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FLIPSIDE
The
Wishlist
Everyone
has a wishlist, their vision of what India can be and what the problem
areas are. There's probably not much variation between individual wishlists,
considering India is a country where the more things change, the greater
the likelihood of them staying the same. Since the year has just begun,
and hope, as they say, springs eternal, here are some things that most
people would like to see.
By Dilip
Bobb
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Ninan
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The
Return of Priyanka Gandhi:
Confinement is all very well, but this is getting ridiculous. It's been
ages since anybody's seen hair or hide of her, or the latest heir to the
dynasty. Priyanka may not be the country's last hope, except for Congressmen,
or its future, but at least she livened up a political scene dominated
by the same tired, old have-beens. Politics is in dire need of young,
attractive personalities. Come back Priyanka, all is forgiven.
A sterner,
tougher Vajpayee: As opposed to the kinder, gentler version we have
got stuck with. Okay, so he may be the most favoured candidate for prime
minister judging by what the opinion polls tell us (which speaks more
about the lack of leadership than his own performance), but the image
of poet-philosopher that his spin doctors like to project is hardly the
right qualification for the top job, specially with Mamata Banerjee around.
Equally objectionable is his image as a man wedded to family values, the
family, in this case, being the Sangh Parivar.
An Extempore
Sonia Speech: Mum's still the word. And now that she's a grandmum,
literally and figuratively, we are yet to hear a speech that isn't written
by someone else or put before her on a piece of paper. Doesn't say much
for someone who is president of the Congress party. Problem is, she doesn't
say much at all. The country is still waiting to see if she has a mind
of her own. Now, if only her minders would stop treating her like Cleopatra,
Mother Teresa and Margaret Thatcher rolled into one, we just might see
the real Sonia. Better still, hear the real Sonia.
Less
of Amar Singh: The pudgy, bespectacled politician thrives on the fact
that the media has taken to him like he's God's gift to women, Amitabh
Bachchan, Mulayam Singh and the Sahara Group. He may be what the last
three ordered, but the kind of coverage he gets on Page 3, or elsewhere
in the media, proves that all it takes to raise your profile is a snazzy
Lexus 4x4 and the occasional bout of fisticuffs with Mani Shankar Aiyar
at a chatterati party.
A better-dressed
Laloo Prasad: Specially in winter, when he insists on adorning his
kurta-pyjama with those brightly coloured Pringle sweaters. Why he doesn't
wear a shawl like everybody else wearing ethnic attire is a mystery, but
it certainly isn't anywhere near the height of fashion, or in tune with
his earthy image. In any event, Laloo is a colourful enough character
without adding a bilious green to his image.
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METRO TODAY
