I’d rather watch Republic TV’s 9 PM than any Netflix show to entertain myself. The Indian political circus continues to embarrass itself globally, with little hope for change. The problem? Literacy in politics. As per a report by NewsExpress, around 40% of Indian politicians are educated only up to school. 6% have no formal education and only 19% hold a bachelor’s degree. While this was understandable and tolerable 30 years back, the fact that there hasn’t been any change in the literacy of politicians should be a cause for worry.
When we see politicians making statements like “clothes are a cause for harassment”, “We should avoid the use of computers & English in India”, “If there is no electricity, you will produce babies”, and “Darwin’s theory of evolution is wrong”, the list goes all the way from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, we begin to question what direction is our country heading in.
When scrolling through Twitter or talking to the few rare students whom politics interests, I find a lot of opinions, suggestions, criticism, and sometimes swearing towards Indian politics and politicians. When asked about what they are doing to change the subject of their criticism, the response is, “what can I do?”.
This is where most of us go wrong. The reason why uneducated politicians flourish in India is due to the lack of educated opposition. The image of politics in the mind of India’s youngsters is of it being a circus, with “hooliganism” being a major element, something we should keep at bay’s length. “Be the change you wish to see”, Mahatma Gandhi would be rolling in his grave.
When offered a choice between an internship at KPMG or to work in an MLA’s office, what would you choose? When compared to the USA, wherein most politicians are highly educated from renowned universities, we question why this situation does not exist in India. Indian politics needs educated youth just as much as star kids need Karan Johar.
Just criticism, without action, will not revolutionize the political ecosystem in the country. Not only does the youth need to be more educated and up to date with political happenings, but those who wish to bring about a change in the country must also step out and enter the political scene.