It is hard to believe that our future-shaping leaders have an abiding belief in ghosts
The game of political one-upmanship in Bihar reached a rather ghostly new low this past week. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and son of former Bihar Chief Ministers lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, Tej Pratap Yadav, has come up with yet another marvel, accusing his opponents, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, of letting loose “ghosts” into his house thereby forcing him to vacate his official residence. In trying to take pot-shots at the State Government, Pratap may have scored a self-goal; this is, perhaps, the weirdest allegation one could have expected of a public representative in a country known for pretty wacky political accusations. It is not surprising, though, that Tej Pratap tried it on.
The Yadav scion is known for his belief in the supernatural and has conducted yagnas to ward off evil spirits to protect his and his family's political career. Interestingly, this ghostly obsession seems to be an integral part of the Yadav clan. Years ago, in a reversal of roles, it was the Yadavs who had claimed to have unleashed ghosts on Nitish. lalu Prasad, after vacating the Chief Minister's official residence, had claimed to have tied a ghost to mango tree in the compound to “trouble” his successor Nitish Kumar. Now, it seems that lalu is a victim of his own dabbling as ghosts allegedly introduced by Nitish have started creating trouble for his son.
It is, of course, not unusual for politicians to give credence to superstition/the non-physical world; millions of Indians do likewise. Some stick to their lucky numbers while taking key decisions, others prefer their chosen numbers on the number plate of their vehicles. Such is the desire to negate the ill-effects of the “evil eye” that spiritual gurus, astrologers and vaastu consultants are always in demand. Many leaders have deferred their swearing-in ceremonies; and after assuming office, some, under the guidance of spiritual gurus, have had new entrances constructed to their official residences. In addition, mention must also be made of those leaders who wear magical amulets to protect themselves from the bad luck and other charms warn as good omens.
The string of ‘other worldly' as it were beliefs of our public representatives would make for an interesting case study. What our future-shaping politicians forget, sometimes, is that whether in jest or in all seriousness, comments such as “bhoot laga diye hain” don't exactly further our scientific temper. leadership is about having the courage to tread a new path, not resorting to doing what everyone else does. As for Tej Pratap, a little bird tells us that the “ghost” in question in his case may well have been a State Government eviction notice, the second in the past few months, which iterated that the former Minister would have to pay rent 15 times the market rate if he overstays his welcome any further. Some ghosts are obviously more persuasive than others.