Politics and the wheel of fortune: -308-

Computers and politics have a common utility - the recycle bin. Files can be deleted, restored or removed permanently. In politics netas can be ignored, sidelined, expelled, reinstated or prematurely retired as a spent force. Both the systems follow a four-step procedure. Dump, store, revive or forget! 

Let me dive into this wonderful bin and have a face-to face with the contents – thought the indomitable InJourn, while gathering his paraphernalia of recorders, wet-wipes (handy when the interviewed sheds crocodile tears) and of course a thermos of hot water extract of ginger-pepper combo (relief to sore or choked throat, when the voice of the interviewed becomes hoarse). His professional motto – ‘No harm in being prepared’ has in fact been of immense help, while the stars from the tinsel world sat in front of him. 

The first politician had a model jet plane in his hand as he faced InJourn. Without waiting for the interview to start, he began to spill a bucket of jetsam and moaned, “What all I did was to buy a low-end jet plane, see what the party had done to me?” 

Always coming prepared, InJourn opened his laptop and quoted, “The party stood on the plank of lift the down trodden and your low-end aircraft flew right through the plank breaking the invisible barrier.” 

Not to be silenced so easily, the politician murmured, “It was on the suggestion of my political advisor, who thought it would be easy for me to hop from one constituency to the other, till a constituency for me was finalised. He insisted that it would also keep the party on tenterhooks and decide a constituency in favour of me. Have I done anything wrong to be dumped like this?” 

InJourn allowed sufficient time for the jet-in-hand politician, to crash land his anger on the model jet, political advisor and the party, not necessarily in that order. Then, moved over the next encounter, after carefully erasing this interview. The thermos remained full and wet-wipes unused because the politico nether shed tears nor suffered a sore throat. 

InJourn hastily reviewed his notes on this character. This politico, clutching a bunch of old newspapers, sat and faced the recorder. He silently opened to the page were below a bold heading and above a two column write up his photo appeared.  The column started with “When a regiment of seniors marched in protest against the economic wing’s investigation of financial irregularities of high command coteries, where were You?

When contacted by the paper before publishing it, the politico pointed out, “How I could have, while in custodial interrogation for money laundering and ironing?”

Inserting this comment, the column continued, “That was a golden chance you missed to show your loyalty. You should have escaped and participated in the protest march, come whatever may.”

The politico justified his action and grumbled to InJourn, “This paper belongs to one of the members of the coterie. More or less, it is a paid news.  You tell me, how can the party do it to me, not considering the likely penitentiary circumstances, I was facing?”

InJourn left with the full thermos, wipes and erased the interview, dismissing it as a Tom Sawyerish attempt. He hoped for better luck with the next interview, to make it worth the while and approached the next candidate.

The seasoned politico, eyed the flask and asked, “What you have?” InJourn concluded, “a sham of a person”

To keep his professional decorum intact, he politely asked, “How come you are here?”

After taking a sip of hot water, the politico spoke, “After being with the party for 5 decades, I merely asked for a cabinet berth, with or without real powers.” After taking another sip of hot water and the ginger-pepper combo doing wonders, he continued, “That was all I did, and instead of rewarding me the party appointed me (hurt ego glorifying expulsion) to this powerless and useless post!” 

But InJourn knew the whole story. The politico had failed to understand two things. One, the high command, irrespective of the colour of the flag, would always have a prodigy in- waiting, with the claim to fill the vacancy.  Two, the party always exercised the best option to create that vacancy - by dumping the seasoned politician turned dissident, in the recycle bin, even if he is an asthmatic patient. Expelling a dissident appears like a diplomatic move, reads better in print, in comparison to outright denial of a legitimate request.

The politico, as if to prove his asthmatic condition, wheezed and asked for some more hot water. The asthmatic attack of the politico changed InJourn’s first impression - “a sham of a person”, when he asked about the content in the thermos changed to “really a suffering person.”  InJourn felt pity for the recycled neta and his wasted waiting years, all for a post with or without power.  Sensing the depleting water level in the thermos, he decided to move on. He remained undecided about erasing the recorded interview. Maybe, it could be used in a story, he has been planning on human rights violation.  Of course he has to stetch it a bit.

As he moved along, InJourn came face to face with a politician-turned political advisor. The moment he saw the face, InJourn understood at last, his pack of wipes has to be opened. The advisor did not disappoint as the interview proceeded, the wipes from the box kept disappearing.

The Po-turned-PA started, “I was the one, who advised to buy that low-end jet plane. To settle some old pending scores, the party expelled me also on the same day”

InJourn interjected, “There might have been something more serious than the jet plane and old scores. Anything else from the multiple decades long political innings of yours?”

“Yes. I once raised the issue of not getting a promotion with the question, “How long I would continue at the grass root level?”

InJourn added after verifying his notes, “Exactly, that was a little more serious problem. You wanted to grow into a tree, whereas the high command wanted you to remain just above the soil. Do you have some more like this in store?” 

The politico replied, “Yes. Having spent decades as a politician and political advisor, I, in a fit of frustration, gave an interview to a friendly reporter. In my long winding talk, I had listed the half-baked ideas, that ended in huge financial losses. I did not mention the backing of the party or allude to the party for the financial misadventure. The reporter, reading between lines, splashed a ‘scoop’ by blaming the involvement of the high command and pegging the financial losses in astronomical figures, quoting a highly placed ‘source’. 

The party did not waste time, in searching for a Sherlock Holmes and Watson to team up and get to the source of the leak. The reporter’s superb presentation did it for free. Even today I wonder how they came to know about this confidential interview!” 

InJourn to wrap up the interview said, “For a political advisor, you are not savvy enough to understand the politics in high places. You and your friendly reports did not know that a distant relative of one of the coterie members, is an employee in the publishing house” Before taking leave, he left a few wet wipes and the thermos with the Po-turned-Pa. His dilemma was whether to save or erase the record. Maybe, his friend who was planning a series of expose on the inner workings of high command of political parties might be interested. 

As he was about to exit, a commanding voice stopped him. The owner of the voice came striding forward and asked " You don't want my interview?" 

Totally unprepared, with no wipes and a thermos on person, he hesitated. Sensing the predicament, the accoster (who had been watching the whole time) assured," I have wipes and a full thermos to share!" 

InJourn did not know whether to cry or laugh, at the turn of events. Taking the best option available, he switched "On" the recorder.

The accoster started. ," I was making a name as a historian- I mean that I used to trace the evolution of an organisation, mostly of the charitable kind. The party noticed it and drafted me, to study and write an account on it. An expense account with 'carte blanche' stamp landed on my laps." 

"Then why you are in this state?" 

"I mentioned about the expense account is it not? The party pressed me to park some slush funds. I refused. Then the party asked me to visit overseas coordinators. I went and saw how they all lived in style and yapped about our present government and accusing it for pushing everyone below poverty line, conveniently using anti-national views held by biased print media." 

“Then what did you do?” 

“What you would have done. Threatened to expose the sham politics, the party with dubious history for this sort of activities, is indulging in." 

"Then what happened?"

"The carte blanche expense account was declared a forgery, and I had illegally used the party treasurer's signatures in the account opening form." 

"How you got thrown down here, since you are not a party member?" 

"It is all my mistake. My passion for history, in turn has turned me into a history. This is my self-imposed exile, to be with and counsel these expelled, castigated inhabitants." 

As abruptly as he appeared, the accoster left the scene. InJourn had another worthy interview on record. His mind started searching for a journo-friend who could do a political justice to it.