Jagmohan Sharma
And finally, it is the Indian democracy that won the day for the country!!
It was one of the most gruelling, tiring and prolonged election programmes and consequent campaign in the country for the 18th Lok Sabha. The election schedule dived deep into an equally gruelling Indian summer where the scorching sun was visibly taking its toll on the electorate as well as the contestants. It probably was one of the reasons that had an impact on the polling percentages too. It was only the committed electorates, or the brave ones that came out to vote notwithstanding the scorching heat.
The election campaign will also be remembered for one of the most acerbic and no holds barred campaigns in the country wherein some of the political parties used all means, fair or otherwise, for ensuring that they somehow are able to grab the seat of power. Staying out of power for 10 odd years in Delhi, the capital, seemed to have been too much for them. Social media and various digital platforms, in all their avatars, were used by all the political parties and individual contestants to the hilt for spreading their message for the country, their constituents and the constituency and more often than not spreading misinformation about the opponents. During these elections the social media has exhibited its potential as a great game changer. It has exhibited its power wherein it can make or unmake the careers of the politicians and political parties that can have an everlasting impact on the present and future of the nation. It’s a great unifier as well as a great disrupter.
Unfortunately, it is more impactful when used as a disrupter. Present elections have exhibited its larger than life potential. In my opinion, one of the reasons for the BJP’s Lok Sabha (seat) tally getting restricted to 240 is because of the social media onslaught by the opposition alliance led by INC. This onslaught was not always based on facts, but then it had an impact. INC played to the galleries, content in the belief, that it had nothing to lose. The narrative was always set by them during the elections and BJP was found gasping for breath to counter it. Being in the government for 10 years and facing the social media umbrage is not easy.
One of the examples of such a distortion is that a video of Amit Shah, the Home Minister, was mischievously edited to project that construed that he had spoken about discontinuing reservations for scheduled castes and tribes. The video was made viral so that it would have a maximum reach and is able to impact the polling preferences of the stake holding voters.
That BJP still made it up to 240 seats is creditable.
The real victor in the whole polling process has been Election Commission of India and the Electronic Voting Machines in particular. The “poor EVM” is “lifeless and without a tongue” and as such is unable to speak out its story when the political parties and politicians malign it for possible “gadbad.” The selectiveness of opposition parties during the just concluded elections has been mind boggling. When these very parties won elections in several states viz Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal etc they clutched and honoured the results with both their hands, but during the current parliamentary elections they simply resorted to “cheer-haran” of the machine. That is not all, they tried to bring the neutrality of the Election Commission of India also under cloud.
However, the truth always prevails, truth always wins – “Satyamev Jayte.” Election Commission of India proved that in all its humbleness and with all its “soft speak” and in spite of mud being flung at it on an hourly basis by opposition parties it could stand its ground and conduct the massive elections in the country without any fear or favour. To a common man it was a real pleasure to watch the full election commission, headed by the Chief Election Commissioner replying to questions of the press in a press conference smilingly in spite of a full-blown onslaught by a political dispensation.
The EVM also proved itself to be true to the task assigned to it. It accepted abuses flung on it with lot of grace, aplomb and dignity. It proved that the developed countries like Germany, USA and Canada might have stopped using electronic voting machines, as claimed by several top-notch journalists of the country, but it is the machines manufactured in India by the Electronics Corporation of India and Bharat Electronics Ltd that stand out in reliability, accuracy and precision. These machines have been maligned by politicians and usually referred to “shady characters” for scrutiny. Such characters comment on these machines, sometimes with their faces covered with masks as they don’t want to come to the fore and expose themselves.
I am left wondering as to why these politicians don’t visit the ECIL/BEL factories right here in India to interact with the concerned engineers and designers to understand the working and design of the machines. They must understand that every machine, be it a washing machine or an Electronic Voting Machine is subjected to intense factory acceptance tests before they are brought into use. These tests are religiously documented and are available for anyone to see. However, the politicians are politicians and as such why would they take an easy route when it is in the interest of several of them to keep the pot boiling. The concerned stakeholders could as well go to these factories and witness the tests if they choose to, though with an independent and unbiased mind.
It was saddening to hear the leader of the Grand Old Party expressing distrust of the polling process of the country to the extent that he thundered that if the “elections are won by BJP by a process like that of match fixing and an attempt is made to change the constitution thereafter then fire will rage in this entire country and the country would not be saved.”
The final results of the elections have proved that his rage and ranting were completely misplaced.
Let’s hope good sense prevails on everyone, after the recently concluded acerbic polls and the controversy regarding the EVMs is given a goodbye.
There is one important point that the political parties forget in the heat of electioneering and their craving for power. India is essentially a democratic country not because of its constitution but because of its civilisational ethos. The Indic or Sanatan civilisation is the only civilisation in the world where one can discuss and challenge the most basic concepts of theology, culture and tradition and if required modify them to suit the prevailing conditions and circumstances. Indic civilisation enjoys discussions and introspection. It strains itself to understand others point of view and doesn’t even mind if there is no meeting ground. It leaves it there happily and strives for “Sarv Dharam Sambhav.” That is why Indic or Sanatan civilisation encompasses everything and everyone, be it a believer in God, a Murti pujak or not, an atheist or an agnost. This kind of liberty is not available in any other civilisation of the world. Indira Gandhi tried to curb this freedom in 1975 but could not withstand the Indic urge and consequent surge for freedom in the country. She called for elections in 1977.
Democracy had a field day then; democracy is having a field day today and Narendra Modi has taken over as the Prime Minister of India for a third time through a transparently fair election process. Thanks to Indic/Sanatan civilisation.
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