Another Independence Day has come and gone and we are,from all the speeches,slogans and statistics,actually going back in time. Everybody,from Kashmir to Telangana,is hoisting a different flag,creating independent entities. Yet,independence is also based on dependance,as in there would be no heroes without villains. Examples of independent dependants abound.
Modi and Manmohan: It may be a case of low blows but it speaks,very aggressively,of the height of ambition. Where would Narendra Modi be without a Manmohan Singh to challengeand target. On Independence Day,it was a challenge to compare speeches and development,so whats next,a duel at dawn on the ramparts of Red Fort? Could well be since he acts like a man in a hurry to reach Red Fort by the next Independence Day,and the short cut to getting there is not via Chandni Chowk but by personally attacking Singh and his family connections along with a bit of plagiarism (Obamas Yes we Can). Judging by recent polls and TV coverage,its fast becoming a one-horse race,but it does raise the question,whose brilliant idea it was to locate the PMs residence on Race Course Road?
The Division Bell: This Parliament has set a benchmark for the most adjournments,most disruptions and being the least productive,thanks to clashes between the treasury and opposition benches,between front benchers and backbenchers,Left versus Right,and other battles up and down the ideological divide. Its a test of bench strength,much like the Indian cricket teams Zimbabwe tour,but serious enough for one House Speaker to term them anarchists,while the President,no less,referred to Parliament as a combat zone. At times,the LoC seems a lovefest in comparison. It really calls for a new definition of the Division Bell.
Rahul Gandhi and Poverty: By far the most famous independent dependant,he has been poverty-struck,so to speak. He has had a passionate if questionable relationship with poverty,having taken up the cause of Kalawati in parliament after visiting her home,made forays into the most poverty-stricken areas to bond with bonded labour and,after all that,declared that poverty is a state of mind. Poor choice of words.
The Rupee and the Aam Janta: There could not have been a closer relationship than a man and his money but now the rupee and its earner are growing further apart,not so much because of exchange rates but because of inflation which has made a kilo of onions more expensive than a litre of petrol. For a government in election mode desperate to curry favour with the voter,the UPA could end up shedding copious tears all the way to the vote bank.
