IT has started! The grand elections to the biggest democracy in the world-INDIA!
Today is the polling day in Delhi. Till date, I have been a mute spectator of this years elections debacle. Staying in Delhi for almost a year and half, I have been able to witness and experience the heat of the political and ideological battle initiated by the emergence of AAP. It feels good to be a midst the center of action. As a native of MP, and later on living an isolated student life at the confines of the lush green campus of IIT Bombay, I must say, that I till date I only have been on the fringe of political drama.
Who will Lead us, Empower Masses, Stop Corruption?
Nowadays there is a wave of marketing campaigns for the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate- Mr. Modi. He is being the portrayed as the leader who will relieve this country from all its ills. A leader who can be a brave commander, as suggested by the slogan "56 Inch ki Chaati"- a symbol of masculinity and strength. I must agree, Mr. Modi's personality resonates with the ideal image of a strong leader, being capable to lead from front.
However it often makes me ponder:
- whether an 'apparent strong personality' guarantee an effective leader?
- Can a strong leadership actually manifest itself in form of an efficient government delivering inclusive growth?
More importantly, what does our democracy actually need today- a strong leader, or an effective government, or both? and if yes, then WHY?
What do we want from our Government?
As an observer of contemporary political commentary, models of governance, and the economic situation of the country, I must say that there is a lot to aspire- for us, and for the nation, both.
Mujhey Chahiye Insaaf!!
I believe, the prime objective of an elected government is to provide a secure ecosystem of inclusive governance, enabling a happy and prosperous life for the citizens of its nation. This can only happen when there is social, political, and economic justice.
The democratic model of our country, strives towards the inclusion of voices of different sections of the community, by Representative politics. However every system has its short comings; the same is true with ours. Despite all efforts there still is a section of citizens whose voices go unheard. This is either due to the inadequate representation, or lack of political will.
Janta ki Awaaz
On the social front, we have seen the uprising of the citizens of our country, in form of protests towards heinous crimes against women. That one incident in
December 2012 stirred our country from within. The frustration within the people was vented out, and found a voice in form of agitation, demonstration, and mass protests. It was unprecedented and unique, as it was totally a non-political movement. Perhaps for the first time in the history of independent India, people joined hands together and expressed themselves in such a revolutionary manner.
Meri Kahani, Facebook ki Zabaai!
Emergence of Social media in form of Facebook and Twitter played a pivotal role in exchange of ideas, and informing masses. It was the sole reason, behind such an organised effort, which mirrored the sentiments of the populous. 'NO MORE SHALL WE TOLERATE THIS' was the roaring voice. People wanted CHANGE!
The movement gradually dissipated, as it was bound to happen. For the very reason, that nothing lasts forever! But it did initiate a process of change, in the political maturity of the Indian citizens. People realised the power of their own voice, and the impact it can have. Perhaps, it will be seen as the defining movement of Indian history, which is yet to unfold.
AAP kon hain?
These very years also witnessed a political agitation in form of AAP- a party stemming out of the 'India Against Corruption' movement. I don't want to delve into the details, nor I want to take a stand, for and against this new born party, or on its short stay as Delhi's government. I rather want to emphasize on the way it affected the general populous. But that comes later. Let's come back to today, and talk more about the Modi wave.
"Ab ki baar, Modi Sarkaar"
If you watched any T-20 match streaming on Start Sports, you must have heard it at least 80 times(twice after every over). As a Cricket enthusiast, I tend to watch a lot of matches, all on online streaming. As a result this slogan is now on my lips. I can't help it, it is catchy indeed. Good work by the BJP's campaigning wing. No doubt it will catch the attention of the listeners, and yes, it is a indeed a good publicity tool. However, will it compel people to vote for their cause? Well, I have my doubts. Atleast not me; I need much more than a catchy slogan to be convinced.
I have not been a fan of BJP, nor I am an admirer of UPA. I am making my opinion based on the last 10 years of UPA rule. UPA has done some good things in their tenure, and they have screwed some. As I mentioned earlier, there is work to be done, a nation to be driven; We need an efficient and effective government for that.
So does Modi Sarkaar guarantee that? Well, no one can be certain. It may, it may not. BJP released its manifesto just a couple of days before the polling. For my eyes it doesn't offer anything radical. Not that I was expecting so. I feel that radical is not required. What is indeed required, is a functioning parliamentary machinery, '
without breaks', which has meaningful debates, discussion, and formulates legislation, and policies.
Parliament: For Discussion or Walkouts?
Regarding the governance issues, I think we can't judge any party as to who will perform better. We only have an option to provide them with a chance with hope of change. UPA's second term was fraught with
Policy Paralysis which was a direct result of a dysfunctional legislature. At many occasions
I have seen the Parliament getting adjourned due to disruptions, agitations and walkouts. The principal opposition was many times the initiator. I am not judging the party on ethical grounds but I want to know how can a legislation be passed when the house itself is not allowed to function? Few bill were still passed but in a hasty manner without much deliberation and debate.
I would have wanted a more responsible action by the principal opposition. But every thing has a motive. Here it seems to be political leverage. Even on criticisms on certain bills, the rationale seemed to be absurd and hard to digest. For eg the Land Boundary Agreement Bill was vehemently opposed on ground of exchange of territory between India and Bangladesh. Non-passage of the bill ensured that we lost cooperation from Bangladesh on bilateral issues. It even poses a threat to the present pro-India Awami League government in Bangladesh when they fight the next elections. What, if an anti-India government gets installed in our neighborhood? Well I will leave it to your imagination.
Responsible Opposition:Is it an Oxymoron??
There are many more events which formulated by opinion of BJP. For me, it didn't serve as a responsible opposition. 'But hey, it is politics! Things like these are bound to happen'- that's what most of us say when we hear this argument and we accept it. But NO. This is not how a parliament is supposed to function. Dysfunctional house hurts the country(read people) the most . We vote governments to function efficiently and expect opposition to act as checks and Balances. However trends like these would set an unhealthy precedence.It may make the incumbent government look incompetent and slow but to an aware individual capable of formulating his own opinion would only be an act of desperation.
We were taught when we were kids, that if you want to be appreciated you have to be act than others and not by making others look bad. There is big difference and it becomes even bigger when it is observed in the highest law making chamber of a nation- the Parliament. It is supposed to be a scared place where exchange of ideas take place, where representatives of people voice their opinion, where they criticize making rational arguments- all for addressing the inadequacies in the proposed legislation and make it better. So for me it was a definite turn off.
Congress: An army without an 'Empowered' Leader
Don't take me wrong. I am not favoring the UPA here either. Let's analyse though. People blame them for policy paralysis but I see the opposition equally responsible. People blame them for economic slowdown, but I can't find any concrete evidence that it was due to bad policies or poor execution by UPA. I see the international economic situation as the main culprit.
What else?
Corruption, aah! Well they can't deny the wrong doings of some of their ministers. The 2G scam, the Coalgate issue, the Augusta Westeland Chopper deal etc etc cropped up in their second term and should definitely be reprimanded. For a developing nation like India corruption is the biggest evil and shouldn't be tolerated at all. Despite all this, we can't ignore the good work by UPA (MGNREGA, NRHM, JNNURM, Food Security Act etc etc). But I won't support UPA either.
To me the biggest turn off was the
leadership. The PM was clearly no more than a hired CEO with limited autonomy. The real leaders were behind the line and not part of the governance. Despite all this UPA would have had good chances in the elections. But the biggest short coming of Congress is that they lack a leader. And by that I mean a person who looks like one. They pitched Rahul Gandhi and his leadership and diplomatic qualities were tested when he came in front of the camera. It was not impressive at all. May be it is not a true reflection of his qualities but it doesn't matter in the world of cut throat politics. The public opinion had been formed and was difficult to change.
One can imagine how will a leaderless army perform in war. They can hope to win on some front as small units but in order to win the War they need a leader who can inspire them. I view the current state of congress in the similar manner.
AAP Jisa koi meri, Zindagi main aaye~~
I can almost sense that you shall be thinking that I am an AAP supporter or worse the Third Front advocate. No, I m not! Let's leave AAP aside and talk of other parties. I feel that SP, BSP, NCP, CPI(M), CPI, TMC, RJD,JDU etc etc are mainly regional parties and might be favored/disfavored based on regional aspirations. That leaves AAP.
I have seen people criticizing AAP based on their tactics and their brief stint as the state government of Delhi. There are many arguments against and for AAP. I would not go into the details. But I think at this point of time AAP is too nascent to govern the country. They are still to be tested as administrators. But to me a party like AAP should definitely sit in the parliament. Again, I am not an AAP supporter. As I said earlier that I am just a spectator. People questioned why didn't they prove themselves as an efficient administrator in Delhi. Some say they could have waited for 5 more years. Well this could be have been done. But analyzing it form a tactical vantage point, it was the right move for the party to go into the LS elections and en-cash on their popularity.Besides this they couldn't have managed ruling the state and fighting the LS elections simultaneously owing to resources constraints. We must remember that AAP didn't have absolute majority in the state assembly, thus they were bound to face serious problems in introducing reforms through legislature. The Lokpal bill was just the start.
I personally think that the established political houses wouldn't want to see AAP thrive as a political party, let alone being seen as an able administrator. Thus one might even think of a scenario when the arch rivals collaborate behind the scenes to erect roadblocks impeding the progress of the government. Or worse try to defame it or even pull it down. We must remember that the we are talking of parties which are seasoned in politics. And Politics have no rules!
AAP: A worthy opposition?
AK seems to be a rational person. Only time will tell how good an administrator he is and whether AAP is worthy of being given a chance to rule this nation. But given the brand of politics at this moment, I'd want AAP to win atleast 20 seats and become a part of the parliament. They could bring plurality of views in the house and can prove to be a worthy opposition. We can't ignore that their advent to the political scenario has already sown seeds of change in the political thinking of nation as whole. All parties today talk of no corruption. Just be a judge for yourself and compare the scenario to 10 years ago when we all had given up on corruption and transparency. RTI was the result of efforts of AK, and it today has become a lethal weapon against the corrupt. Who knows what else might come in the similar fashion.
Aap ka Vote, Aap ki Sakar
Well it could have been a slogan for AAP. But should I vote for AAP blind-folded, NO! I will chose to vote based on the candidate rather than considering party banners. This would ensure that only the worthy candidates reach the parliament. This itself would ensure a win for democracy where decriminalization of politics is the new mantra.
At last I would urge the fellow voters to go out and vote for the most worthy candidate. The credentials speak for themselves. No catchy lines like
56 inch in Chati, hollow phrases like
Empowerment or the lure of
aam admie should influence you. As a voter you should try to looking beyond the hollow promises and the marketing campaign and vote for the candidate you think would bring the change in your locality.
If we ensure that worthy people are chosen for our areas then the national picture is bound to improve, no matter which party is at rule. After all we strive to be a great nation and that is not possible without mature and rational citizens.
So, go out there and VOTE!!
