Even Albert Schweitzer, who said an optimist is one who sees a green light everywhere in a different context, may have been stumped by what the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), in an unbearable surge of electoral optimism, did in Malappuram — paint a whole road in their party colour, green.
As the locals stood agape, scores of IUML workers carrying cans of green paint, converged at Kodakkad, near Vallikkunnu, and happily set about painting the entire stretch of the 100 metre road green — the road surface, sidewalk and all else.
Unfortunately, some of the locals were not very enthused by this shiny green idea and promptly complained to the local authorities, who took no time to play killjoy: they ordered the party to take it all off.
Nobody, apparently, had told the IUML men that painting over a road surface can make it slippery and dangerous. District leaders of the party rushed to ask the cadre to remove their green paint forthwith, but it soon dawned that removing paint from a 100 metre road may turn out to be actually tougher than painting it.
The alternate suggestion now is to dab black paint all over the green to get the road back to look normal. But local residents are crying havoc, saying this would make their road even more slippery.
As of now, a consensus has eluded the debate.
