DEMOCRACY IS ALL ABOUT PEOPLE

"I pretended to be an open book. But I was closed off and conceited." Coco J. Ginger. This quote speaks a lot about open books. So, when our PM said mid-air (he talks so much there), he might be quoting the above author! Or just as Dharmaraja said in the war with Kauravas "Ashwathama Hataha!" and aside he said "Kunjaraha" knowing that in the din of war cries the second part was not heard. So he remained truthful and honest. (The analogy is for the purpose of the assumed honesty only; nothing more or less) The PM too might have said aside, " Most of you Indians are illiterate, what can you read even if I keep my book open?" and might have chuckled. Who knows? In the din of the noise of the air plane the correspondents might not have heard or pretended they did not hear. Or his inner voice might be singing "Mera Jeevan Khulla Pustak, Khulla hi Rah gaya". (My life is an open book and it remained open"). Poor Man! What can he do? They opened it nine years back but he was not allowed to close it despite all the coal dust accumulating on the open pages.

Our PM is a Professor in Economics from Cambridge University. We do not know "What they do not teach in Cambridge University" (e la title of a famous book, "what they do not teach at Harvard University) but after observing him for a decade now we do know they taught him to be economical with his words, whenever he cant be a real economist. So he is silent on many issues that are not in his authority. Though in his inner heart he knows there are millions of words unspoken, he has no permission to speak those. But he says" I have nothing to hide", even while saying he has millions of words hidden behind his silence. If you want to call it "duplicity" he does not agree, for, he lost power to agree or disagree nine years back.

He is not a custodian of your thoughts, just as he is not a custodian of the/your files. Files too have thoughts. They have an inner sense as to what is hidden in each of them. So, our PM says, "They can think and hide themselves; why should I hide them?" We have to enjoy the fun in his pun whenever he is permitted to talk. In a sense, he said "I am not a custodian of your lives too". Or he might have said, "I am not custodian of your lives" only and in the din of "PM Chor Hai" noise, we heard him as saying "files". He got angry, "How can you call the chosen PM  of a nation "Chor"? Did you see this in any other democracy?". The fact lost upon him and the nation was that we forgot a decade back that we were a democracy; the day a PM was appointed by an extra-constitutional authority and he was not democratically elected. We forgot we should respect the post of the Prime Minister, when he started banking upon the advice of  an extra constitutional authority for whatever he said or did. As days passed by, we saw this decay spread like virus to all institutions that we are reconciled to a 'decayed decade'.

And the nation lost the 'state of its mind' when a few days back he said, mid air only, that he would be ready to offer his shoes to the young aspirant from the family, whom he respects the most. It is based on the theory of " Karma". Whatever is given is to be repaid and whatever one gives too is repaid. But the young man was reluctant to accept the decade old decayed shoes or he was unwilling to enter such big shoes so early in life. So, the PM again retracted his words, this time on Indian soil only, that he was not unwilling to carry on the work assigned to him for another five years.

But while returning from the G 20 summit he said, mid air only, that he would be ready to serve the Congress Party under the young leadership of the young man whom he earlier offered his worn out shoes. He also tweeted, "So and so is the ideal choice to be the next Prime Minister of India". And he seems to have forgotten what he said few days earlier. " We are in a democracy. A PM is not insulted thus" True! It should not have happened thus. But if he sincerely believes we are a democracy, he should have taken people's will as the final decision. After all, it is not a one man's choice to pass on the mantle of ruling the 1.25 billion people. People are masters in a democracy. His party should win first. If they have belief in the young man's ability to lead the nation and that the people are ready to accept their choice, the party should dare declare him as a candidate for PM post. This is a matter to be discussed in internal party fora, not with select reporters on board an aircraft. A PM who believes in democracy would have broached the subject in party fora.

Mistakes lead to desperation. In desperation a man lies and commits more mistakes. It leads to chaos. Chaos leads to confusion. In confusion a man loses sight of what he says. This is what is happening now.

Instead of beating around the bush with statements like,"thousand words behind my silence', "my life is an open book', "I am ready to offer my shoes" etc., the PM would do well to state what is written in the book and whether it is a biography written by someone or an autobiography".

“There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.” 

― Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist 

It is time people see the cover and back of the open book.