When Gajendra Varma became the Prime Minister of Vyasa country, there was an expectation that a major revolution would occur in the country’s administration and that the nation would rise to become a superpower.
But the functioning of his government turned out to be dismal in all aspects. The economy, which had been doing reasonably well before Gajendra Varma took over, suffered a steep decline, hitting all sections of people.
Yet, in elections held across various provinces, Varma’s Vyasa Makkal Katchi (VMK) continued to win. The general belief was that this was because Varma, along with his right-hand man, Amarnath, a minister in Varma's cabinet, exploited social divisions among the people to win elections, by setting one section of people against another.
However, in the province of Ponni Nadu, the VMK could not gain even a small measure of public support. Despite the prevalence of divisions as in the other regions of the country, the social harmony that prevailed in Ponni Nadu. prevented the divisive tactics used by VMK. in other regions from taking root there.
In Ponni Nadu, two strong regional parties - Ponni People's Party (PPP) and the All Ponni People's Party (APPP) - dominated the political sphere. VMK had been coercing APPP, the party that was running the provincial government, using the corruption charges against its leaders as the leverage, to make APPP dance to the tune of VMK.
The time for the next election had arrived. Media assessments suggested that the VMK would win in most of the regions of the country and return to power at the centre.
The top leaders of VMK met to discuss the election scenario and evolve a strategy.
“We are sure to win the elections and come back to power. But Ponni Nadu still remains out of bounds for us. If we can change that situation, it will be great!” said party president Vijay Nayak.
“That’s my only regret too” said Gajendra Varma.
“I have an idea” said Vijay Nayak.
Everyone looked at him eagerly, wondering what he was going to say.
“If you contest from a constituency in Ponni Nadu, it will give our party a big boost. Out of the 40 constituencies in that province, we could win four or five seats.”
“That is risky. The Prime Minister shouldn’t be exposed to such risks” said Amarnath.
“What are you saying, Amarnath? Our leader can win from any constituency in the country. And you are our Chanakya!* Besides, we have the APPP’s support in Ponni Nadu!” said Vijay.
“But the people of Ponni Nadu are in an anti-APPP mood, aren’t they?” asked Amarnath.
“If our leader stands in Ponni Nadu, the sentiments against APPP will get neutralized by our leader's popularity."
“In that case, Mr. Varma should contest from two constituencies - his old one, plus one in Ponni Nadu” said Amarnath.
“No, Amarnath. Nowadays, if someone contests from two constituencies, people see it as a weakness. Contesting from just one seat in Ponni Nadu and winning it will bring great glory to our leader,” said Vijay Nayak.
After some discussion, Vijay Nayak’s suggestion was accepted, and it was decided that Gajendra Varma would contest from Ponni Nadu.
After the meeting, Vijay Nayak returned to the party office. Vasant Mehra, the vice-president of the party traveling in the same car with him, said, “I don’t know how you are so confident. I still have doubts whether this is the right decision!”
“What I think will happen, will definitely happen. You will witness it for yourself” said Vijay Nayak, with enthusiasm.
As expected by all, VMK won a majority of seats in the country. But Gajendra Varma lost by a huge margin in the Ponni Nadu constituency, from which he had contested. As a result, the VMK MPs chose another person as their leader, who was subsequently sworn in as the Prime Minister.
The media declared that Gajendra Varma’s political career had come to an end.
At the VMK headquarters, Vasant Mehra was speaking with Vijay Nayak.
“You were so confident of your strategy. But, our leader lost by a big margin and his political career has come to an end. What will you say now?” asked Vasant Mehra, derisively.
“I said what I had envisaged would happen and that is exactly what has happened!” Vijay Nayak replied with a smile.
“What do you mean?”
“We all knew that Gajendra Varma’s governance was not good. But he and Amarnath, using divisive tactics, helped our party win all the elections. Creating divisions among people for our political gains is not good for the country's integrity and harmony. For the country’s good and our party’s own good, it was essential to have someone capable of governing well, at the helm.
“But removing a strong leader like Varma was not easy. In many parts of the country, his strategies ensured victory. But in some places, like Ponni Nadu, they didn’t work.
“No leader would willingly contest from a place where he had no support and invite his own downfall and there was no need for Varma had to do so. But his arrogance, resulting from uninterrupted successes, combined with his frustration that his strategies didn’t work in Ponni Nadu, blinded him to this basic fact.
“His strategist Amarnath understood the inherent danger of this reckless idea. But he lacked the courage to speak the truth to Varma. That is why, after some mild objections, he kept quiet.
“Varma walked right into the trap I had set for him. If we want to kill a crocodile, we should lure it to climb onto the shore, since we can't fight it when it is in water! I used Varma’s ego to push him into taking a dangerous gamble and led him to his downfall. Now we have a good leader. This is good for our party and for the country!”
Hearing Vijay Nayak’s explanation, Vasant Mehra thought, “Pretending to support Varma, this man plotted his downfall! He is a clever fox, seasoned by his long political career. I must learn a lot from him. And I should be very careful with him too!”
*Chanakya was a political strategist in the Maurya kingdom, in ancient India.
Section 2
Knowing the Right Place
nIngin adhanaip piRa.
Verse 494
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