My Mr. Minister is a versatile MP who is quite dynamic and true politician by any nature and standards. I called him and he invited me to his house as he was scheduled to travel and I would accompany him.
Bhejafry: Good morning Mr. Minister and I am grateful to you for spending one day with me.
Minister: Oh thanks to you Bheja Fry, I am sure we both will enjoy each others company. Would you like to have some breakfast ?
Bhejafry: (I was hungry but resisted) No.. No.. thanks.. I had it before I started.
Minister: Have it, it has come from the nearby hotel. He sends me every morning. After all I am MP from this constituency. Out of love and affection he also sends me lunch and dinner.
Bhejafry: (my mind was zoomed as I could understand his meaning of love – read threat) oh this is so nice of him Mr. Minister. So let’s start with some light conversation. What prompted you to come in politics ?
Minister: What prompted me, meaning ? No one whispered in my ear, so where is the question of prompting me. I am educated enough to understand the importance of being in politics. Like you have in industry PPP – Public Private Partnership, similarly we have PPP in Politics also – Power, Position and Paisa ha..ha…ha…(laughed).
Bhejafry: Oh so you came for Paisa or Power or Position.
Minister: You are frying my bheja, Bhejafry. I came for all three. But most important is Paisa. You see, your breakfast, lunch and dinner comes automatically. After all I am MP from this constituency.
Bhejafry: How much are you educated Mr. Minister? I mean your qualifications.
Minister: I don’t know and I won’t reply. Next Question.
Bhejafry: Please Mr. Minister, it is an important question.
Minister: What is the relation between becoming a Minister with education? If education was the criteria I would have become an IAS or Collector. Your question is invalid. Question does not arise. I can talk English, sign in English and Hindi. What more.
Bhejafry: I can understand your problem Mr. Minister. How has been your journey in Politics?
Minister: My journey has been full of struggle. No one supported me. I came as an independent candidate and then remained for a brief period in every party you name – Congress, BJP, BJD, Janta Dal, CPM, SP, Kalu Ram, Samjhouta Party, almost all the parties. My experience is quite large.
Bhejafry: But then why did you leave these parties.
Minister: Are na..na.. (gets irritated) I did not leave, they asked me to leave. They all blamed that, though I was in their party but actually working for the opposition party. So I thought better join the opposition party.
Bhejafry: This was really amazing. Indeed your journey has been very tough. Ok what would you like to talk about the condition of Indian economy today? Who is responsible?
Minister: (Replying promptly) People of India are responsible for this mess. See, they only voted for this party and now blaming.
Bhejafry: Even you belong to the same party Mr. Minister. So you are responsible too.
Minister: (gets angry) How am I responsible ? I am not. You are also talking like other senior members in the party. I am being looked in suspicion every moment. This party also feels that I am working for opposition party when I shout against petrol price hike, rising prices, inflation, GDP, employment, industrialization.
Bhejafry: Oh that’s serious. What do you think about our country? Where is it progressing?
Minister: No Where Bhejafry (satisfied feeling). Now don’t say I am responsible for this too. As such I am shifting my party before the coming elections. I am also dissatisfied, the way this party is working.
Bhejafry: Mr. Minister, what vision you for atleast your constituency. What have you done for the people of your constituency ?
Minister: What can I do Bhejafry? Rains and Pains, in this country, don’t come with invitation. I am also one of them, I mean a common man who is frustrated and harassed. Rather I need their help and support in winning the elections every time.
Bhejafry: Mr. Minister just a couple of days back one of your prominent minister said the country is not progressing because `Rahul’ is not advising. What you have to say on this.
Minister: I am very annoyed with Media. It has twisted the statement of the Hon’ble Minister. The gentleman who said meant `Rahul Mahajan’ and certainly not `Rahul Gandhi’.
Bhejafry: What Rahul Mahajan? There is no comparison between Rahul Mahajan and Rahul Gandhi. What he meant was Rahul Gandhi only.
Minister: I can’t and won’t comment. Anyways he has clarified and given a statement. Actually he had some personal problems which has been sorted now. No more confusions.
Bhejafry: Mr. Minister, the country is passing through a bad patch. GDP, Investments, Industry, People etc. are not at all happy. Foreign countries do not want to invest in India
Minister: India
Bhejafry: There is not much difference for them between `running a country’ and `ruining a country’. For them GDP means `God Damn Protest’. But don’t you think, the government should look for the growth and give Industries their well deserved importance and respect. Rather than Ministers themselves talking like activists.
Minister: I agree with you. But you know `vote bank’. People are our vote bank and if we annoy them they would not vote for us. No one wants to take that risk Bhejafry. They are more worried about coming elections rather then Indian Economy.
Bhejafry: But industries do give you funds besides providing employment, infrastructure development, taxes, valuable products, global position to India etc.
Minister: We do get funds from Industries but that is for some other purpose which I can’t disclose. And I am not sorry. After all I am MP from this constituency. The problem is with the industries also. Why do they need land for everything? Why they need to expand and grow all the time? Can’t they sit quietly and remain in low key. They should become selfish and look for themselves rather then thinking about the Country, Economy, Growth, Development. Bhejafry, we are there, 545 + 270 MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and many more commissions, committees and EGoMs.
Bhejafry: But still Mr. Minister, if the industries decide to close their troubled business, you will have serious problem. Government does not generate employment and does not have cash to give salaries (Indian Airlines) how the government would provide needed products and services to the people. This is indeed a very sad position.
Minister: What can I do Bhejafry? I am part of the government but not government. No one listens to me. (Feeling very sad) The files are written in high-flying English, which I cannot understand and I am there and required to just sign, which also I learned after doing 3 months crash course in New Delhi
When ever I sign a file, I always have this feeling that I am signing my death warrant.
Bhejafry: You should thank the bureaucrats for providing knowledge to the ministries or otherwise, we would have only primary schools Mr. Minister !!!!. Anyways, what is your take on helping the poor people in the country. What should be done?
Minister: Poor people? Meaning people who are actually poor or declared poor under the various reservation policies and reports, particularly international reports? What exactly you mean by poor. I have my poor servant who has a colour television, his children go to convent school and he has a bike too.
Bhejafry: Mr. Minister I am talking about real poor who live in rural areas and do not get enough food, shelter and are deprived of basic amenities. Is your government doing anything for these poor people ?
Minister: Oh these people. We believe in removing the cause from its roots. So to remove poverty we need to remove the poor and we are working since last 60 years in the same direction. We have recently formed a high-level committee to look into this matter from a fresh perspective. If they are find solutions, good, or we have secretaries committees and if they fail too, we have EGoMs.
Bhejafry: I came to know that you traveled abroad six times in a year. Is that true?
Minister: I don’t travel, Ministers of foreign countries invite me for discussions on various issues.
Bhejafry: Mr. Minister I know how much you are educated and your vision and mission, why would one foreign minister like to discuss with you?
Minister: You don’t know. The ministers on the other side are also like us. One time we call them and one time they call us. It is a mutual exchange program.
Bhejafry: Ministers are representatives of public (MPs become Ministers) who are entrusted with faith that they would work towards development of the country and their welfare. What is your opinion about this.
Minister: See, a Minister is a quite stressed poor dissatisfied soul who is solely dependent on either his secretariat or people who voted for him. His soul looms between these two. Without the support of both he is nothing. So instead of thinking about anything else, country, people, development, growth, economy, GDP or national income; the Minister is more worried about his position.
Some think broke aloud with a thundering noise… I woke up from the sleep.. Down on the street people were fighting for water. The fan was not working as there was no electricity. I realized, it was a dream. I thanked god, to let it remain a dream, the reality is much more painful.
My Bheja was Fried.