Saturday, April 18, 2009

Manoj Chaurasia writes: When laughing becomes a challenge...

Patna, April 17: Viewers across the country had often seen watched them bursting into peals of laughter as judges in Star One’s hit comedy show, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. However, both the judges ~ Shatrughan Sinha and Shekhar Suman, appear to have lost their usual wit and humour. Reason? They themselves are now “contestants” in this election and their fate will be decided by the common voters!
Both are candidates from the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat and have already filed their papers. While Sinha is a candidate of the BJP, Suman has been fielded by the Congress which is resorting to almost every method to put up a good show after being left alone in batter filed in a state where regional parties dominate the political landscape. The Congress broke off its electoral alliance with the RJD and LJP after being shabbily treated by the latter during the seat-sharing arrangements last month.
However, the poll pressures have robbed of the usual colour of these two famous film stars who have contributed many a hit Hindi film to the Bollywood. They have turned serious moments after filing papers to this seat election of which will be held in the last phase on 7 May. Not only are they making dry speeches loaded with statistics but are also repeatedly trying to prove that they are the real “Biharis”.
“My fight will be for restoring prestige of Bihari… I strongly condemn ongoing attacks on Biharis”, Suman said after filing nomination papers today. Suman who reached the collectorate on a cycle-rickshaw to file his nomination papers added, “I had opposed MNS chief Raj Thackeray for his remarks against Biharis and criticised him for justifying Rahul Raj’s killing but my voice did not find a place in the media”. “I am proud to be a Bihari”. His boring speeches have, however, failed to evoke good response from the voters.
His Bollywood friend-turned-political rival, Sinha, on the other hand, has been promising to “carry forward the development of Bihar, find out solution to the problems of unemployment and poverty and improve basic amenities in the state”. “I will undertake a total metamorphosis of Patna if elected”, the BJP candidate, Sinha who chose to wear dhoti-kurta, traditional attire of common Biharis, while filing nomination papers here yesterday, has said. His wife Mrs Punam Sinha too has joined his campaign trail and is trying to strike emotional bond with the voters by describing herself as Bihar ki bahu (daughter-in-law of Bihar). In fact, Mr Sinha’s entire family comprising sister, elder brother and his three children have gone on the campaign so serious looks the challenge for him this time. Not only is he facing challenge from the rivals but also from within the party. A section of party leaders after being denied tickets by the party has now gone all out to ensure his defeat, causing much worry to Bihari Babu as Sinha is also known.
What has made the contest for Patna Sahib seat typical to a “laughter challenge show” is the entry of three other colourful characters in the fray. From a sexagenarian professor Mr Matuknath Chadhary ~ nicknamed “Love Guru” promising to build “Lovers Parks” for the love birds ~ and an anti-AIDS campaigner, Dr Diwakar Tejaswi to a local folk singer On Masumi who uses his pet parrot to seek votes for himself, almost everyone who thinks he has some qualities is trying his hands in this elections, turning the poll into a virtual “laughter show”.

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