August 24, 1998

Dilip Bobb

Perhaps it's an appropriate enough testimony to 50 years of Independence. Increasingly, the divide between what politicians say and what they actually mean has become a yawning one -- it draws a big yawn from the general public. Here are some classic examples.

"The turnaround is around the corner": Always guaranteed to raise a laugh but never hopes, this oft-repeated statement has been raised to new levels of misplaced optimism by Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha. What it actually means is that the light at the end of the tunnel is the headlamp of an approaching train. Sinha seems to have misplaced his economic agenda somewhere between Keynes and Karl. Gets no Marx, mainly because his favourite handbook on economic fundamentals seems to be Vox Populi.

"We will evaluate the situation and take a collective decision": Perfected by Mrs Gandhi, what it really means is that the leader's word is law, but the decision needs to be rubber-stamped by the Congress party's executive council, an oxymoron if there ever was one. Sonia is following suit, but is waiting for her Hindi to improve before she can use the phrase with any conviction.

"Our only interest is to safeguard the interests of the state": Has come into increasing use with the advent of coalition governments. Normally meant to indicate that the rate of blackmail had just risen along with inflation, it has now been given a new meaning by Jayalalitha. Her version, translated from Tamil, means that unless you remove Karunanidhi from his seat, I will unseat the government. Also, that the phrase "unconditional support" is all water under the bridge.

"I will resign if ...": Has been used at frequent intervals, mainly in the context of corruption charges faced by politicians. The Law ensured that none did, which is why the new line relates to Law and Order, as in the case of Home Minister L.K. Advani and Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh. Since neither seems capable of improving the situation in their respective areas of responsibility, readers should watch this space in the faint hope that some promises may be fulfilled.

"The findings are biased": Standard refrain heard by the main protagonists each time a commission presents its findings. Most recently articulated by Bal Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi. Which, in the context of the Bombay riots, is a little like a Bollywood movie -- tragedy turns into comedy, and has a happy ending.

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