A repainted tombstone is still a tombstone!

After the election results were out and the thrill of waiting for a month-long ended, I decided to do a short pilgrimage. The noteworthy things which had happened in the meanwhile were two. The first was the Congress Working Committee convening meeting to discuss the poll debacle. The second was the announcement by the Trinamool Congress chief, Mamata Banerjee, on the nomination of Shatrugan Sinha, a former Bollywood actor and a non-performing liability in the NDA government and a singer Babul Supriyo, a singer, and a serial election loser, post his chance election win from Asansol riding the Modi wave in 2014.

There are bytes from leaders from many parties who have lost the five-State elections. However, the top award could go to Prashant Kishor, who has quoted that the actual win is in 2024 and not these state elections. How wise! He is one of the endowed humans with no accountability. He has bled the Trinamool dearly of several crores of Rupees, selling the dream of elevating the State party into a National one.

Be that as it may, I expected that the Gandhi family this time would surely pack off and go but realized how naïve I could be in the matter relating to politics. The drama went on the scripted lines, Sonia Ji offering to stepdown as the interim president of the Congress party and the members present rolling on the floor crying and pleading with her not to abandon the party until the party’s name is erased from the rest of the States in their control. I have seen sycophancy and have all the sympathies for the Gandhi family and the Congress party members. Still, I have to state loud and clear that the dying party must not whine and disown the rise of the BJP or AAP, which is only due to the inability of INC to play the role of a responsible opposition. May it rest in peace.

The second is the announcement of the 76-year old Shatrugan Sinha’s name for Asansol. Why in the world be that? Aren’t there any faces in Bengal who could have fitted the bill better? His earlier election victories were for his movie performance. He is a staunch believer in astrology and did not enter his minister’s chamber in Delhi until he painted everything red, including yellow upholstery on the visitor’s sofa. Please find out how many days he attended the office after that. I rest my case.

Babul Supriyo, the good singing but foul-mouthed BJP deserter, is the candidate for the Ballygunge Lok Sabha seat. He will be no better than Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who Didi gifted an RS seat. I hear whispers that AAP, buoyed with the recent landslide wins in Punjab, could be putting up candidates. I have read that 82% of winners from AAP in Punjab were debutants and many into politics for the first time.

West Bengal must run, including the educated and empowered persons, and merely confine to popularity from sports, arts or performances in the TV or movies. The party might face a problem if it only chooses to award parliamentary seats based on abusing the Centre and cussing Modi. To me, it may not be far off before AAP spreads its embrace in other states, Bengal not excepted.

Sampath Kumar

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