Rise of the self indulgent leader

Correct me if I am wrong, but it will soon be more than a month since Rahul Gandhi (according to well placed sources) went searching for spiritual succour. Among the range of places where he could be is also Myanmar, where many of us would love to go to, if only we had the luxury of time and money. However, for most of us, a self-indulgent holiday (or even a visit to a spa, a la the other messiah of the poor, Arvind Kejriwal) is a far cry. We have commitments and deadlines, and just bloody hard work to do. If we travel at all, it is usually work related. And I am not complaining, because for me work is fun, and something to be enjoyed. However, for young Rahul Gandhi, work and political parties still seem to be something you can run from a distance, and the more the distance, the better it gets. 

Let me tell you, if this had happened in British Parliament, he would have been politely asked to leave by his constituents. There would have been photographs of him standing on his head (or whatever he is doing) posted everyday in the Daily Mail, till he was embarrassed into quitting, or returning. After all, this is a job given to him, at a huge cost by the Indian tax payer, and also at huge expense by the election commission. A better way for him to take temporary sanyas or meditate on his navel would have possibly been to set up a temporary retreat at Amethi. The spiritual guru might have communicated through Skype, and it would have been far more meaningful. And at least he could have also done some work. The same way it was astonishing that Kejriwal went to cure his cough at a very convenient time as far away from his constituents as possible. I wonder who paid the bill for his cure. Was it us? Couldn't he have just taken Benadryl and steam at home as we do? Believe me, when I was wheezing in Delhi's stinking air, I just ate haldi and honey till I was cured. Spa? Who can afford it, and who has the time?

Is this then the rise of a new politician, who loves retreats, and not the old fashioned full time slog? I can name one more politician who was also in some ashram doing yoga when all sorts of accusations were flying around, but I won't do so because I have already been asked how I "dared" to ask any questions about him. Obviously these god given MPs are above reproach. But the point is that we have to ask. We voted for these guys and they better know it's a full time job. In fact, given the depths of misery the "aam" janta lives in, it should be more than a full time job. It should be a time consuming job, passionately done, and if you can afford to scurry off to meditate about your personal problems or take massages and mud baths while your constituents grovel for the next meal, something is very wrong. 

Surely there should be some parliamentary accountability about the guys who are not putting in a full day's work? And if they are not, at least they should take a pay cut for the days they lounge in ashrams or meditate at our expense?