By Sudhir Mishra/Balangir. 30th July2013 MP kaisa Dikhata Hai

By

Sudhir Mishra/Balangir.

30^th July2013

MP kaisa Dikhata Hai

(How does an MP looks?)

This could be a stupid question for an educated and enlighten citizen of biggest democratic country of the world, having elected parliamentary democracy since its independence and more than 66 years have elapsed in the meanwhile and election to our lower House of Parliament popularly called Lok Sabha has been held 15times, once in a five year till date.

As, we are having   parliamentary democracy ,we are electing our Member of Parliament almost once in every five years, except few terms, when the Government at the Center did not last full terms.

Given in this background, it is supposed that most of the people or almost all people of a  constituency have either known their Member of Parliament  by name  or at least have seen them.

No alas, that is not a  fact here in Balangir town, going by this incident  even in the age of information  technology, internet and growing popularity mobile and it’s increasing use and access of mobile internet by youngsters in urban and rural areas in particular.

One of the organizers informed and requested this scribe to reach the meeting venue by 10am. Notwithstanding the sky was cloudy; i reached the spot in time only to find few BJD workers were there and empty chairs.  

Left with no option just to “while away time", I went to nearby Chai(tea shop)  along with local scribe to have “ chai(tea).A rustic looking middle aged youth asked the betel owner” Kaun minister Aaa raha hai;(is any minister Coming?)Nahin MP arrah hai(NO MP is coming).Woh Kaisa Dikhta hai( How does he (MP) looks?). 

I stopped for a while listening to the question-which was quite innocent and significant.

Wait for an hour and you could see him replied the Paanwala .However the man left the shop.

What sort of democracy we have?.The people who are electing their representatives they are not asking question about what MP/MLAs done for them, the constituency, the state and the nation. Nor they know them properly. Let alone this, they have not seen him properly- leaving as an object of “curiosity”.

This reflects two things1) either the elected Member of Parliament is not visiting that area regularly and does not have touch with people. 2) Most importantly his party workers, media mangers have not done enough work to spread the Picture and message of MP in different words of Towns and villages and Parliamentary constituency.

As punctuality has become an exception rather than a regular phenomena here especially in commencement of meeting , the Member of Parliament from Balangir Kalikesh Narayn Singhdeo,who  was schedule to lay the foundation stone for road improvement near Railway station  at 10 am,  arrived at 11am.

While coming to  the  function, on the way, local people welcomed him and told about the drainage problem to MP and he which he directed the Executive officer and Chairman of Balangir municipality to look into it.

Worse,the meeting started almost one and half hour late. Even as I sat on the meeting and listening to the speeches, the word of that rustic fellows MP Kaisa Dikhata hai continues to reverberate in my mind –even though that fellow had left the placer almost an hour ago.

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