Maramandan Tripathy was thoroughly tired.He struggled to avoid the waiting reporters as he came out of the meeting with his supporters. He could hardly walk. But his brains were still working at a maddening pace.How could the prime minister behave like that to him! After all, he too had a stature and political standing of over three decades.He was far senior to the PM in politics.The PM was just a dragon fly visible since last monsoon...yet he has the temerity to ignore and punish him like this. Uh!
First of all, he was removed from the cabinet. Now he was being implicated in three more cases besides ofcourse his son, as usual, being chargesheeted in another four cases. Though a man of eighty five, Mr. Maramandan Tripathy had always been the most visible and active of all ministers; he had been a master campaigner and organiser, tough negotiater and a master strategist for all elections.But now? Now he was an isolated entity within the party. The opposition would have nothing to do with such a tainted ex-minister. He had nowhere to go and only a handful of supporters.
As he walked across the Janpath road towards his car,pushing aside the waiting reporters, he heard a female voice. Startled he turned around....the voice was from across the high wall to his left. He was shocked to hear what the voice said....the voice was repeating monotonously, " 45...45.....45...45...ha ha ha ha" The laugh was hysterical.
$45 million was the bribe money he took to allow the import of Armenian perfumed coconut violating the country's long standing tradition of not importing perfumed coconut.In 1962, after the Chinese invasion, the then PM, J.L.Nehru had taken this strategic decision to bring down government spending and national extravagence.Maramandan Tripathy, though of the Nehruvian mould, violated this foreign policy paradigm as well as other Nehruvian policies. But that was for the party and for himself.For money basically.
But now he was shocked to hear people hiding behind walls making fun of him by shouting aloud his bribe money...this was too much.All that he wanted now was respect. He was too old to fight for power or money.He looked at the numerous press reporters. Were they jeering at him? Insult was something he could never take.Maramandan Tripathy took a deep breath and turned towards the wall.
" Abbe kaun hai..saamne aa.." He dared,"himmat hai to saamne aa.."
"45...45...45..hahahaha....45..45....45.."
Tripathy's old voice crackled,"Abbe...baahar nikal.."
"hahahaha...45..45..."
He rushed towards the wall. The gate of the compound was locked from outside.The voice went on making fun of him.He was utterly helpless. This was the most insulting phase in his entire political career.In front of the press.....thoroughly humiliated. Placing his hands on the wall, he moved about frantically,badly wanting to crush the originator of the voice. The voice meanwhile went on shouting, as if to irritate him more and more.Finally he spotted a small 1 inch hole on the wall. With a twinkle in his eyes, he moved towards it and thought,"Now! I'll see who this bitch is....I'll fix her later."
As Tripathy peeped into the hole on the wall, something suddenly pierced into his eye.
"Aaaaaaaaaagrh......" Maramandan Tripathy cried out in utter pain as he fell back." Meri aakhen...aaaooouu..."
Someone had poked a twig into his eys.It was bad. Really bad and bleeding.
A huge crisis had developed. The ex-cabinet minister had been attacked.The entire government machinery swung into action.Maramandan Tripathy was immediately rushed to the AIIMS. Live interviews with Ophthalmologists were aired on all channels.The news papers were searching for appropriate pictures of the eye ball. The PM expressed shock. The President declared his pain and anguish. An investigation was ordered.
Meanwhile, the site of the incident was cordoned off. The activities around Janpath died down slowly. By 12.30pm it was almost silent. One voice could yet be heard in the stillness of the night, a female voice which monotonously repeated," 46...46..46...ha ha ha ha.." The laugh was indeed hysterical.
First of all, he was removed from the cabinet. Now he was being implicated in three more cases besides ofcourse his son, as usual, being chargesheeted in another four cases. Though a man of eighty five, Mr. Maramandan Tripathy had always been the most visible and active of all ministers; he had been a master campaigner and organiser, tough negotiater and a master strategist for all elections.But now? Now he was an isolated entity within the party. The opposition would have nothing to do with such a tainted ex-minister. He had nowhere to go and only a handful of supporters.
As he walked across the Janpath road towards his car,pushing aside the waiting reporters, he heard a female voice. Startled he turned around....the voice was from across the high wall to his left. He was shocked to hear what the voice said....the voice was repeating monotonously, " 45...45.....45...45...ha ha ha ha" The laugh was hysterical.
$45 million was the bribe money he took to allow the import of Armenian perfumed coconut violating the country's long standing tradition of not importing perfumed coconut.In 1962, after the Chinese invasion, the then PM, J.L.Nehru had taken this strategic decision to bring down government spending and national extravagence.Maramandan Tripathy, though of the Nehruvian mould, violated this foreign policy paradigm as well as other Nehruvian policies. But that was for the party and for himself.For money basically.
But now he was shocked to hear people hiding behind walls making fun of him by shouting aloud his bribe money...this was too much.All that he wanted now was respect. He was too old to fight for power or money.He looked at the numerous press reporters. Were they jeering at him? Insult was something he could never take.Maramandan Tripathy took a deep breath and turned towards the wall.
" Abbe kaun hai..saamne aa.." He dared,"himmat hai to saamne aa.."
"45...45...45..hahahaha....45..45....45.."
Tripathy's old voice crackled,"Abbe...baahar nikal.."
"hahahaha...45..45..."
He rushed towards the wall. The gate of the compound was locked from outside.The voice went on making fun of him.He was utterly helpless. This was the most insulting phase in his entire political career.In front of the press.....thoroughly humiliated. Placing his hands on the wall, he moved about frantically,badly wanting to crush the originator of the voice. The voice meanwhile went on shouting, as if to irritate him more and more.Finally he spotted a small 1 inch hole on the wall. With a twinkle in his eyes, he moved towards it and thought,"Now! I'll see who this bitch is....I'll fix her later."
As Tripathy peeped into the hole on the wall, something suddenly pierced into his eye.
"Aaaaaaaaaagrh......" Maramandan Tripathy cried out in utter pain as he fell back." Meri aakhen...aaaooouu..."
Someone had poked a twig into his eys.It was bad. Really bad and bleeding.
A huge crisis had developed. The ex-cabinet minister had been attacked.The entire government machinery swung into action.Maramandan Tripathy was immediately rushed to the AIIMS. Live interviews with Ophthalmologists were aired on all channels.The news papers were searching for appropriate pictures of the eye ball. The PM expressed shock. The President declared his pain and anguish. An investigation was ordered.
Meanwhile, the site of the incident was cordoned off. The activities around Janpath died down slowly. By 12.30pm it was almost silent. One voice could yet be heard in the stillness of the night, a female voice which monotonously repeated," 46...46..46...ha ha ha ha.." The laugh was indeed hysterical.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment