With whatever wisdom I have within me, I have poked away for a number of days now at the burbling mess that this current Indian political landscape is and felt compelled to raise a layman’s point of view which often gets snubbed under the wise and informed commentary of the ‘experts’, the ‘intellectuals’, and the ‘pundits’.
The recent decision taken by the Indian government in Kashmir has completely fixated all the political commentary coming out of India on to the merits, demerits, and future of this one decision. All other aspects of governance seem to have been abandoned for now.
There is growing noise in the economic circles that the Indian economy is slowing down. Unemployment rates are climbing. Cost of living seems to be spiraling upwards. Access to quality health and education remains a concern for a vast number of Indians.
Yet, none of these issues get the adequate airspace they deserve.
The Indian public is being deprived of meaningful governance in the absence of credible commentary or debate about grass-roots matters – by the political parties, and by the media. India will be faced with geo-political tensions with its neighbours from time to time and the foreign policy must be robust and agile enough to deal with these when they occur.
The fundamental role, however, for an elected government in a democracy is to work tirelessly towards the betterment of its citizens. And herein, lie the fault lines of the Indian political class. India currently is functioning without a meaningful political opposition in the parliamentary ranks.
The Congress party (the only national level political alternative), seems to be hell bent on making itself increasingly irrelevant.
The inability (and the disinterest) displayed by Congress to find a credible leader for itself mocks the trust that their voters must have put into them and therefore justifies the political humiliation they are facing as a party. If they don’t introspect and amend their nepotistic outlook in a hurry, the face bearers of Congress will be unceremoniously relegated to the dungeons of history. Never to be resurrected again.
PLEASE NOTE: The opinion expressed in this article belong to the author alone and by no means reflect or represent those of SBS or SBS Punjabi.
Other minor, state and region based political parties are equally self-indulgent as well: focused solely on coming into and/or staying in power. So, in the absence of any credible political challenge (and threat), the BJP juggernaut rolls on, stepping all over the democratic fabric as it pleases. Undaunted and unopposed at times, and unapologetic at others.
The second floundering dimension of this political circus has been the Indian media outlets, majority of whom are busy churning out jingoistic garbage that serves no real purpose in the ‘true’ development of India and its citizens.
Nation building happens at grass-roots: access to public health, education, sanitation, infrastructure, quality of life, communal harmony, citizen safety, affordability of day to day commodities – these are the sorts of things that shall never disappear from public debates within a progressive democracy.
Sadly, the Indian political and media players have brushed aside any meaningful dialogue and accountability on these grass-root matters. These matters are too mundane to win enough votes for the politicians, and popularity ratings for the media.
Narendra Modi has a knack of taking momentous decisions. He comes across as a hard-working politician, a potent orator, who often recites his connect (and concern) with the ordinary citizens of India. He is astute enough to never miss a photo op, yet, he has failed time and again to usher out stern reprimands to meaningfully curb a growing theme of communal division and angst (mostly involving the ranks of the ‘Hindutva’ brandishing affiliates and allies of BJP).
For any headline-grabbing decision taken by the Indian Government (internal or external), there will be an army of politicians, commentators, and journalists in India who will merrily (and lavishly) cast opinions (for and against) until the cows come home. Some of them are worth listening too as well, and should be listened to.
However, the larger responsibility of looking after the welfare of ordinary Indians and their lives cannot (and should not) be traded away whenever such distractions emerge. The subtext of the continued betterment of Indians should never be wiped off in the face of other debates.
Likewise, political parties are tasked with the responsibility of representing the aspirations of their respective electorates and the needs of their citizens. They should work for the citizens at all times.
Indians must stand up and realise that they own the governments and not vice versa.
They should demand a progressive agenda from their elected governments. They should be afforded accountability, and action by their leaders. They should demand access to superior healthcare, and education. They should hassle their governments to create more job opportunities for them. They should feel entitled to equality and respect regardless of their caste or creed. They should feel free to practice their faith. They should dwell in peace.
India and Indians must not wait for a credible political alternative to emerge to bring about a change. They should demand it from the government of the day.
This yo-yo of political incumbency and anti-incumbency must be stopped. Not all Indians are empowered to speak up, not all are aware of their rights, but those who are and can articulate their views in any meaningful way must step up the dialogue. Awareness comes through dialogue.
Matters of importance for Indians, must not go unattended. By governments, and by the media outlets.
Sanam Sharma is a human resources professional, and a regular contributor to SBS Punjabi. He is a published author, columnist, and blogger, who also regularly writes flash fiction and poetry for his blog "Small town boy".
