Elect politicians for the right reason
Voters for the state assemblies should not get swayed by the opium proffered in election season
In a country that is used to fight elections every now and then, why are a few individuals getting nervous about the electoral contest about to take place in five states? The answer is obvious. Before the 2019 general elections, the voters in these five states will also deliver a verdict on the performance of the central government. In that sense, these assembly elections are a trailer of the general elections.
In this scenario, the question that is bound be asked is: which party will the 13 crore voters in these five states go with? On what basis should almost 17% of the nation’s electorate choose its government? When they press the button on the electronic voting machine, will the statements and actions of the politicians influence their decision, or will they be guided by the ideological opium proffered during the election season?
We need to debate this question because despite the flaws in our system, we still take pride in describing ourselves as citizens of the world’s largest democracy. Over the last 70 years, belying the rest of the world’s expectations, if India has kept this invaluable democratic process alive, then the credit for this should go to the citizens of the country and not to its political class.
Now let us come to the people to whom we assign the responsibility of running this system.
Let me begin with Madhya Pradesh. When the Congress promised to open a gaushala (cow shelter) in every block of the state, on the eve of elections, the chief minister promised a full-fledged ministry for cows in response. Without doubt, cow holds a special place in Hinduism, but shouldn’t the people of Madhya Pradesh be assessing the state’s development and their own well-being while making up their minds? They should contemplate why the BJP, after a reign of 15 years and the Congress, which has been facing such a long exile, need to resort to playing politics in the garb of religion.
Why do we allow our faith to be used as an opium for the masses?
If you recall, during the Uttar Pradesh elections, the prime minister himself, while talking about electricity and development, gave the example of shamshan and kabristan (crematorium and graveyard). But believing that the BJP’s majority came just because of these symbols is to do an injustice to the voters’ intelligence. Didn’t UP’s unfulfilled wish for progress drive the idea of change? Wasn’t the splintered Opposition trying to justify itself with a meaningless debate? There could be a number of reasons to put their case forward but our politicians assume that religion is the easiest formula. As a result, religious leaders and places of worship have flourished.
Politicians, too, have a right to exercise their faith in the manner they want, but why is this exercised only at the time of elections?
Consider Rahul Gandhi’s recent Amethi trip. As soon as he reached, enthusiastic party workers began raising slogans about his personal faith. Naturally, the Congress president was perturbed. Three overzealous party workers have been suspended over this, but the incident is an indicator of the direction national politics is headed in. Politics has become an affair where warped logic has become a potent weapon.
The latest example is the recent murder of an Apple executive in Lucknow. He was deliberately shot dead by the police in the heart of the city. It was a subject on which every political party should have put their differences aside and expressed solidarity with the victim’s family. But an attempt was made to lend a political colour to it. A tweet by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal reflects this. Even his admirers were puzzled by this: How does religion come into this repulsive act?
Like religion, Pakistan is also used as an electoral ploy. The neighbours share a contentious relationship which resembles old family ties. Disputes about borders have led to attempts to break this bond, to no avail. Despite this, our politicians refuse to give up. People on both sides of the border may not want to sever these ties, but politicians have been fanning hatred every election season since 1947.
Here I would like to make a request to our political parties: It will be good if they didn’t sling so much mud on each other in these elections. The last 70 years are evidence that only those politicians who let their actions speak for them have proved to be successful. Why don’t they approach voters with a balance sheet of their achievements? Identities on the basis of caste, language, region and religion are important, but striking a harmony among all these makes India the nation it is. Why should we unsettle it just for the sake of political power?