THANKFULLY, now we don’t have any insensitive ruler like Maria Antoinette at the helm. The present crop of democratically elected leaders is very sensitive and they do feel for the woes of the masses. But at times even their best efforts go in vain. What can they do when prices defy the laws of gravity and shoot up faster then an ISRO rocket.

The prices of all the essential commodities are skyrocketing despite the populist budgets. While the common people are writhing in agony with the prices of almost all the items fast going out of their reach, for the sensitive politicians it has become a very handy issue to score brownie points. Charges and countercharges are flying thick and fast with both the ruling and the opposition parties playing the blame game to the perfection. Taking time off from their busy study schedule the student bodies too have come out in the hot summer sun to protest.

To get an insight what our elected representatives feel about the rising prices and the steps they are contemplating to counter it, I met some of them.

“The anti-people policies of the ruling party are responsible for the steep price hike,” leader of the opposition Full Moon Patowary thundered. “If the authorities are taking steps to control the prices, why are they going up instead of coming down? Ridiculous isn’t it,” Full Moon blasted off in full throttle. “To force the government to initiate corrective steps on the price front very soon we are going to stage a hunger strike in front of the Janata Sadan.”

“Why not immediately?” I asked.

“Well because we are yet to finalize the menu with which we would end our token hunger strike. As soon we manage to evolve a consensus on it with the party members, we will stage the hunger strike in the presence of the media. This bold step of ours will definitely compel the authorities to act,” Full Moon disclosed.

The spokesman of the ruling party Heman Viswakarma dismissed the opposition charges with the wave of his hand. “Whatever they may say, I can assure that no one has taken any drastic action like ours to put brake on the prices. The allegation of price rise is a well crafted opposition strategy to destabilize our government. I am sure that they won’t be able to befool the public with their empty rhetoric.”

“But the prices of the essential commodities are rising,” I reiterated.

“How can prices go up when the inflation rate is plummeting? And as the opposition is bereft of any constructive issues they are raising a hue and cry like as if the sky will come crashing down if the prices are not checked... Let me reassure that our government along with our friends and well-wishers in the business circles will see to it that the prices will come down like the monsoon rains after a prolonged dry spell just before the next Assembly elections. Till then the people must endure this slight inconvenience,” Heman Viswakarma said in a confident tone.

Coming out of Heman Viswakarma’s official chamber, I met a group of senior government officials. I asked them about their reaction on the phenomenal increase in prices. “There is nothing to worry about it as we adjust our service charges according to the prevailing rates.”

“You all have flexible rates to tackle price rise, but what will the common man do?” I asked.

“They need not worry,” one of the officers reassured me, “they can always hope that anything which goes up must come crashing down!”

Manish Goswami