A yahapalanaya purohita from the Betel leaf party was having his lunch when two young deputies approached his table. 


The young duo sat down and the senior purohita thought of putting a feeler to them. Addressing them, he said: “Our party has come to this impasse because of the mistakes done by our former boss. Don’t you think so, Malli?” He paused for a reply and added: “He didn’t take the trouble to correct those mistakes either …”

Then one of the two young deputies opened up: “What the former boss had said and done is no longer important, Sir. He is gone for one year now. Are things better off for us now? That’s the question that should matter to us!”

The next comment by the senior purohita indicated that his thoughts too were running on the same frequency.

He said: “There won’t be a comeback for us for a long time. I am not going to contest again… Lost my seat twice. I may not get enough ‘manape’ next time. But Malli, there’s a future for you.” He paused for effect and added: “Get set from now itself…We are going to have our own government in another … years!”