'Dilli Dur Ast'

Delhi has a way of treating her rulers. Sometimes she pampers them with unbridled power and on others she plunges them to the depths of despair by taking that power away. Either way she is endlessly fascinating to the wishful ruler who wants to woo her. The rulers used to be kings and queens in bygone times and now it is the wily politician who bids her with endless zest.

As the election season dawns upon us it is just as well that we take a closer look at it. This election season has been interesting to say the least. We have yet again seen the unabashed power hungriness of the political parties proving again that power comes before and after everything. They have also proved that there are no permanent friends and enemies in politics as erstwhile opponents who could not stand each other find themselves in each other's arms now.

The dramatis personae in this years election act are the UPA and NDA. According to me, for the first time since both these entities came to exist they look very similar to each other. Both have drank from the glass of power and know its sweetness and bitterness , so neither can claim the moral high ground and attack the other for misuse of power. Both have similar economic outlooks. Both have similar Foreign affairs policies. Both have gone back to geriatric leaderships after paying lip service to the concept of 'youth in politics'.

Remarkably, for a country obsessed with individual charisma this election campaign is devoid of any particular individual charm. I guess it is true of our political setup in general. Manmohan Singh seems to have converted to a politician finally - reluctantly of course - but lacks the charm of a real demagogue and LK Advani looks like the grand patriarch looking to fight his last war again failing to enthuse his countrymen like say a Vajpayee did. The young politicians seems to have been ignored completely and confined to TV debates. Hence there is no one to catch the public's , imagination which is really sad especially after watching Obama winning the Presidency.

What sets this election season different to the one in 2004 is the fact that unlike 2004 which had two distinct entities (UPA and NDA) the 2009 campaign has seen the entry of the 'Third front'. Is it good or bad, I'm not sure. My personal feeling is that it may lead to a bout of political instability that was witnessed in the mid-nineties. It remains to be seen whether the the hotch-potch third front emerges as the king maker (maybe the king even!) or disintegrate to prop up the other two fronts to form the government.

What is most interesting is the way Prime ministerial aspirants have sprung up from nowhere. Every regional satrap with a clutch full of MPs it seems aspires for the top job. Again it reminds of the mid-nineties. However in the mid-nineties the claims and counter claims happened after the election but now its happening before it.

What is an election season without a deranged hate speech or two. This time this 'honour' was done by Varun Gandhi who insulted the century old Nehru-Gandhi family legacy by making despicable communal utterances. The BJP did not cover themselves in much glory by tacitly backing him. Hope the people of this country who watched all this will teach a lesson to him and the people behind him. As of now he is the new Modi and like the man he is being compared to he seems to enjoy the notoriety.

As the election season gallops through the Indian summer all the parties are claiming that victory will be theirs and Delhi is within their sight. But alas Delhi will not fall into their arms so easily and the road to reach her is long and tedious. Their eagerness to reach Delhi reminds me of a famous Delhi legend concerning the sultan Ghiasuddin Tughlaq.

Legend says that the Delhi sultan was not best pleased with the famous Sufi saint Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya who was also a resident of Delhi as he suspected him of breaking his monopoly over the public. Matters reached a head one day while the sultan was away on one of his conquests in the countryside and he vowed to kill the Sufi saint as soon as he reached Delhi. On hearing this the saint calmly sent a one line reply to the sultan in Persian that read 'Dilli Dur Ast' or, 'Delhi is still far' meaning that the sultan had to be in Delhi to wield his powers. Call it premonition or a curse the sultan never reached Delhi to fulfill his vow as he was killed on route as a pavilion erected in his honour caved in and crushed him. People concluded that setting sights on Delhi and reaching her are two entirely different propositions!

So as the suitors for Delhi brace up to make their advances they will do well to focus on the real issues and suppress their celebrations lest they forget Delhi is still very far.