IN the early days of the return to pluralistic democracy, the government used to dangle many carrots before the
people, and these came in various forms, opening of housing estates, new roads and so on. The most talked about,
however, was when a large amount of apples was imported just before the referendum to adopt the first proposal for
the Constitution of the Third Republic.
Voters soon baptised the apples as 'Ponm Wi' or the 'vote yes apples'. Fast forward a few decades to 2025, and
once again, we see a food item come into the bunch of candies being offered before a general election. The nation
has been in uproar as the price of eggs shot up from 3.50 a piece right up to 7 or even 8 rupees in the space of just a
couple of months. This has turned the chicken eggs into a luxury item, as a tray now costs well into 200 rupees in
some cases.
After taking it upon himself to explain the science behind how layer chickens are affected by the food they eat,
President Ramkalawan told the public that when the eggs leave the farm, they cost only 3.50 rupees, and he has no
idea where the hike up to seven or eight rupees comes from!
While revealing this, the President forgot to mention, or he was not informed, that most of the vehicles selling
eggs in the market and other spots belong to those farms!
He went on to add that by September, the price of eggs will return to normal! How can he give that guarantee, and
why September? Why will the price of eggs go down just in time for the elections? What is stopping his
administration from addressing the said overpricing right now? It does seem a little bit too convenient for comfort.
Before, the public was asked to vote for cheap apples, and now it will vote for cheaper egg prices!
