Mumbai edit: Valentine's Day matters

Valentine’s Day, which was synonymous with violence and vandalism not too long ago in Maximum City, passed off peacefully this year. Right-wing parties and groups, which, in the name of protecting Indian culture, used to go berserk and attack young couples displaying affection in public, kept away from all such controversies this time. For this, we have tomorrow’s civic body elections to thank. Clearly, with the crucial polls round the corner, no political party was keen on antagonising the young, who form a substantial chunk of the electorate.

Some may snigger that the party-poopers themselves have joined the party, but the fact is that politicians know only too well which side of the bread is buttered. If, in the name of culture, they were to target Young India, that too so close to a crucial election, it would have boomeranged on them. The young hold the key to many a political fortune in the city, and it made eminent political sense not to antagonise them. Playing the role of moral police would have antagonised them like little else.

Clearly, therefore, this peaceful Valentine’s Day was nothing but a desperate bid at damage control and an image makeover. But given the nature of politics in Mumbai, there is no guarantee that some of these parties will not return to their hooligan selves once the voter has pressed the EVM button. Does that mean we should have elections every year so that our netas behave themselves and don’t go around taking the law into their hands? Now that’s a thought.