Page 13 - English Tehelka Issue 7 - April 15, 2018

by heaping the entire blame for the Majithia is a drug lord.” • Breaking nexus A recent CAG
drug menace at his door. Ironically, the regional report points to nexus between
This unleashed ‘drug politics.’ chief of Aam Admi Party drug peddlers and police in Punjab
Suddenly, drugs became so big an was often accused of com-
issue that it even prompted Bolly- ing in a drunken state on
wood to fish in troubled waters with stage during public rallies. moral practices the politi-
a flick called “Udta Punjab”. The film Majithia slapped a defama- cians are often accused of
painted Punjab as the Global Drug tion suit against Kejriwal promoting. But the fact is
Capital. All hell broke loose. Kejri- and the case was reaching that it is not the politician
wal and the Congress party led by its climax. The dominant who “promotes” this brand
the present Chief minister Captain legal view was the Kejriwal of politics; it is us — you
Amaridner Singh latched on to the was facing indictment. and I. The politician merely
opportunity and had no qualms in That could have ruined reaps the harvest of our
demonizing the state of Punjab and his political career at least own hypocrisy and even
its youth as “drugged.” Not to be left for the next ten years. This stupidity. The politician is
behind, on came Rahul Gandhi and forced him to get rid of the cynical and he is an oppor-
infamously declared that 70% of ghost by offering a public tunist: but can he succeed
the youth of Punjab was hooked on apology to Majithia in writ- without our actual collabo-
drugs. This was a shocking damna- ing before the court. ration or even encourage-
tion of a state which continued to be This brings up the ques- ment. We do not encour-
the greatest contributor to national tion of the kind of politics age honest and truthful
• Drug dealing Wrestler-turned-cop-turned A politician is food kitty and to the country’s de- we have encouraged our people to join politics. We
drug lord Jagdish Singh Bhola is key suspect fence forces, and whose youth con- politicians to follow. The have too many axes on our
nothing more tinued to reign supreme in the world Akali BJP government, shoulders to grind, and we
than ‘langar’ – a of sports, winning the All India Inter which even its detractors plumb for the opportunis-
much dishonesty in the apology as University Overall Sports Champi- admit virtually trans- photos: tehelka archives tic politician who carries
there was in the original allegations free personal and onships year after year after year. formed the face of the the biggest stone with him
because of which the apology has community kitchen In the year when the whole country state with unprecedented on which we can grind our
been forced on Kejriwal. was busy demonizing Punjab as wave of world class development The moment one axes. We want freebies and whoever
It is necessary to have a brief look which must feed “lost to drugs”, the state’s universi- projects, was swept aside by the drug offers us more has our vote. Then
at the background of this apology ties Punjabi University, Patiala, and storm unleashed by Kejriwal and co. starts talking why blame him.
and why and how it impacts our our ethical and Guru Nanak Dev University, Am- And now, having consigned Akalis about anything This country needs to hark back
national life — especially the sham unethical hunger at ritsar, cleaned all the awards at the to their poorest showing in history, to the times of Lal Bahadur Shastri
called ‘public morality’. national varsities championships, Kejriwal tells Punjab that he was concerning the when simplicity and humility of a
During the tenure of the Akali- all hours of the day emerging as winners and runners wrong about them. The question country, the leader could persuade the people to
BJP government in Punjab, Jasbir up respectively, virtually blowing the clearly is: who is responsible for this vote for him. Not that there weren’t
Singh Bhola, perceived by many youth of all other states off the scene. brand of politics. It is tempting to conversation opportunists in politics even then.
to be the most powerful ‘drug lord’ the case. On another level, this was And these were the boys and girls blame it on Kejriwal. That would not inevitably But now, our own opportunism has
operating in the state, was arrested Bhola’s revenge against a govern- being damned as “drugged”. Two only be the most convenient and ensured that none but the greatest
in what the government headed ment which had thrown him by the of the greatest national cricketing the most obvious answer but that redirects itself opportunist gets to be in the chair
by Mr Parkash Singh Badal called bars and forced him to face the law sensations, Shubhman (men) and would the answer needed for the towards the ‘filthy that rules over us.
its “War on Drugs”. Just before one of the land. Bhola obviously was not Harmanpreet ( girls) kept bringing common people to carry on living Our own selfishness, greed
of his court appearances, Bhola expected to garland the government glory to their state and the country. with their smug righteousness. How politician’ and opportunism ensure that our
told mediapersons that a powerful responsible for his misery and the In all the major sports disciplines, many common people in Punjab choices fall around those who are
Minister in the Punjab cabinet and a allegation against Majithia was quite Punjab’s youth continued to domi- would raise the question as to why willing to gratify our own desires.
relative of the ruling family, Bikram obviously an expression of a bitter nate as did other boys and girls from did they allow themselves to be so continues to shirk responsibility for This is what needs to change. And if
Singh Majithia was the kingpin man’s hatred of and anger against the state cornering glory in different misled by the drug-demonisation of his own actions and continues to we want change, there is no better
behind drug trade in the state and a government which had put him sphere of life. their youth. Kejriwal may not have find scapegoats for the poor choices place to begin from than home —
that he — Bhola — too was only a in jail. But this was not enough to known Punjab as well as Punjabis he makes. It is not about who wins or our own home, our own heart, our
minion in the mafia commandeered But the opposition in Punjab, persuade Kejriwal and the Congress themselves do. Why did Punjabis loses: it is about what wins or loses: own conscience.
by Majithia. To most independ- especially the AAP led by Arvind to stop heaping humiliation on the believe that 70 per cent of their the politics of reckless slander or the In simple and popular words, “Be
ent observers, Bhola’s allegation Kejriwal, saw in this development state. Kejriwal went to the extent youth is drugged? Did the see even polity of sobriety? the change that you want to see.” The
was nothing but an attempt by the an opportunity to score ‘moral- of declaring, Majithia has ruined 10% of them loitering or falling on You can blame Lalu in Bihar or rest is mere scape-goating.
confuse the prosecution on his own ity points’ and to embarrass the the youth of the state. I will say it the streets “ on a high”? someone else somewhere else for
case by dragging a big name into government of Parkash Singh Badal not once but a thousand times that The fact is that the common man the wanton corruption or other im- letters@tehelka.com

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