What is India? Beyond its geographical definition, India is its people, who are running out of time. In each election, it is promised that this government will work as a welfare estate. But, all we get, a government that can’t handle too much power.
Today, our media is chaos, the judiciary cannot decide on the spine, and government is just an insensitive business entity. And we the people of this sovereign state, we are hungry, we are ageing, and we have lost hope, no matter how much Josh is painted in media.
In this election, the opposition is telling us that we are going to lose our democracy. But, what for? When did having healthy opposition become bad?
We have countries with strong opposition and strong media houses like the USA, Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Sweden and Finland, and they are performing well. Why cannot we do it?
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is why our constitution kept the power diluted between the judiciary, legislature and executive. But, today we are so blinded with power and our mighty strength that we are jumping hoops on the long-term impact of selecting a government with no opposition.
We are 140 crores and multiplying by each second we cannot be run by the unilateral policies of Vietnam or Cuba. We need different policies at different levels. We need a parliament that can feel the pulse of different sects and can see beyond the interest of the business entities.
Instead of seeking absolute power, our governments at the centre and states and our opposition need to understand the ground realities and demands. Just sanctioning business projects is not enough especially when they are not welcomed. Our Manipur needs something else, our Gujrat needs something else, and our Kashmir needs something else.
To have a parliament sensitive to all our needs we need voters who understand that:
A. Agriculture employs 42% working population. Link:https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/state-of-employment-in-india-what-a-new-report-says-about-youths-women-concerns-caution-9237158/
B. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for higher education is at 27.1 per cent. Link: https://educationforallinindia.com/aihes-status-of-higher-education-india/
C. Minimum wage in India in 2023 was 178 Indian rupees per day. Link https://www.statista.com/statistics/1284710/india-national-floor-level-minimum-wage/#:~:text=Minimum%20daily%20wages%20in%20India%202012%2D2023&text=The%20national%20floor%20level%20minimum,since%20the%20last%20few%20years.
Now, try imagining a country that is rapidly ageing, earns only 200 Rs a day, works in agriculture, and is not training its population for high-earning jobs. That country can privatize all its assets, and its politicians can all have ego wars, but it will not escape the reality.
The reality is that we are hungry and we will remain hungry. 1% of our population will have the 99% of our country’s wealth. And we the 99%, we will have hungry kids, uncertain jobs, and a delinquent future.
The clock is ticking on every Indian. And our forefathers gave it in our hands the power to change fate by electing a government and an opposition, that can be held accountable.