Interesting Article On Indian Politics

I kind of hesitate to post this, since I got hit with that attempted DDOS attack a while ago, but hell, this ties right in to my earlier posts.

I noted earlier the "wardrobe malfunctions" at the fashion show in India, then a followup on Indian politicians and their obvious passion to investigate model's breasts.

Today in  Asia Times comes a (much) more sober look at the state of politics in India. It seems there are many political parties jumping on the decency bandwagon. Spending time and resources with abandon in various moves to "protect the culture" and "protect our youth". Meanwhile, more than 350 farmers unable to pay off their debts committed suicide by drinking pesticide over the past few months.

Politicians are the most vociferous in articulating outrage over "indecent acts" during fashion shows, but several of them were present at these shows. They express concern in the legislative assembly at the depravity in dance bars, but it is politicians, policemen and businessmen that patronize these dance bars most regularly. Some bars even have a separate VIP dance floor for "elite" clients who do not want to be recognized. In fact, many dance bars are owned by politicians and policemen.

But even as the likes of Navalkar and Patil and scores of other politicians are preoccupied with the wardrobe malfunctions, less than a few hundred miles away from the glamorous fashion runways, more than 350 farmers unable to pay off their debts committed suicide by drinking pesticide over the past few months. In Maharashtra's Vidarbha region some 77 farmers took their lives in March alone.

Where are the irate politicians demanding that the government take serious note of these deaths? The government has done little to investigate what led to the suicides. And the media, which endlessly covered every detail of the fashion week flap, look the other way.

I guess there's not all that much difference between politicians anywhere.