KOCHI: Is it a crime to be a poet? Not if you are really good at it. But trying to grab mileage as a poet, banking on one’s political persona rather than on genuine talent, is unacceptable. In fact, such a propensity should be declared a criminal offence, given that it is us poor voters who have to bear the brunt of such gross misuse of poetry.
If you thought veteran CPM leader G Sudhakaran was the lone poet who had the masses in hysterics, you are mistaken. There seems to be no dearth of poets among politicians these days. Sudhakaran can definitely be condoned, given his good track record as a politician. But politicians like Eldose Kunnapillil do leave one at a complete loss for words. Not only does he subject people time and again to nonsensical versification, but has gone on to set a perfect example as to what all a public figure should not be.
Hardly some weeks ago Eldose quoted from a popular film song in the state assembly, “Olathumbathirunnoonyaladum Chellapainkilee, Ente Balagopalane...” to target Finance Minister K N Balagopal on the state’s current financial crisis. Back then, Eldose had said how this particular song was a favourite of his son and how his heart races, every time he listened to it! Fortunately, he had spared his listeners a dose of what he terms his own ‘poetry’.
In fact, Eldose’s aptitude for ‘catchy phrases’ and ‘appalling jibes’ had become a point of discussion long ago, when he was heading the Ernakulam district panchayat. However, his public affinity for poetry made an appearance later.
In 2019, during his first stint as a legislator, Eldose had come up with a longish poem against the state government and later against Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan. He was strictly censured by the speaker for protesting on the dais. However, the Malayalam poem, ‘Ugrashsasanam’ (strict censuring), that dealt with contemporary Kerala politics, ended up not surprisingly as a dud, hardly making any poetic ripples elsewhere.
A couple of social media posts surfaced in the wake of the ongoing case against the Perumbavoor legislator, however, make it clear that this is not the first time that he has made a spectacle of himself. A number of videos of him dancing have cropped up. Nothing wrong in dancing at private functions. But being a public figure, you are expected to maintain a certain decorum.
The recent allegations by a woman friend against him and his subsequent disappearing act have further confounded the creative claims of Eldose. How can an MLA abscond all of a sudden, almost making a mockery of the law of the land? How can someone engage in social media campaigns by casting aspersions on the victim in a bid to scuttle the ongoing investigation? Heights of irresponsible and unacceptable behaviour indeed!
State Congress president K Sudhakaran said this was not the first time a complaint was received against Eldose. We now have an MLA on the run from the police. Should not the party have dealt with his errant behaviour earlier? Does not the grand old party of the country know that voters always have the last word in a democracy?