It is rare these days to hear pleasant news from India. Government’s
confidence is at its lowest point, so is of Indian businessmen. Political
battles are picking up. Lots of political attacks and sharp remarks are
exchanged. And why not? A lot has happened since this government came in office.
People elected this government with a hope that it will take us into a progressive
modern India. But instead the government was busy looting the nation & its
resources, it is absorbed in corruption, stung with policy paralysis, inflation
& graft is a by-product. Women’s safety has deteriorated. Economy is losing
its steam. Our neighbors are continuously conducting stress test on our
borders. Internal & External security appears in tatters. Corruption and
inflation are going up. The only thing going down is the Indian Rupee. If that wasn’t
enough there are occasional embarrassments that our leaders bring to India. I
am not sure about people, but the politicians have certainly progressed into
their modern houses and cars.
Meanwhile, the youth, the perceived future of India, is busy
binge drinking consumerism, and seasonally drenched in IPL and Bollywood. It appears
he is driven by his own interest with little thought for the nation. It seems he
recalls patriotism only on two days, Independence Day & Republic Day, for
it is a public holiday. He is gullible enough to depend on news channels (some run
by vested interests) to gauge issues.
And here’s some more. These days there is a bitter fight between
parties for the priced ‘secular’ tag, and seems it is just going to worsen. At
least, I am annoyed with this tamasha. Some politicians are busy (always) with
minorities’ arithmetic and placing bets accordingly, not because they are their
well-wishers but because they are their vote-wishers. India was a secular state,
and will remain one. It is secular not because the minorities wants it, but
because the majority wants it too. The top 3 Bollywood stars, Shahrukh, Salman
& Amir are Muslim. We had Abdul Kalam as President. We love A. R. Rahman.
Mohammad Azharuddin was one of the most successful Indian cricket captains and
many more. This was not because of any political party, but because we loved
them. We don’t need to align ourselves to any political parties to prove our
secular credentials.
As chances of the incumbent government coming to power appear
dim, all the regional party chiefs are dreaming about the PM job, which reasons
the third front government theory, but if that happens, it could be very unfortunate.
All the parties in such a government will try to pull the government to
different directions with their different agendas and eventually it will hurt
India, if not stifle it. No one is playing the development plank, and if
someone does, there are plenty to remind us about his alleged past evils. Unfortunately,
past will always have bad memories to offer, but it should not hold us from
moving ahead.
Elections must be fought on current & development issues,
cutting across all caste or religion lines. Hot topic these days is the Gujarat
riots. And now the media has almost convinced the populace that the only riots
that took place in Indian history were in Gujarat in 2002. The media has an
important role to play; they must avoid driving vested interests of political
parties. The media is never eager to remind me about the terrorist attacks
& their victims, every year. I don’t remember what happened to my Lokpal,
neither by the media nor by any political parties. I am not reminded about A
Raja or Kalmadi or what they did. I am not reminded about any other riots. It makes
me think, then why cherry pick only one incident? I’ll leave that on you to
think. I almost risked myself being labeled a communal there!
We are in 2013, we should think about 2014 and future, not
the past. To move forward one should always look ahead, not behind. Currently,
India enjoys a demographic dividend envied by the world, if we fail to
capitalize it now we may miss a good shot at being a real super power. It is
time, we are led by a leader who can muster the courage to take firm/tough
decisions, if required, and be accountable too. History is replete with
examples of controversial leaders, but only time has unfolded what they had for
the people. I am not trying to endorse anyone, either ways it won’t matter,
what will matter the most is what you think, you decide, and you vote, for the
fate of this great nation lies in your hands, and our hands.
Jai Hind.
