Would you believe me if I said India spent more on its elections this year than the US did last year? Actually, it isn’t me who’s saying it…
According to NYT, President Obama’s election cost $2.4 billion. While India’s patchwork-quilted government is yet to take shape, the newspaper says “Candidates and parties spent $3 billion on everything, including transportation, advertising, celebrity endorsements and cash bribes over the course of the campaign…”
Now, whether it’s Mr Singh or Mr Advani (or some other rabble rouser) who finally make it as PM, it would be interesting to know whether the economy is in slowdown mode despite the infusion of this capital. Does it also mean that post-elections, there’ll be even less money in the system?
And if the Congress does make it, will they tell us what percentage of this spend (give or take a few million) went into greasing palms. After all, they’re the ones with the symbol of an open hand.
And if the Maya period begins? Will the narcissist megalomaniac tell us how much she took from each of us to make such hideous monstrosities of herself?