The politics that I observe

Politics in the air. With heavyduty campaigning and poll news contributing to more than three pages in the papers, everyone from the city, I believe, is eating, breathing, drinking politics. Stars are urging us to vote. Asking us to choose the right representative. We are aware of the fact that it is more like a Hobson's choice and we are expected to choose the lesser evil. Today, all of a sudden the whole of South Mumbai is urging us to vote. I am finding all this quite funny. Not because I have something against them, but just for the reason that their whole priorities are so misplaced. Now, that their areas were targetted, they have woken up. And they are believed to be the most erudite, articulate and sophisticated class of Mumbai.

The basic duty of casting your vote once you turn 18 has to be instilled in them. Funny but true.

Also, what I find remarkable is the way Raj Thackeray has been finding a way in my brain if not heart. Though, I hate myself for this, somewhere I have been contemplating giving him a chance. But haven't reached a final decision as yet.
Modi, Advani, Gandhi (ohh sorry ) Sonia Gandhi and Co and Varun Gandhi (How could I dare to generalise), CPM, DMK, AIADMK, Shiv Sena are all behaving as expected. No agendas. Each one pointing the finger at other and expecting that the other person will not reacting. They forget they are all of the same breed. Politicians.
Hmmm. But what has been most amusing has been the way Sanjay Dutt emerged as the poltician this season. I dare to call him a politician because he has learnt the tricks of the trade. From making communal remarks to giving filmi dialogues to ranting to sounding MCP. He has done it all. And I am not surprised.
For someone who can shelter terrorists and keep one AK 47 as a gift (and then feel vindicated when he was acquitted under MCOCA), indulge in drugs and have a wild past ('I have lost the count of the number of women... in my life' - a sophisticated version of his admission on national television), what else can you expect from him.
And such people receive adulation from the masses. I cringe when all this happens. I cringed when Govinda became an MP, I felt bad when Modi was voted in after the Godhra carnage.
As someone who has always tried to follow the ongoings of politics, I feel terrible when I see those with criminal background come to power. My heart weeps. Not because I want to make tall claims of being a patriot, but because I don't want my country and my people to fall in the wrong hands.
But, sadly it has occurred to me that people like me can do nothing other than that. For the simple reason that we have no inclination of getting into the politics. We don't want to get our hands dirty, as recession struck people like us have other major issues to resolve. Country does not even come last on our To Do list. So, suffering wrong choices is the only thing which we can do.

Manjiri