Tidbits - ONE DAY I SHALL BECOME THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA.
We see advertisements on the TV where a lot of kids are used to promote Colgate tooth paste, this and that. And I have been particularly fond of one ad, though I don't seem to remember what it promotes, wherein each kiddo is declaring his/her ambition to become someone in life "Meim Banunga Pilot", "Meim Banungi Miss India", Meim Banunga Doctor" etc. etc. This ad always reminds me of my time in school when our class teacher asked us about our ambitions in life. After a lot of declarations from my fellow classmates, the teacher wanted to know what the class monitor would want to be. "Secretary General of the UNO" was my prompt reply. And (late) Mrs. D'Cruz wanted to quiz this future SG of UNO. There were a barrage of questions on the subject. "What does UNO stand for". "Who is the current GS of the UN". " Where is it located" etc. And I had passed the test. I remember the smile on her face when I had said "U Thant". Incidentally, Mr. U Thant was a Burmese, first Secretary General of the UNO. And funny as it may seem, no one from our lot in the class had ever mentioned the word "Prime Minister". And even modern age kiddos positively do not say “Meim Banunga/gi. Prime Minister”. It must be true of the maxim which says "Politics is the last recourse of a crook". And looks like our younger generation does not want to be tagged as crooks. And yesterday, I was sitting with a new acquaintance, an active senior citizen, at his home in the Siolim Assembly Constituency. This is my normal fare these days since goasuraj is enrolling new members into the party's grass-root organization. I was surprised when he told me that he admires me for my unshakable stand against the RSS BJP. You are well informed, I told him. To that he said "I admire you more for your stand against that rat". "Who? Manohar Parrikar?" I shot back”. "No" he said "Advani". "And pray, what would my stand against Advani be?" I asked. "After all he is the Deputy Prime Minister of India and a hot aspirant for the Prime Minister's chair" I said. "Come on Florian" he pouted. "Your stand that Advani belongs to Tihar Jail". "So, you follow our website and the internet" I stated. It was more of a declaration than a question. "Yes and No" he said. "I have a friend who follows the internet". “He keeps me informed about your writings” . And his next statement shocked me. "Advani should be in jail, yes" he said. "In Pakistan, not in India" "Why?, how do you say this?” I queried. And that got him talking and talking. And it was very very interesting a story which has made my day and which goes like this: The setting is Bombay, now Mumbai. The year is 1966. The place is ‘Nav Jivan Co-operative Housing Society’, Opposite Mahim Railway Station. A lot of people, mostly "Kolis" gathered to hear the 'Jana Sangh' leader address the meeting. The leader arrives. Takes his stand at the podium. The leader starts his speech. There is uneasiness in the audience, turning into an up-roar. Why? The Jana Sangh leader is speaking to the audience in chaste ‘Sindhi’. Slogans like " Amchi Matra-basha meh bhol" (speak in Marathi). "Hindi meh bhol" . "Angreji meh bhol". "Tumhari Sindhi Pakistan meh bhol". etc etc. The leader reverts to "Hindi". But stray comments from the audience do not stop. "Heh Pakistani hai" . "Isne Jinnah ko mara hai" so on and so forth. The finale of the leader's speech ends up in "YAAD RAKNA. EK DIN MEIM YHE DESH KA, INDIA KA, PRIME MINISTER BANKE HI RAHUNGA" (Remember, One day I shall become the Prime Minister of this country, India) The Jana Sangh leader was none other than our Deputy PM "Lal Krishna Advani" "Advani's words are still ringing in my ears" said my host, my acquantaince, now turn a dear friend. For another maxim holds good where it is said that "AN ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND" And I have, since 6th. December 1992, considered Lal Krishna Advani as the No. one enemy of my country, India. And, by virtue of being an enemy of my country, he becomes my number one enemy occupying the number two position in my country’s governance. "Where you present for this meeting?" I asked him. "I lived in that building" he said. And I am an ex-municipal councilor of Bombay, now Mumbai" he said. "At that time, people loved Shiv Sena" he said, "until Bal Thackeray came into the picture". "You ask me if I was present for the meeting?" "I will tell you who else was there for this particular meeting" " Ram Jethmalani!!". "Ask him" he said. "Ram Jethmalani will never forget Advani's words, like I haven’t forgotten Advani’s words". "That is why Ram Jethmalani must be seriously contesting against Vajpayee" I said. "He probably knows well that Vajyapee is only shuffling in Advani’s shoes and waiting for the right time to make them available back to him". And, I have been seriously watching the "Election Watch" every day on the NDTV- 24 x 7, presented by Rajdeep Sardessai. And during Advani's interview, during his "Uday Yatra", Rajdeep had asked Advani if he nurses a bigger ambition in life and if he is satisfied with his BJP's progress. Knowing Rajdeep, what he was hinting at was “Are you burning to be the PM?” And the reply that was given by Advani, seemed to be, at least to me, who loves Advani all the way, a sly one. He had said " I am satisfied totally at where the BJP is today. I believe that my dreams have been fully realized to the extent that I believe that I have played my part. What more could I want? and words to that effect. I shall become the Prime Minister of India. I shall name Sindh in Pakistan as “Sindhustan”. Never mind the costs. Who is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi! Who is Mohammed Ali Jinna!. Never mind the Babri Masjid. Thank you Narashima Rao. Thank you Congress. Never mind the Gujarat Genocide. Hello RSS. "Behold the next Prime Minister of Secular Democratic India" Our hearty wishes to Ram Jethmalani. Our prayers for God’s own speed and God’s own strength to him to sweep the biggest imposter away. Jai Hind sans RSS. Cheers, Floriano Lobo www.goasu-raj.org ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################