THE ELUSIVE COMMON MAN (11/11/2015)

I often travel by the “cattle class” of the Indian Railway. It helps to understand the pulse of the common man termed “cattle” by the elites of Indian society. Arrogance, irrespective of the political affiliations, does not pay. Unfortunately our leaders, after one electoral success, often fall in this trap till they are taught a lesson by the voter in subsequent outing. On 7^th I was on a passenger train from Patna to Gaya, the famous PG line, where people travel ticket-less and train still stops at every village whether there exists a station or not. The majority of voters of Bihar come from these backgrounds who regard traveling ticket-less their right, in much as they accept the right of its leader to be corrupt. They never question the “right” of their leaders belonging to their own caste to be corrupt and find nothing wrong if they are corrupt. Yet when it comes to cast their vote they never make a mistake, as recent elections proved. “Kisko vote diye?”- I questioned an old fellow traveler. Instead of responding to my query he shot back “Modiji kahin the sabka saath lekar sabka Vikaas karengein. Ab jab Modiji he sabka saath chhod dihin to phir sabkaa vote kaise pahehein? Kabhi janata ke man kee baat bhee sun lein to achha rahi.” (Modiji had said he will carry along everyone for the development of everyone. Now when he himself failed to carry along everyone how could he expect the votes of everyone? He will do well if he takes time to read common man’s mind). Prophetic words of wisdom from an “illiterate” voter. Literacy does not mean mere bookish knowledge acquired by years of rote. I find it amusing that often leaders in power, irrespective of their political dispensation, in sheer “arrogance”, ignore or fail to read this wisdom. Leaders develop a total disconnect with the common man, until the common man becomes elusive for the party in power, resulting in electoral debacles as in Bihar recently.