A bold vision for a non-exploitative society!
A liberal and progressive state we have to create in India!
Every party is in search of allies and partners! Third Front is still the only certainty!
Between the Congress and the BJP comes the AAP party!
What chances for a stable government after the 2014 D day?
This is election time. So, every political party is talking in an unreal manner! While it nice to hear and read that various opinion polls are projecting the BJP single largest majority, it is really unbelievable the BJP would have a walk over! It is now collectively agreed, even within the Congress party itself, that the Congress doesn’t stand a chance this time. May be some loud mouthed sycophants within the party might claim that Rahul Gandhi is still the best bet for India at age 43.
Unfortunately, not many see this as sensible. For one, Mr.Chauhan, the mild-mannered M.P. Chief Minister simply calls Rahul as “just 13 years old!”May be this might be the wider perception.
How can such an untried and untested young greenhorn can dream of occupying the chair of the Prime Minister of India just in a simpleton-fashion. The Congress party may be deserves a period of rest and restoration on some rational lines. In fact, the pitch raised by Mr.Narendra Modi for the Prime Ministerial chair too seems a bit over-heated.
His pitch is okay but his claims need to be tested. First within his own party there are fortunately some healthy element of dissent. Veterans L.K.Advani apart, even others, the more qualified and the more sober elements don’t seem to feel comfortable about the many claims of the BJP over such weighty matters like secularism, communalism and the whole approach to the basic ideological positions on various issues.
India is a big democracy. It had survived and got strengthened by various challenges. It had seen many Prime Ministers, not all from the much-touted and also much hated Nehru-Gandhi clans. For the last 25 years there was no Gandhi clan in the PM’s gaddi. Also, for the last 25 years there had not been any one party getting single majority vote.
So, Indian democracy must be understood in all its richness and diversities, both legal and socio-economic terms. Also, India is now the world’s biggest democracy, in terms f numbers, geography and its geo-strategic position.
India is an inspiration for many countries in many continents, Asia, Africa and Latin America and why even in developed countries and unions like EU, when it comes to solving many complex questions like ethnic and linguistic divisions. In geographies like Baltics and Central Europe we see many issues in former Yugoslavia and Baltics, issues are very much like what we have in India, and be it linguistic divisions and ethnic conflicts.
So, in our view, India is now a great example, a role model and must continue to exist and survive in its full glory. But then, how many of our claimants to power, be it the new face, Arvind Kejriwal to the old veterans like Deve Gowda and the new stars on the horizon, a long list..Jayalalitha, Mamata Banerji and Naveen Patnaik and the old war horses like Nitish Kumar and others, all who aspire or popped up by others like the two Communist parties, the real brokers this time too in the power game know what we have observed above?
In India, we assert that today we don’t have any ideological debate. There is no ideology at all in any of the debates. There are only over-weaning ambitions, sheer greed for power, raw power ,and power at any cost. This is really dangerous, as dangerous as any fascist and Nzai-like personal ambitions.
If Rahul is a greenhorn so too Arvind Kejriwal. How this former employee in the government dept, now suddenly emerges as a Gandhian fast hero and then suddenly again emerges as a party promoter, then for 49 days as CM and abandons the ship and now wants to become the Prime Minister of India!
What is this?
Is India up for grabs for all and sundry?
It is really time for some serious minded persons, let them be intellectuals or senior politicians, those who haven’t thrown their hats into the ring and yet they are much more serious and also much more capable, we have in mind men like Chandrababu Naidu or Nitish Kumar and even those who may be in the shadows and yet they all might have excellent pedigree, like someone from the Congress or Solicits ranks.
We just avoid naming names for the simple reason it needn’t detain us from the serious debate.
The point is that anyone who expresses an interest, if not real ambition, must be put to some test. His or her idea of an India. An ideology for India.
What economics and what sociology for the caste and communal issues, what broader vision for an equal,non-exploitative society, the role of capitalism, there is a need for explaining what role private capitalism will play in the scheme of things.
Now, the issues of crony capitalism are made much, we have to go a bit further and explain the need for a private capitalism to accelerate growth and create wealth.
Yes, we all know the present state of affairs. The major party and parties take money from the biggest capitalists. The one name is also serious.
There is an unsaid understanding between the big business houses and the ruling combine. The various EC guidelines, the various Supreme Court rulings, must be acted upon. Now, the Congress doesn’t care a bit for such niceties’!
But if any Prime Ministerial candidate comes forward and takes stand on such basic ideological commitments then only he or she deserves serious merit of our attention. China is fighting corruption under the new leader in a resolute manner. We have to take note of this. Also there a range of other basic issues, pollution, climate change, global warming etc.
There is India’s foreign policy. India todays stands in a pathetic manner Vis a Vis to America. We have made our visions for India felt over a larger geography from Asia to South East Asia to other non-aligned and other countries.
Freedoms, democracy, secularism, fighting graft and creating a liberal and progressive society, clear and bold acts like Lok Ayukta and Lokpal have to be sincerely tried.
Today, we don’t see many faces with such honesty and commitment.
Let us face the 2014 elections with these thoughts.