Fairy tales for everyone

“Amma,” he said, “now read me that bit about the Congress promising to eradicate unemployment. That’s my favourite.” “What, you mean the one that has the line: desh ke liye ek saal? A drive to pay jobless youth a monthly stipend in return forworking for the nation?”

“Yes, amma, it’s nice to know that my future is secure even if I don’t get a job,” said my son.

“Ha, beta,” I said, “but the Congress is one of our most promising parties. It has even promised that the Babri Masjid will not be demolished again.”

“Yes, yes,” said my son, “and there’s that lovely bit about Congress MPs and MLAs declaring their assets. Amma, will those declarations be real or just more fairy tales?”

“Now look here, son,” I told him sternly. “You don’t have to be so cynical. We have to trust people. Look at Laloo Prasad Yadav. They jailed him on corruption charges but that didn’t destroy his moral courage. His party, the RJD, has sworn to root out corruption from the country’.”

“But I still don’t believe them,” said my son stubbornly. “It says here that it will provide good quality education’, but amma, I read somewhere that in Bihar, there are 30,000 school buildings that don’t have roofs.”“Education is also about breathing fresh air,” Isaid, a trifle lamely.“Now let’s go to the UF manifesto, beta.”

“Do they promise to give us exciting times by fighting amongst themselves for another 16 months, amma?” asked my son.

“Now, don’t be unkind, beta. They are trying their best. It says here that they plan to finish all their unfinished business’ this time,” I said brightly.

“Ah, that means H. D. Deve Gowda can settle his scores with Kesri for dismissing his government and I. K. Gujral can take his grandchildren to Maldives because they haven’t been there,” said my son.

“No, no,” I said, “They will now give us a targeted public distribution system,” I said.

“So that more and more people will get less and less?” asked my irrepressible son.

“Stop it, beta. See how each and every party wants to be kind to women: 30 per cent reservations in Parliament and state legislatures, no less,” I said.

“Does that mean women with long hair only?” asked my son.

“They have not clarified that but for the BJP, one particular lady,at least, is a complete no-no. It says here that people will have to choose between nationalism and a foreign hand.”

“Wow, you mean Sonia Gandhi is so powerful, amma?” asked my son.“It’s a manner of speaking, son,” I explained. “The BJP wants to remove the mental slavery’ of Indians and want this country to be strong. To do this they, promise to explode the nuclear bomb. The only problem is that Pakistan says that it will also explode the bomb.”

“There won’t be many of us left to build a strong nation then, amma, will there be?” asked my son, looking quite frightened.

“Never mind, but at least they will build a strong temple in Ayodhya,” I said consolingly. “This is part of its Hindutva and positive secularism’ agenda.”

“Amma, how can you have both. Doesn’t one cancel out the other?” asked my son.

Since I didn’t have an answer, I decided to call it quits. “That’s more than enough questions for tonight, mister,” I told him firmly. “And don’t forget, these are fairy tales. Theyhave a different set of rules.”