Public, political posturing has become an absurd and rather embarrassing joke in a country that professes its intention to be a world power with a potentially dynamic youthful population at its prime. For a great civilisation, from which have emanated some of the most complex philosophies, faiths and thinking, to have descended into the petty personal play that we are witnessing across the board, is an anathema to all moral, professional, inspired and committed men and women who belong to this age and time. These people are not ?leaders?.

With former Prime Minister Deve Gowda saying and doing what he is, with a son in tow, he makes a complete mockery of associations, coalitions and honourable partnerships where the goal and intent is to govern competently and serve the constituents, not betray their vote and support. It is much like watching a comic opera on our television screens each evening when one returns from a day of hard, honest work. At one level, the absurdity of the shenanigans is amusing and relaxing, but at another, the dangers that this kind of personal self-interest is bringing to the fore, at the cost of the country, are frightening. It has begun to chew at the very roots of our democracy. When a former PM operates in this fashion, it makes one wary of those who rule. Examples abound.

A democratic polity is resilient and must be inclusive. ?Communalism?, dictatorial stances supported by one-voice-politburo type outbursts, and other polarised positions have to be debated, discussed and thereafter fought with integrity and within civilised parameters. This free-for-all that is indulged in by the ruling class of all parties, has had the most awful effect on society at large where mere disagreements amongst people lead them to kill, abduct, rape, loot, blackmail and so on. On one end of the scale, consensual inter-faith marriages, permitted under the law of this land, find one partner dead under mysterious circumstances, and on the other, a political party like the CPM blackmails the UPA on virtually every issue and decision, reducing it to a lame duck status. From the personal to the national, it is sickening.

We are losing valuable time in this debased game as we allow those without privilege to continue wallowing in appalling living conditions without the bare minimum that humans require for an austere, dignified life. The patient poor do not deserve this exploitation at the hands of rapacious elected representatives. The rules that permit men and women to stand for public office need to be stringent. Their operations need to be made totally transparent, and they, fully accountable. The arm of the law needs to be a watchdog and the civil services need to have their mandate rewritten. The bureaucrat must never take on the role of being a personal assistant, a clone functioning on the bidding of his political master with no questions asked. The ?master?, too, needs to be on top of his responsibility and not incompetent and dependent on the bureaucrat. What we are witnessing is the dilution of the intellectual prowess of both the ruler and his administrator. This truth clearly reflects the abysmal decisions and lack of creative initiatives to deal with the desperate needs of our country. It is as though they are mentally challenged and immobile.

Then, there are the jokers of the pack, the ?pretenders? who strut about the urban, party and committee landscape, titillating innocents with their make-believe self-important posturing. Some claim that they write ?Madam?s? best speeches, particularly the one delivered recently at the United Nations, others ?coyly? suggest that they are indispensable as ?friends? who are in the ?know? of decisions before they happen! All this is clearly detrimental to the ?rulers?. These ?friends? of VIPs, are usually, with few exceptions, men and women in their late 50s and early 60s who have nothing much to do apart from pursuing their ?professional hobbies? as they look for recognition(!), however shortlived. This ongoing farce performed in the New Delhi?s theatre is much cause for laughter.