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In a random survey of schoolchildren, the country's hope for the future, it was found that their knowledge of the country's hope for the future, namely its current chief ministers, was pathetic. A similar survey of adults came up with similar results, but the former was more worrying. Here's a sampling of the questions and their answers.

Who is the chief minister of Orissa? What are his main accomplishments?
It's very difficult to say, what with the lights going out. We were told that he was the one groping in the dark, so no one could recognise him. No one could recognise him even when the lights were on but that is a different story. On television, we saw lots of helpless people and we were told he was one of them. However, he must have many accomplishments to his credit since the Congress party has refused to ask him to go. They must think very highly of his handling of the crisis. It's very sad that we can't remember the name of such a great man.

Uttar Pradesh is the most important state in the country. Who is the chief minister and what is his contribution to modern India?
We are really the backward class when it comes to remembering names of our famous leaders who belong to history and our glorious past. However, it seems that we are not the only ones. There are, we are told, many BJP party workers and leaders in the state who, for some obscure reason, did not know who he was, or is. I asked my father, but he said it was before his time. I asked my grandfather and he said the same thing. He must be a very great and humble man to have hidden his light under a bushel for so long. As far as his contribution to modern India is concerned, I did hear something about his love for the remote control.

Who is the chief minister of Bihar? List his or her accomplishments.
This makes us feel even more backward and ashamed that we cannot remember the name of such a towering personality. To be the chief minister of such a large state means that the person must be someone of great accomplishments and a proven track record. It's a very difficult state to manage and requires someone really experienced. As the saying goes, if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. Unfortunately, I tried looking it up in the Who's Who, but the entry for the Bihar chief minister was left surprisingly blank. I can't understand why.

Name the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh and why you remember his name and not the rest.
N. Chandrababu Naidu. He is very popular, he has just been voted back to office, he is efficient, he has done a lot for Andhra Pradesh. Whether these are accomplishments or not is something we schoolchildren are still to figure out.

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