Technology vs tradition Exploited by politicians

Apropos Kanika Datta’s column, “Technology, the god with clay feet” (October 8), Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of Digital India is indeed beset with hurdles. While technology is a double-edged sword capable of yielding decent or deleterious results, depending on the purpose, India continues to be essentially a tradition-bound country, despite the spread of education and exposure to modernity. Even the technologysavvy — like Modi — are anchored in rituals and customs.

A major hurdle in breaking away from incongruous old ways is the hold family values and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have on politicians and the masses. Dowry deaths and honour killings are taking place even in rich and well-educated households.

A discipline-based organisation, the RSS has not been at ease with changes taking place the world over in social, economic, scientific and religious spheres, considering them a threat to national culture. The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Delhi convenor Ashutosh said: “For an honest MLA of any party, it’s impossible to sustain the family… with such a meagre salary. (The) dishonest don’t need salary.” Does this mean the poor and the middle class, earning meagre salaries, should become dishonest? How are these people surviving? If this is what the AAP government in Delhi thinks, it must provide the required money to every Delhi citizen. Is the AAP ready to do that?

But why would politicians listen to the poor? If genuine demands of the poor were met by plugging loopholes in laws, the powers of politicians would be stripped off. Who would ask them for favours then? The real voters are the poor, who are easily exploited by politicians to vote for them through false promises and short-term benefits.

Mahesh Kumar

New Delhi