It's been quite a while since my last post here. There are times when work and professional life gets the better of you and so was the case all this while.
So now, INdia goes to the polls with the first leg of polling due tomorrow. If you're in India and have been following the political ho ha on the news channels, chances are that you're already aware of what's going on all this while though you may not be following it as closely as Prannoy Roy would. The political parties have just ended their campaigns and tomorrow they face the public.
As India goes to polls tomorrow, I ask a very simple question : Why should I vote ? And this article is not another vote appeal by Tata Tea or MTV. Off late, a lot of NGOs, private players, socially conscious youth and citizens of this nation have started appealing to the masses to go out and vote to elect a stable government. In a way they're not entirely wrong you see. After all, the lack of adequate votes ultimately leads to a quickfix government.
But my question is, if I should vote, give me a candidate or a party worthy enough for my precious vote. If I'm going to be that one drop which would surmount to a stable ocean in this country, then I need to see real maturity in the political circles.
We've got criminals, buffoons and plain idiots in our Government today. The age old dhoti clad neta ji is still alive thanks to modern medicine and though he may be in his final years, he still wants to contest in the elections. Now thats not even funny. Somehow I don't believe in the 'years of experience' theory. After all, the world changes every day, we've got the Internet and Mobile phones in just the last 10 years and this has changed the world so much that basic governance has taken on a new meaning. And if you think I'm biased towards the urban elite, then consider the fact that there are farmers in this nation of ours who use cellphones and check prices of veggies and fruits online before making a sale. And yes there are those who have suicide as the only progressive option in their lives. So what is the government doing ? The answer is as simple as the question : Nothing at all.
If building roads is an achievement, then we really really have a backward looking political system. Roads, water, medical care, education, equal rights are fundamental functions and necessities which should NOT be classified as political achievements. The lack of the same should infact be a foundation for penalizing the government.
And then we have clowns in our government who're making hate speeches all over the place. We have the so called 30 year old racist BJP party which has only one thing on their agenda : get one community to hate the other...So while Varun Gandhi does his thing, we have Narendra Modi doing his bit and Ashok Sahu doing his bit. They openly challenge the law, and the only action done is more in the interest of the media than in for true justice.
On the other hand, Congress, the 125 yr old party suggests that L K Advani be thrown into the Arabian Sea because they called Congress an old lady. And Lalu's making remarks, so is Rabri and so is even Sanjay Dutt.....What is going on in this country ? Is this a kindergarten fight ? Where are the real issues ??
We have Mulayam Singh vowing to take this country into the stone age by eradicating computers and english. How do you even think about such stupid things when there are a zillion other issues to address ?
NDTV was showing this telephone conversation with Chandrababu Naidu asking his party workers to ensure that money reaches the electoral committee because he wanted his party to win. On the other hand we had a lunatic dhoti up a tree in front of the Congress office because he was not given an election ticket....
So, in all of this, the only glimmer of hope for a stable India in the future is perhaps Rahul Gandhi. For now, he seems to be the only educated, civilized, young and forward thinking politician in the country. I do not favour or oppose his political party membership but as an individual I think he has a spark in him.
We've had a very educated and humble Prime Minister for the past 5 years for whom I have a lot of respect. He's a true gentleman indeed but is perhaps surrounded by allies who couldn't even be trusted with a water gun.
Its been quite a while since the Mumbai terror attacks. All the TV channels especially the elite ones pledged not to leave the issue, people of Mumbai took up the task to shout and scream and make the government listen to what is going on, candle marches were held, Kasab was arrested and many moons later, he's comfy in the jail, was smiling in the court and throwing tantrums and legal tangles at the government. This case will probably go on for years like all other cases in the courts of India, no one will be punished in the end and the human rights activists will ensure that Kasab is treated like a guest and released on good moral conduct in the end.
So, going back to the question : Do you still think you want to vote ?? Because if you do, you will not do any better for the nation than if you don't....
If you ask me, sit back, relax on polling day, watch a movie or just hang around with your family..And yes, Don't Waste Your Vote...I know I'm not wasting mine.