Many of you might have noted the patni factor in the former UP ministerAmarmani Tripathi's case nabbed by CBI for his role in the murder of poetess Madhumita Shukla. Many press-wallahs say Madhumani was the mastermind behind the killing. Unlike the usual Indian wives infested by the woh factor she wasn't the one to do the rona-dhona and be a silent spectator to her swami's misdeeds. Without demeaning the loss of human lives, I have to comment that Madhumita's murder while she was carrying the minister's child is perhaps no less heinous than the injustice that Amarmani did to his wife with this extra-marital affair. Did she have any right for justice or not? As for Madhumita, she had seen rampant examples in our society where people even do not take it as a matter when it comes to illegal marriages. While people like Shabana Azmi have succeeded on religious behest others like Hema Malini had done it in broad daylight in front of dumb press. However, these ladies were already famous when they did that and Madhumita wanted to be rich and famous both. The price of chastity was nothing for that.

For Amarmani it was a vicious circle of lust and revenge; his lust that inspired his wife to seek revenge. Being in politics the backbone was already missing. He would have managed with all this beautifully if only things would not have leaked as they do in several other similar cases in the Indian polity. What happens to him next? May be he would witness decades of trial and die in a jail; may be he would get scot-free and bring another Mulayam to CM-hood; May be he would get another Madhumita.

The bitter part in this story of lust, greed, hatred and ruthlessness that I noticed is the missing human-factor. Madhumita sure had a heart as had Amarmani, they might have loved each other even if for a very short-while. Whatever happened to that? When the CBI arrested the defaced mantri he felt a pain in his chest. If only Amarmani had felt this pain before, when he let Madhumita murdered, with his child.