Mayawati as PM? Deve Gowda as PM? Is this what Indians really want today? What are the alternatives? Manmohan Singh / Sonia Gandhi / Rahul Gandhi? L K Advani? Mulayam Singh? Prakash Karat? India is at a stage today where corruption and money rule. Any of these can be the PM tomorrow not because of capability but because the party they belong to manages to win elections on the basis of false promises, money power, muscle power, fixing and the like. In this list, Manmohan Singh probably is the most qualified but is capability really the criteria here?
When India became independent & a republic, there was so much hope! Hope to be self sufficient, hope to be a progressive and secular state, hope to be a fair & just nation where the Mahatma’s words held real value. As children we saw India move from British rule to a new beginning. Yes, in Kolkata, we were besieged by refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and there was much despair because of riots etc, but there was still hope of a better future.
But once the Congress party started taking the electorate for granted and with their offset of becoming a family fiefdom, break away fractions and new parties became the norm. Regional parties started gaining popularity due to non governance and genuine grievances and sometimes due to power flexing. Soon they started wielding power at local levels graduating to the centre level. The seventies & eighties saw a stream of such regional parties becoming strong in various states.
I think the deterioration of Indian politics started when the focus shifted from governance to money. What started as a subtle funding operation is now a full fledged business of political parties. Need favour/s? Donate generously to the political fund. This has also ensured that a clutch of people actually hold the government in virtual control whether at the state level or central level. Think of it – why is it certain business houses and certain individuals seem to get away with murder? Why do the big builders across India get away every time? Why is it that poachers who are destroying our ecology get away? Why do corporate fraudsters escape punishment? Is it because they are above the law? Or is it because their coffers fund political parties in various ways?
Today I feel sad when I see the state of our country. Why is it that we Indians don’t collectively wake up from our slumber? Why do we always feel it is somebody else’s responsibility? Our nation is today fast spiraling downwards, but it’s in our hands and especially the youth to take charge.
You can think this is a rambling from an old man, but it’s my plea to the youth of this country to wake up and stem this rot. Be responsible when voting. Exercise your right. Think why certain events happen. And think how it will impact your life. Because today’s rampant construction, deforestations, poaching, illegal mining, corruption and non governance will destroy your tomorrow.
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