To the manner born

Akhilesh Yadav, who is receiving brickbats, especially over his handling of the refugee camps following the Muzaffarnagar riots, would be surprised to hear accolades from a veteran socialist politician from the Opposition. Observing the many sons of regional political satraps involved in the run-up to the 2014 elections, an old-timer wryly observed, "There is Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag Paswan, a failed actor, and he is calling the shots in the Lok Janshakti Party." Then, he continued, "there is Lalu Prasad's son Tejaswi Yadav, a failed cricketer and he is the shining light for the Rashtriya Janata Dal nowadays." But then, "there is also the likes of Mulayam Singh Yadav's son Akhilesh Yadav. What sets him apart from the other two is his vinamrata [politeness], the way he still respects his elders. Chirag and Tejaswi, on the other hand, expect their seniors to greet them instead. It's not just the respect, the other two neta sons have hardly any education to speak of." Dismissing the academic credentials of the Paswan and Lalu scions the politico added, "Akhilesh is both well-mannered and educated." Now, if only good manners would translate into good governance!