The season of gifts!
It is the season of gifts. And gifts are raining down upon the voters. These gifts vary from one constituency to another depending on the depth of the candidates’ pocket or the demand from the people.
Some politicians make pecuniary handouts while others deal in kind. These quinquennial events are a great leveller. Rich or poor, those who need or those who don’t, all share the spoils equally.
“Do you want good roads? Or do you want better civic amenities? Or better governance?”
“No, we want a pressure cooker to cook our dinner and a blanket to sleep comfortably after eating,” would be an apt response from a voter to a query from a candidate.
The conversation, though imaginary, is becoming the norm these days.
Some lucky urban voters, who have nothing to do with farming activities, are getting messages about Rs 5,000 being credited into their bank accounts. Others, who aren’t lucky enough, are bitter about the disparity.
Then, there are some smart alecks going about town claiming to have struck gold and describing how they have collected gifts from all candidates.
Candidates, on their part, are under pressure. Have they been able to keep everyone happy? Have they missed anyone? What if someone didn’t get the gift and votes for the rival candidate?
A certain candidate in a certain constituency must have been under tremendous pressure when he issued a mild warning to his prospective voters. “Vote for me or else you won’t get any benefits.”
“First tell me, where’s my gift?” the voters must be wondering.
The noisy kind of vroom
Although the Shillong Traffic Police has sounded the alarm, there seems to be no end to the sounds of loud exhausts in the city.
Motorists particularly seem to be getting away with the havoc their bike sounds wreak on a daily basis.
On Sunday, the vroom of a bike passing the Shillong Civil Hospital could be heard till IGP point. The deafening noise may have caused distress to several patients at the hospital. But at this point, it may be just be a wonted day for the people at the hospital.
In a communiqué recently, the STP had cautioned people to replace their retrofit exhaust in their vehicles with stock ones, highlighting how the sound pollution is affecting the people, especially the elderly and the children or face the music. But it appears that these warnings do not deter the motorists.
A more robust approach may be needed on the STP’s part to thwart retrofitting of exhaust pipes, particularly in motorbikes which is more prevalent in Shillong.