I had booked tickets to catch 'Valkyrie' at the Prasads multiplex yesterday with a few friends. I was really looking forward to the movie. I had some office work to finish in the morning. I wound that up early, got back home and took a short nap. I was planning to leave in an hour.
Suddenly, I got an email from the booking website that the movie was canceled because Sonia Gandhi was visiting a place close to the multiplex because of which all roads leading to the multiplex were blocked. I was appalled!
After visiting the area, she was scheduled to address a public meeting at the Parade Grounds in Secunderabad, a stone's throw away from my house. The familiar routine was played out. Trucks full of people were transported from the villages around the city to the venue, probably lured with a meal and some money. In this process, normal life around the venue was thrown totally out of gear. Traffic came to a grinding halt on the roads leading to the city.
And what if I had not accessed my email around that time. I would have struggled to make my way to the multiplex only to realize that the show had been canceled. I'm sure there were many people who went through this.
The people who were brought in hordes to the city for the meeting had nothing to do with the Congress party which organized the meeting. By making them attend these meetings, the party cannot even be assured of getting their vote during the elections. And every political party is guilty of the same crimes. It is not only the Congress party. People like Sonia Gandhi and L. K. Advani do not even speak in the only tongue understood by the people that attend the rallies.
What, then, is the point of holding these rallies?
A show of strength? An opportunity for sycophants to show their loyalty to their political masters? An ego-boost for the leaders themselves?
It cannot be votes, definitely. These kinds of rallies can never ensure votes. If you spend the same amount of money and give them a meal and the money while letting them enjoy the Saturday evening in the confines of their homes, they will probably more likely vote for you. That way, you would save on the transportation costs!
It really beats me. What is the point?
Suddenly, I got an email from the booking website that the movie was canceled because Sonia Gandhi was visiting a place close to the multiplex because of which all roads leading to the multiplex were blocked. I was appalled!
After visiting the area, she was scheduled to address a public meeting at the Parade Grounds in Secunderabad, a stone's throw away from my house. The familiar routine was played out. Trucks full of people were transported from the villages around the city to the venue, probably lured with a meal and some money. In this process, normal life around the venue was thrown totally out of gear. Traffic came to a grinding halt on the roads leading to the city.
And what if I had not accessed my email around that time. I would have struggled to make my way to the multiplex only to realize that the show had been canceled. I'm sure there were many people who went through this.
The people who were brought in hordes to the city for the meeting had nothing to do with the Congress party which organized the meeting. By making them attend these meetings, the party cannot even be assured of getting their vote during the elections. And every political party is guilty of the same crimes. It is not only the Congress party. People like Sonia Gandhi and L. K. Advani do not even speak in the only tongue understood by the people that attend the rallies.
What, then, is the point of holding these rallies?
A show of strength? An opportunity for sycophants to show their loyalty to their political masters? An ego-boost for the leaders themselves?
It cannot be votes, definitely. These kinds of rallies can never ensure votes. If you spend the same amount of money and give them a meal and the money while letting them enjoy the Saturday evening in the confines of their homes, they will probably more likely vote for you. That way, you would save on the transportation costs!
It really beats me. What is the point?
Comments
Crores go down the drain for a public appearance of just a couple of hours ! Each crore wasted by political parties could feed about 550 poor people for ONE FULL YEAR !