Why I Hate Politics

I don’t know what my local MLA looks like. In fact, I don’t know what party he (or is it she?) belongs to. Even if I had a problem, I wouldn’t think of going to my local MLA or MP. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable dealing with a man, who is most probably corrupt or even a criminal. I deal with my problems myself, without taking help from the government. If I have a water supply issue, I call a private tanker. If there’s a problem with my security, I hire private security guards. If I fall ill I go to a clean private hospital. Yes, it costs more. But, at least you know you will get what you are paying for. Sometimes, I do have to use some government contacts, when I have to deal with corrupt babus. But, in general, I just don’t need the government. That is why I don’t go to vote. I don’t want to have a hand in bringing corrupt criminals to power.

My driver, however, always takes chhutti on polling day. It is an annoyance, but it is his right. And, I am all for rights. My driver knows his local MLA, a goon who lords over the tenements and slums on one of the corners of the city.

“Gunde to hain, Sir, lekin kaam bhi bahut karte hain”

“Kya karte hain?”

“Sir, unhoney hi humaare yahaan par bijlee ka meter lagwaya tha. Pahle to yeh BSES waale bol rahe the, unaethorise calony mein meter nahin lagega. MLA saab ne karwaya hai”

Now, this is exactly the reason why India is not progressing. My driver’s MLA is just one such case. I have nothing against slums. Poor people also need to live somewhere. But, when the government forces a power company to install meters, it is the first step towards giving these slums legal status. Then, the slums expand and the people who live there begin thinking it is their land.

Think of the Mumbai airport. It is the gateway to our financial capital. But, Mumbai can’t get a good airport because there are slums sitting on airport land. They can’t be evicted because they are protected by some politicians. On top of that, I can bet, they get every municipal amenity that you and I get. Okay, I am exaggerating a bit. My point is, cut off roads, stop electricity supply and the slum will implode on its own. But, no, that won’t happen. Politicians will protect this illegal encroachment just to create vote-banks. I think, that is the reason my driver votes. He gains from being part of a vote-bank. He needs this goon MLA to help him get more out of the government than he deserves. He wants all the illegal amenities he extracts from the system to be legalised and turned into entitlements.

My driver’s good-for-nothing brother is another example. He studied till the 10^th and then failed his boards. Since these people are experts at taking hand-outs he came to me and asked or a loan to set up a momo stall. My parents had always helped the poor, especially during the Navratras, so I didn’t hesitate to give the loan. I was going to deduct it from my driver’s salary over the next one year. I told him very clearly, I will not back anything illegal. He must get a proper licence for his stall, follow proper hygiene. But, that was not to be.

The other day, he came with my driver in the morning.

Saheb, mera stall uthakar le gaye hai policewaale.

Kyon?

Woh, jahan par lageya tha woh municipality ka zameen hai. Policewaale aye aur sab uthakar le gaye.

Arrey, tumhein to maine pahle hee kaha tha kanoon torh kar kuchh mat karna. Ab main kya karoon?

Saheb, aap kuchh karo sir. Phone laga do kahin.

Itna asaan nahin hota hai bhai. Phone lagaane se kya hoga? Main ghair kanoonee cheezon ke saqt khilaaf hoon.

I could have picked up the phone and called my friend Rahul. He is a big builder and is very close to the Police Commissioner. But, I don’t want to take any favours for illegal matters. I mean, this is too minor a thing for me to take a favour for. The Commissioner is actually a very decent guy. I had to call him when my brother got into an accident last year. He helped send the police immediately and they were really very efficient and polite. I have to say I was a bit surprised. It was not at all like what I had expected the Delhi Police to be. But, that was a genuine case. This is an illegality.  

I expected my driver to sulk a bit for a few days because I hadn’t helped his brother. But, he came the next day, to say the local MLA had worked things out. The man (goon) led a mob of supporters along with my driver’s brother to the local thana. They shouted slogans against the SHO and the MLA threatened to launch an agitation. The harried SHO told his men to hand over the stall and my driver’s brother’s things. He now gives free momos to cops and is being protected by them.

This is the reason I hate these politicians. They encourage illegal behaviour and they encourage corruption. These politicians create vote-banks amongst the uneducated and poor, by giving them handouts and protecting their illegal behaviour. In turn, the poor and uneducated become foot-soldiers for the criminal politicians. That is why our country is failing to modernise. The politicians protect people who break the rules, encroach on government land, divert our tax money to fund subsidies for them.  This lawlessness is the reason why our cities are dirty, no one follows traffic rules, there is no sense of hygiene and there is so much crime.

We, the middle class, who pay all the taxes, get nothing, while people who don’t work hard are turned even lazier through government subsidies. The country is sinking thanks to the government’s populist policies. Our fiscal deficit is going through the roof and that is causing inflation. Foreign companies are leaving our country and our currency is crashing. Business leaders are losing faith in our economy because reforms have come to a standstill. But, the government doesn’t care. They just want to build vote-banks to win elections, even if the country slides back to the 80s.  

What we need today is proper governance. We need a strong leader to come and implement proper policies. We need to encourage the poor to work harder and become entrepreneurs. That is how countries like America have prospered. We need a leader who will make bureaucrats and policemen work. We need a leader who will not compromise on the law in the name of vote-bank politics. We need to get rid of the subsidy-wallahs who are teaching the poor to depend on giveaways. Remember, you give a man a fish he eats for a day; you teach him to fish he will eat forever. Unless he is from Gujarat and is vegetarian.