Well it was a pretty ordinary day as usual and I was travelling by the city bus. Some of the passengers were idling their time away by discussing what they want their kids to become when they grow up. A majority of them raised their voices in favor of professional careers like medicine, engineering and the like. Some of them went far as to suggest careers in Nanotechnology, Biotechnology and God knows what. I am sure a lot among them wouldn't be able to even spell those. Of course there will also be a group who will see themselves as belonging to the elite intelligentsia of the society. They want their sons and daughters to get the plumpest corporate jobs, preferably in the continents of North America, Europe or Australasia. The very same group will also vouch to possess a comprehensive knowledge of all arts and sciences and will supposedly suggest "bright" careers to others. It seems we Indians are never short of this perennial crowd of "Career Counselors".
As I had nothing else to do, I decided to have a go at them and asked them how many of them want their kids to join politics. "No way am I going to let my kids rot in this hell”, came their prompt and equivocal reply. "Politics is dirty”, said another."Where is the janitor to clean this mess, then?" I mumbled to myself. One reply amused me like no other-"Indian Politics has become a den of Mafias and Goondas". Oh what eloquence in that statement! By the way, that janitor statement reminded me of another incident where former Indian cricketer Manoj Prabhakar was giving an interview to a high profile news channel during the infamous Match Fixing controversy in 2000. Mr. Prabhakar said and I clearly remember it thus: "The entire game of cricket has become a huge pile of ****. I am only trying to clean it up and while doing it I have soiled myself as well." It was another matter that guy was banished and nobody has heard anything of him since.
In this most populous democracy, politics has been a multifaceted topic ever since Freedom from the yokels of the British Empire was obtained in 1947. M.K. Gandhi's lieutenant J.L Nehru ruled this country for the first 17 years until he passed away. Just a couple of years later, his daughter Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister and except the Janata wave from 1977-1980, she was the authoritative voice in Indian Politics for almost 14 years. The father-daughter combination not only saw off the turbulent wars with neighboring Pakistan but also marked new developments where India established itself as a noteworthy regional power in South Asia with advances in Agriculture (Green Revolution) and Industry. However once Mrs. Gandhi was assassinated by her own bodyguards during those volatile early 80s ,where the Khalistan Movement was countered by "Operation Bluestar" , and her son assumed charge it became clear that the ruling Congress party had contracted a disease which has not been alleviated since. This new infection was Dynastic politics irrespective of talents, skills and abilities. This disease has now assumed epidemic proportions spreading across different political parties all over India. Political parties are always busy anointing new successors and them dressing them in the same colours as their parents (mostly fathers). In a way it ensures that the party remains in their family’s grasp. The head of the family becomes the CEO of the party and it is run like a family business akin to Marwaris and Gujaratis(no offence intended). It is this pitiful sight that has nauseated normal hardworking citizens when they think about this field. In fact the situation was so bad that the former President of India Giani Zail Singh offered to sweep the floor of Parliament to appease Indira Gandhi. Please note that Mr. Singh was also a member of the Congress.
Also what is with this new trend where there are more parties in a state than there are castes? In states like Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, this rapid spawning of political parties happen more frequently than the hatching of tadpoles and they all claim to cater to the needs of specific castes. This caste system is a disgrace to this country and can actually be equated to Racism in the 50s’ and 60s’ United States and Apartheid in South Africa till early 1990s. The ancient texts mentioned castes as a function of profession and not of heredity. Even then it should be banished as it breeds disunity and feeling of hatred exploited by others for propaganda purposes. Outlawing of this dreaded system can go a long way in reducing the number of parties and in bringing sanity to the hallowed portals of the Parliament House.
Education and literacy should go hand in hand. A lot of the older folk might claim that higher education isn’t worth the time and pain required to accomplish it but it is only imperative from the successes of Western democracies that both are complimentary to each other. It should therefore be made mandatory that candidates seeking a vote from the general public should at least have completed their graduation. But then this is the land of seemingly mind boggling antics and as it goes, mass faking of certificates might happen. The Election Commission comes here and it should be given more enforcement powers to make sure the Elections are held in a free and fair atmosphere.
The sense of responsibility is missing especially among the urban citizens. A majority of them carries a “Who cares?” kind of mentality. Most of them don’t care to go for voting during the elections. The urban youth has the responsibility to choose a stable government at the Central or state level. Only a stable government can ensure a strong, prosperous and secure nation. The other hindrance is the large number of urban workforce being deployed out of their domicile states. The system is such that you have to be in your own home state to be able to cast your vote. A slight modification in the system is necessary to facilitate a larger turn out in the elections which seems to be dominated by the rural electorate. Although there is something called the anti defection law, steps should be taken to ensure that political parties don’t change their coalition after getting elected. Pretending that they stand for a particular set of ideals and then changing allies without rhyme or reason to get closer to the majority mark is just a rude slap in the face of the innocent and gullible voters who had voted for them.
Finally the youth should come forward. Taking an important part in the administration of the second most populous nation and to maintain a stable functioning of its affairs remains one of the biggest challenges. If the educated youth dominates the proceedings from now onwards, dynastic politics will be wiped out in no time. The sense to serve the people of a country and to aid in its overall development should be in there in every individual. If this happens, former President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam’s vision of a developed India by 2020 will be quite easily realized.
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