes they counted. The verdict was clearly unclear. The parliament hanged; the campaigns boomeranged.

Then the horse-trading began. The vision turned from ‘normal’ to ‘power.’ Alliances and dalliances went cloak and dagger.

Nation awaited; The ringmaster arrived and the parliament jumbo circus began with the ceremony of reneging of the oath.

“I swear in the name of Allah, Ram, and Yesu and whoever witnessing from the heavens and earth, that I will not keep up any of my promises now that I have bagged my votes; why promise when they are unkept; so, I promise that I will not promise any more; and if by slip of a tongue I do promise you can be best assured that it was not meant to be kept .”

And the grasses thought the other side was greener as they have elected a fence that would prey on them. Grasses became easy fodder for the fence.