Recently, the Big Comrade in one state needed to boost his image. He had been humiliated. He had vented his spleen on TV against his chief rival. His rival responded on TV. The Supreme Comrade was disturbed. Comrades did such things only behind closed doors—not before TV audiences. Both rivals were suspended from the politburo.
"Comrade," said a junior comrade to the Big Comrade. "You must regain your image!"
"How, comrade?" "I know how, comrade. Evict dirty capitalists from the land they have illegally grabbed. That is what Uncle Lenin would have done. That’ll please all comrades!"
So the Big Comrade led by the small comrade approached a signboard in the forest pointing towards the Tata Estate ahead. The media was summoned. Camera bulbs flashed as the Big Comrade heroically pulled down the signpost with his own bare hands. "We will take the Tatas to court," the Big Comrade said.
The Tatas were puzzled. "We have not claimed any forest land in that area! Why pull down our signboard? Better say ta-ta to the court!"
The Big Comrade’s face turned a deep revolutionary Red.
Meanwhile, in another state where the Marxist Brothers performed, the state’s Big Comrade was snuggling up to the Tatas. "We need filthy capitalists," he argued. "Only then can we have factories. Only then can we have workers. Only then can we have strikes and revolution to destroy filthy capitalists!" All the small comrades applauded.
But the Tatas said: "For factories, we need land." "No problem," the Big Comrade said. He called the farmers and said: "Peasants of this state unite. You have nothing to lose but your land!" Then he paid the peasants a pittance and evicted them from their land. After that he told the Tatas. "Go set up your factory. That land is yours!"
The party workers were puzzled. They approached the Supreme Comrade of the central committee. "Comrade," they asked. "How come we evict the Tatas from land they do not occupy in one state, but we gift Tatas land that belongs to farmers in the other state?"
The Supreme Comrade went into deep thought. Then he brightened. He responded with the magic formula that had never failed the Marxist Brothers. "Comrades," he said, "we follow strategy in one state, tactics in the other!"
(Puri can be reached at rajinderpuri2000@yahoo.com)
