A Window To Perceptive Journalism

Smooth, peaceful, meaningless,
and 72 per cent

S P Singh

Chandigarh: In the season of assassination of sanity, abuse masquerading as election campaigning and death of the last vestiges of a political value system, here is the clinching news from Punjab: The February 13 elections were a smooth and peaceful affair and some 72 per cent of voters came out to put a decisive stamp of democracy on their future.  

Fig leaf of democracy survives better when voters become votes and issues are damned.

As the world prepared to utter sweet nothings on Valentine’s day, with large chunks of humanity celebrating the occasion without understanding the spirit of love that the great

Roman martyr Saint personified, Punjab’s love affair with democracy had degenerated into a game of power for power’s sake. 

As the hyper-active media turned itself into a propaganda vehicle, accepting proxy and abusive advertisements and selling news pages wholesale, the best thing left to report from the ballotting was the moderate rain on February 13. 

Roadside puddles made it to front pages of newspapers and people going to election booths with umbrellas were many a photographer’s delight, but for the electorate, the rain really wasn’t the issue. Polling percentage touched 71.97 on an average, while Mansa reported 85 percent, Bathinda 77.60, Faridkot 79.13, Muktsar 78.25, Barnala 79, Ferozepur 74.13, Sangrur 82.43, Fatehgarh 79 and Patiala 74.43 percent. (Later figures actually showed an even higher percentage – Ed.) 

As the media focussed on the long queues and people standing holding umbrellas, the ramshackle school building doubling up as a polling centre and the dirty pool of water in the school playground got blurred in the focus. 

The fact that a veterinary dispensary which served as a booth did not have any doors and currently no doctor is posted there didn’t qualify for a snapshot. The media of course deduced that there were no issues in these elections. May be that’s why news pages were up for sale! 

Of course small-time Punch and Judy vaudeville shows of democracy were on. Come and have a look: Punjab Finance Minister Surinder Singla hates it if an election official tries to guide an old woman, so he slaps him (Instant democracy even before the EVM beeps!); in Badal’s Lambi, many a villager have sold their election cards and reporters have got tired of writing about the same thing; in Amritsar, a car in Navjot Singh Sidhu’s cavalcade yields sharp-edged weapons; in Hoshiarpur, poll officials impound the vehicle of sitting BJP MLA Tikshan Sud; in Kotkapura, SAD-BJP’s Mantar Brar was booked for intimidating officials. 

Try imagining in a mature democracy like the UK or the US a minister slapping an official on poll day or a national celebrity candidate’s cavalcade moving with concealed sharp edged weapons? In Punjab, this would have become stale news by the time you read this but you will of course must have been told that the election failed to focus on the issues. And front pages will feature matter-of-fact statements by both Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh: “We are sure of forming the next government.” 

Main political parties aren’t any more similar. They are same. Like reversible jackets!  

February 13, 2007; evening

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