Ridiculous Idealism

Rather late, but I've been stewing about this for a while....

DMK won.

Spells the end of my respect for the tamilians.

And the Congress.

Over the past two years, ever since Congress became ruling party, I have been watching out for mistakes. I have never been a big fan of the Congress, I don't know why but I haven't. Everything is just too slick with them and most of the time I think they're cashing on to the advantage of having such greats like Nehru and others at the helm of the party in times gone.

However, I was reluctantly impressed with them. Their policies have been fair, to the most part and although it seems to me that Manmohan Singh is sticking too close to the Bush Administration, which pisses me off to no end, I still haven't found much to complain about.

Until now. DMK won because they promised color televisions to all those who don't have any. DMK won because they promised two acres of land to all the landless in Tamil Nadu. DMK won by bribing, coaxing and promising recklessly.

And the Congress backed them! In the first week after elections, Karunanidhi announced decrease in rice prices from 3.50 Rs to 2 Rs, costing the government crores of money. Other such decreases have already taken effect.

Isn't there something in the constitution which forbids tactics like this? Isn't there something there that disallows using bribes to get votes?

DMK has always been a rather unsavoury party. During last assembly elections, DMK party workers stole into polling booths late after everyone else was done with voting, and using the names of people who din't vote, they cast their votes for the DMK. And now they've done this. DOn't people have any sense?

I listened to Chidambaram defending the actions of the DMK and couldn't help feeling sick and disgusted!

On the other hand, Jayalalitha has once again been gaining my reluctant admiration. I know she's corrupt, I know she's ruthless. But she kept the state together. She handled post-tsunami TN admirably and I'll never forget the decree that every house in Chennai implement rain-water harvesting machines. That year, it din't just rain, it rained cats and dogs. Chennai's inafamous water problem became negligible.

Politics in this country is a dirty business. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother!

posted by Books inc @ 9:47 PM