Prof A N Sadhu
Formal announcement of next election schedule is going to be made soon and people will be watching with concern, the shape of things to emerge as the days go by. All is not well in the country and at such a crucial stage of the country’spost independence period , the country seems to be losing its direction. The people’s representatives, be it in the Parliament or in the state legislatures have so behaved that they have shamed the country and seriously undermined the glory of our rich heritage. The media is doing a commendable job in exposing the wrong doings of the political leaders, whom the people have chosen to shape their destiny. The live media coverage of the proceedings of the Parliament and state legislatures has played a significant educative role in bringing about the awareness among the electorate. Even when the Election Commission of India is successfully conducting the elections in a very fair manner , the people with doubtful credentials get elected because of many other factors not under the control of the Election Commission. It is a known fact that the corruption has corroded the very foundations of an honest and fair administrative structure and the leaders chosen with high expectations have not only failed to stall this corruption ,but in many ways have abetted it to the dismay of those who voted for them.
To make a democratic system vibrant and transparent, an independent media is of utmost importance as it is the only channel through which a common man can have quick access to information. Both print and electronic media is playing a dominant role not only in transforming the society but also in sensitising the electorate about its role and responsibility to vote out the inefficient system and put in place an alternative arrangement capable of building a progressive society on strong pillars of democracy,secularism and equal rights. It is ultimately the power of vote that alone can salvage the country from an incompetent and corrupt system.Sooner it is realised better it is. The country has seen a trailer in Delhi. It points, in very clear terms , towards afew things which cannot be ignored.Firstly , the Delhi election results should be accepted as an index of the disgust that exists among the people towards the political and bureaucratic setup being run in the country . Secondly, it should also serve as an index of the awareness among the electorate towards the impending need of a change for a different and assertive alternative for running the affairs of the country. Thirdly it should also serve as an alarm to the political vested interest that their wrong doings cannot go unnoticed and they can no longer take the common man of the country for a ride. A lot is spoken about AAP and its 49 day rule in the capital , but the message , loud and clear, from these election results has already travelled far and wide and those who have lost their sleep may not get it back even with the help of a pill .
The analysis , the allegations and the arguments will keep the debate hot not only till the Loksabha elections but much beyond that as the dust raised by the winds of change will not settle down so soon. The country, however, is worried about the post election scenario .The coming events cast their shadows before. The irresponsible and way-word statements of political leaders reveal their nervousness and mental agitation. Future looks very bleak for them. Who cares for them? Have they cared for the common man? The real worry is about a workable arrangement to take shape after the elections are over. The apprehension of a hung Parliament , the prospect of an immediate re-election and the possibility of a loose coalition are the worrying factors for the country men . What are their choices/options?
UPA remained at the helm of affairs for full ten years. They should have come before the people with a long list of success stories. They should have built a vision for the future and laid the sound foundations for its realisation. It is nowhere seen. The ground realities point towards the reverse of it. Small things under the banner of ” Bharat Nirmaan” are lolly pops which donot amuse the common man any more. After the deathof MrsIndra Gandhi, the party could not produce a leader matching her stature. Statesmanship is nowhere visible. Expediency and not the ideology has become a determining factor. Coalition Dharma is used as defence. At no time of thepost independence history, has the country witnessed scandals of such a large number and size. Shocking still is to see the involvement and the abettment of political leaders in power. The country did not see any firm resolutions, instead there have been long discourses on defence of these leaders. Many a time the public watched smiling discourses, in a manner and style,as to give the impression of the person having the monopoly of wisdom. At times the public watched smart oratory, unambiguously revealing the duality of inner assessment and clever outer expression and at times resorting to silence as a golden rule.
Indian National congress having a glorious track record, built by the pre_independence leaders and by their successors under the leadership of Pandit JawaharLal Nehru, seems to have drifted from its ideology as also the resolve to render selfless service to the country and wipe out every tear from every eye. Should the contemporary leadership not revisit its past and make amends, whatever and wherever required. Should they not do an introspection. Lust for power should not subjugate the public interest to individual dictation. A power holiday may, as well, serve as an instrument of empowerment and an opportunity for soul searching..
NDA did remarkably well under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Country would have been fortunate if Mr Vajpayee had become the Prime Minister a decade earlier.Had it happened, the shape of things would have been different and better. He is a real statesman, who knows the Raj Dharma and state responsibility towards every citizen of the country. Such leaders are an asset to a nation.When it comes to governing a country of over a billion population, it is not one single man who can do it. He must have a committed team to carry forward his mission. Maybe the linkages at the grassroot level were not maintained and under the overconfidence of (India shining) everything did not go well will the NDA in 2004. This time opinion surveys put them ahead of other options and there is no reason not to believe these surveys. This puts a greater responsibility on the rank and file of NDA to come forward with new and convincing plans and programs for all round development and inclusive approach to run the affairs of the country. People do want a change. It is for the leaders to direct that change towards a new arrangement, convincingly acceptable as a viable alternative to all sections of the society. Highly conscious and awakened electorate knows that forgiveness is the fragrance and also the strength of those who practice it. The electorate is also not enthused with secularism used as an instrument of alarmism. Indian voter wants solid things with credible evidence on ground.
The current political scenario is fluid. That there is a wave against incumbency, maybe true but it is manifestly in favour of a known option cannot be treated as firm. This assessment has prompted regional parties to explore a possibility of another non- congress and non- BJP option with the support of leftist parties who never rose to the heights they aspire for. Such an arrangement is not new to Indian political scene. The country has experimented with it. This option is beset with inherent contradictions, with only one thing common – the secular conviction. Are these parties the only champions of religious, lingual, cultural, regional and ethnic cohesion is hotly debated. The psyche of the electorate is so traumatised that they view every campaign in terms of vote banks and feel scarcely impressed by the catchy slogans. Will this multi-party arrangement, sometimes, referred to as the (third front) dent the prospects of UPA and NDA in its favour appears to be a far cry. The conscious voter is likely to go for greater homogeneity than for greater heterogeneity.
The electorate is keeping its fingers crossed and viewing with concern, the political scenario likely to emerge after the elections. This concern of the electorate is genuine and if thepost election scenario is more complex and ridden with cobwebs, the common man will be the only sufferer. The economy is already sluggish. The rate of growth is around 4.7% of GDP. The other parameters are also not strong enough to handle the uncertainties of a political hotch-potch. Voters have a huge responsibility of exercising their franchise wisely to spare the country the political chaos that is worrying the countrymen.
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