There is obviously a risky danger in generalizing about any class or category of men and women. Yet, how else can one deliberate but by classifying as per a general pattern of behaviour? An honest apology in advance is offered for legitimately sympathetic consideration.

Be it the 139 year old party of Mahatma Gandhi and Mr Hume or the other centrist party of the last almost seventy years, one runs into such worthy persons who at different levels in the party don the mantle as suggested in the subject of this short essay. Besides these two, other political outfits too specialise in churning out such specimens of behaviour.

Pelf reaches there where power resides. Power attracts the powerless and also those seeking power. Politicians at the lower rung of the ladder are like puppets, to carry out wishes of the powerful, to garner personal gains by catering to the needs and desires of the powerful. On a different level, like puppets, they become couriers for party ideology. With Whip in force in India, politicians in this category, vote as per the directions of the party. Their personal views exert not a bit on the strings pulled by the party supremo. Politicians live in big bungalows a la Lutyens, huge lawns, double storeyed, in the country's capital. That all this luxury- living is due to tax payer's hard- earned money is a matter of no consequence. MPs, MLAs, and Ministers draw two, three or more pensions, not the highest due to them. That this is preposterous, has, as yet to the best of knowledge, not occurred to any politicians of any colour. Pardon, yes, in the state of Panjab, the assembly has passed a resolution to the effect that only ONE pension shall be paid. Has any other state assembly or parliamentary group also spoken about it? Haven't heard of it to the best of hearing. Then, these politicians teach ordinary citizens about their duties. Without any blush, worthy politicians promise freebies to every or any section of society. The Supreme Court has recently constituted a committee to go into this matter of freebies. Unabashed, promises are made on monthly payment to women or farmers. Then, who, do you think, pays for a Minister's Road- Shows? Taxpayer's money is not unlimited, hence the government has limitations. Bureaucrats suggest logical changes to save money after the elections, those in opposition raise slogans of the ruling party being cheats and promise- brokers. Both sides, before elections, indulge in pleasing the crowds with pranks and melodramatic gestures.

Hierarchy in any organization or party is fundamental to its disciplined existence. Yet, democratic conventions have to be conceded. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was criticised for his China policy both by the Opposition and his own party men. Shri JB Kriplani, and a few other senior party members also openly expressed their views. But now, in the present, any partyman to speak against the Party High Command or the Party Supremo is just unthinkable. Democrats and Republicans in the USA speak openly about their presidential candidates, but never so in India. Even an ordinary worker speaks against Mr Rahul or Mr Modi at his own risk; his own companions will silence him by shouting or with a certain concern for his position in the party. There has been a lot of noise being made about the government agencies for investigation repeatedly used against those opposed to the ruling party. There's one case of a leader accused of corruption on a mammoth scale, and all the cases fell through for lack of evidence as the guy joined the ruling party and became deputy chief minister of a large state. Husband of India's Finance Minister, Nirmal Narsimhan, Mr Parakala Prabhakar wrote a powerful denunciation of undemocratic practices in his essays on a republic in crisis, titled, ' The Crooked Timber of New India'.

Biodata

Dr Lalit Mohan Sharma, born in 1952, has published ten books of English poetry which include 'Man with A Horn', 'Eyes of Silence' and 'There's No Death'. His book, A Three- Step Journey, is English translation of Zahid's Urdu poems. 'A Little Fire' and 'पटल से प्रांगण तक' came out in the year 2023, and 'Imaginary Knots' is the latest , and 'Icicles of Time', another book of poems, will shortly be out. Sharma was conferred with 'Master of Creative Impulse' at World Poetry Conference in 2019. Galaxy Foundation honoured him with ' A Connoisseur of Creative Arts' Award. He has been anthologised in several books of poetry, stories and of academic interest.