Union Finance Minister’s interim budget speech in the Parliament sounded ominous. What little I could make out of it was that for every 1000 rupees earned during the year, we would be spending 1046 rupees. How will poor government of India meet the deficit?
‘By imposing more taxes, son!’ It was Kaga Bhushundi, of course.
Kaga Bhushundi SpeaketH
Suman. K. Sharma
‘So you are here again!’ I said, not caring to mask my irritation.
‘There is no here or there for me. I can be anywhere a person is in need of my wisdom.’
Kaga Bhushundi and his wisdom! But now that he was with me, I decided to humour him.
‘Okay, Kaga Ji,’ said I, ‘only a couple of years ago there was a huge din about India getting richer by the day. And now we find we don’t have enough even to meet our expenses. The economy has nose-dived. Tell me how this has happened.’
‘It seems Kuber has lost his vahana.’
‘This is no time for riddles. Talk straight to me. Who is this Kuber? And what is this vahana-shahana business?
‘Kuber, my son, is the god of wealth. He rides man, which means it is state-craft that makes him go. No state-craft, no Kuber’s blessings. Reminds of King Dhanapala of Dridrapura…..’
Before Kaga Bhushundi could lose himself in the labyrinth of his ageless memory, I pulled him back sharply. ‘Kaga Ji,’ I said, ‘you are forgetting that we have a government today with all its paraphernalia of parliamentarians, ministers, big bureaucrats and petty clerks, who all are busy turning wheels of governance…’
Kaga Ji cawed raucously, ‘O really? An assemblage of self-seekers talking in different tongues, moving in different directions, and you call that a government? Who has the time in it to frame policy and the will to implement it? The Sursa of corruption has gulped down Rs 1,555,000 crore during the last decade alone and she is hungry for ever more.
Your netas are digging deep into the government treasury to buy bobbles for the masses, just to delude the poor folks with their cunning. Everyone is out to seek an advantage for himself and there is no one to assume responsibility. I don’t blame Kuber if he is abandoning you….’
‘But we have resources, we have manpower and we have democracy – the largest in the world – to pull us through,’ I rejoined, albeit with a faltering conviction.
‘Yes,’ Kaga Ji observed somberly, ‘you do have all those things and may be some more. But look at Italy, look at Greece, look at Russia or look at Argentina. Strong economies they were with all the resources at their disposal not too long ago. Now they yearn for handouts from the richer nations….’
‘Then how do we Indians avoid that fate, Kaga Bhushundi Ji?’
‘Give back Kuber his mount!’
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