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Tibet's independence is this candidate's poll promise

'I have written petitions with my blood, but, to no use'

By Utpal Borpujari | Deccan Herald

A file photo of Mahesh Yadav taken in January 2009. Mahesh Yadav, an independent candidate contesting from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, whose major poll promise is to get independence for Tibet.File photo/Tibet Sun/Lobsang Wangyal/India

At a time when terrorism, price rise and communalism are among the major issues in the ongoing General elections, here is one candidate whose major poll promise is to get independence for Tibet.

Meet Mahesh Yadav, independent candidate contesting from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, whose claim to fame is drawing portraits of famous leaders from across the world and writing petitions to them, both in his own blood, to raise awareness on various issues.

This time, however, Yadav has decided to shed more than his blood for the cause he firmly believes in.

That is why he has jumped into the electoral fray, even though he himself says that he is ‘sure’ to lose the deposit in a contest where sitting MP, BJP’s octogenarian Kailash Joshi is slugging it out against Congress’ Surendra Singh Thakur.

Yadav, during his campaigning does not even ask people to vote for him.

Instead he asks them to think seriously about the issues he is seeking to raise and decide on their vote. Quite strange, because winning is what any candidate aspires for and speaks of in the run up to the elections, however inconsequential in real terms he or she might be in the high-stakes game.

Independence of Tibet

And ‘independence’ of Tibet from China is right at the top of his agenda. “It is a must for India’s own security, as it will be buffer between us and China,” says this father of two daughters.

Yadav, who is a practising Ayurvedic doctor, says he has received letters of acknowledgement to his ‘blood-written letters’ on Tibet from former US President Bill Clinton as well as the European Parliament.

“I have travelled all across the country, drawing portraits and writing petitions to them with my own blood, but finally I realised that even if a lakh like me do what I am doing, the politicians will never take it seriously,” says he.

“So, I decided to contest elections this time,” adds Mahesh Yadav.

Yadav has also launched a website called www.pminwaiting.in, where he has described how India’s ideal Prime Minister should be.

The other issues that he promises to take up include making Bhopal the country’s second capital, ensuring the Bhopal gas tragedy-affected get their relief and a host of local issues, apart from working for world peace.

He is, interestingly, against the use of EVMs in elections as ‘they are easily prone to hacking’, and instead favours old-style ballot papers.

“The rigging that used to happen in ballot papers was not a problem with the process but with the law-and-order machinery, which can be tackled by the administration easily if it wants to,” he says.

“Even the US uses only ballot papers for its presidential polls,” he points out.

Mahesh Yadav says that he has met the Dalai Lama five times since 1997, and hopes that his campaign would make people aware about the ‘importance of an independent Tibet for India’.

Copyright © 2009 The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd.

Published in Deccan Herald