THE ASIAN AGE, Sep
22, 2012
Whether it was the aggressive art mart or the gold mart, going
by the enthusiastic shoppers, nobody could believe Didi had dropped a bombshell
I happened to be in Kolkata when
Mamata Banerjee made her dramatic announcement to pull the plug on the UPA.
Nobody was surprised. There was a bus strike in the city and people were
rejoicing. It meant there would be far less traffic on those clogged streets,
less pollution in the atmosphere and more time to focus on the dengue outbreak
that is obsessing Kolkatans.
Every time there is even a hint of a
mosquito buzzing within a five-foot radius, locals duck for cover or start
flapping the air frantically with anything handy — even a sturdy handbag.
Didi’s latest stunt doesn’t cause a
single ripple. “It was expected,” says a corporate honcho tiredly. Apparently,
anything and everything is “expected” from the mercurial Didi. And no, people
don’t want her to leave her hard-won gaddi. Not yet. “The commies are waiting
to get back into the saddle… but that’s not happening,” announces an
industrialist as we nibble on exquisite salads. Life appears to be looking up
for those who have embraced Didi’s extraordinarily eccentric and imperious
style of governance.
There is a great deal of hope invested in her ability to
somehow get things moving in that sluggish state. While people wait for the
miracle, those close to her are reaping the myriad benefits of being Didi
loyalists. Their projects are getting cleared phataphat, and money — a great
deal of it — is being made. In such an upbeat scenario, it is foolish to argue
with the converts. Didi is their saviour. She has rescued them from the maws and
jaws of the previous regime and granted a carte blanche to go forth and mint
money — no questions asked. In the process, her party hasn’t done too badly
either. There’s something to be said about friends with benefits in these
difficult times.
Like Didi’s faithful followers who
argue (rather unconvincingly) against policies Didi refuses to endorse, there
are the non-believers, albeit in a conspicuous minority, who articulate their
misgivings over watered-down Scotch, while reeling off glories that once were
Bengal. They are least bothered about the neighbourhood kiranawalla’s future
and what will happen to his shop once the biggies enter the market. Wal-Mart
politics is for those who live in Delhi. Diesel prices affect interstate truck
drivers, not them. Didi’s got it all wrong, they sniff dismissively, as the old
bearer in their favourite club, pads around getting refills. Similarly, the
young, rich and restless are worried about Kolkata’s non-existent nightlife,
given the early curfew and the absence of lively hangout places. One of them
was earnestly urging a high-ranking official to “reconsider” the spoilsport
policy since shutting bars at 11 pm was such a downer… a barbaric ruling, he
called it, without a hint of irony. A disconnect this deep is hard to bridge.
It is happening all over India. And
those who refuse to address the growing divide are going to pay for their
resistance eventually. Most people are living in a fatalistic zone, worried
about day-to-day adjustments and compromises. They are totally disengaged from
the bigger political picture that, in fact, does impact their lives on every
conceivable level. I watched the images of Vishwakarma in Kolkata and asked
around how the preparations for the annual Durga Puja celebrations were
progressing. Was there a sense of panic at rising prices… did the escalated
cost of diesel dampen their enthusiasm? Was their confidence in Didi shaken?
What about the prospect of a mid-term poll disturbing the tempo of their lives?
Were any of these issues of any significance? Bilkul nahi! The Vardan Market
was full of shoppers making early purchases from small boutiques that
specialise in selling designer knock-offs. Speaking to a few women haggling
over an Anamika Khanna fake, they stared at me like I was crazy. Rollback or no
rollback, they were going all out to enjoy a great pujo, minus any cutbacks.
Whether it was the aggressive art mart or the gold mart, going by the
enthusiastic shoppers crowding bazaars, nobody could possibly have believed
Didi had just dropped a bombshell.
How things unfold after the flop
Bharat Bandh will be interesting to monitor. The key word being flung around is
“consultation”. Assorted netas are going purple in the face about not being
consulted by the Congress Party before taking such a momentous decision. But
hello! Since when did the Congress ever consult anyone…. Allies included?
Countless ad hoc decisions have been imposed on the nation in the past… been
weakly debated and eventually junked. Most times, the aam janta has seen
through the charade, shrugged and gone on with life.
This time too, the pantomime will be
ignored till a staged “resolution” is offered and instantly accepted by the
Opposition and allies. The Prime Minister, emboldened by the positive market
sentiments to last week’s googly, will once again disappear behind the purdah
and wait for the Didis and Dadas to calm down — which they will. Our political
masters have read us well. They know all it takes to buy time and get on with
business as usual is to make a big noise and threaten to withdraw support. The
natives are satisfied that at least someone is doing something. It’s hogwash,
of course. But everybody goes to bed feeling happy. Meaningless threats and
protests have a way of dulling our senses and making us believe we actually
count.
So, has a new era of Didi-giri and
Dada-giri dawned? Will the latest flexing of political muscle make even the
smallest dent in the status quo? Or will we — stupidly and passively — stay mum
even after the Rs 12,500 crore Teddy Bear’s Picnic erroneously referred to as
Bharat Bandh? As always, this expensive joke is on us.
No comments:
Post a Comment