General Elections 2014 -2

The Praja Is The Raja Every Single Day, Not Just On The Voting Day.

11 MAY 2014

All politicians need to be reminded of this simple fact. We, the Praja, should remember this too. We not only have the right to be the Praja, we also have the duty to be the Praja.

   We just saw why it makes sense to vote for a candidate, irrespective of his/her party affiliation.

Instead of being focused on the people they have been elected to serve, political parties in India are focused only on themselves, and on the opposition parties that pose a threat to their vested interests. They have lost all credibility with us, the people of India; no one really trusts their intentions or their abilities. Their election manifestos are flaunted just before elections, abandoned immediately after the elections, and resurrected again in time for the next elections.

The MP’s privilege is to serve, not be served

Every five years we get fooled, in the same disgusting way. Just think how we have been cheated: the very parties who are meant to serve us have become our masters instead. The parties want the fruits of office, but not the responsibilities. They look at our elections as the world’s richest jackpot, and coming only at once-in- a -five year frequency, are more precious to them than the richest jackpot that come more frequently.

How do they manage to shift the focus from our welfare to their interests? They do this by highlighting or cooking up non-issues: they point fingers at the faults of the opposition parties; they bring up the clichés of caste and communalism; they rant and rave about divisive politics. The issues they raise are not at all relevant to the people of India. No political party focuses on the most burning daily, short-term and long-term problems that touch the lives of the average Indian. Even when they accidentally rake up a relevant issue, they conveniently abandon it after the elections.

So I suggest that we focus on the candidate and not on the party to which he/she may happen to belong. I do not mean that we should not vote for this or that party, but the reason for voting should be his/her abilities and track record and not his/her allegiance to a political party. What should matter is only the candidate: has he/she in the past addressed and solved the burning problems that face our constituency? Even if he/she is a first-time candidate, the past record must be scrutinised. If we, the people, want to be adequately served, we must first hold ourselves accountable and ensure that we vote for the most suitable candidates. It is only then that we will be able to hold the political parties accountable, and make them meekly fall in line, as they are indeed meant to.

We have the right to have the best MP, and the duty to vote accordingly

If we vote keeping only the candidate’s credentials in mind, and nothing else, we will get the proper parliamentarians, the ones who are capable and respect the trust placed upon them. Irrespective, of their political affiliations and ambitions, they will gladly work with each other for the greater good of the country and its people. Such a coalition of forces, from problem to problem, does not violate the Constitution of India. As a matter of fact, it reflects the spirit of the Constitution, without violating any letter of it.

We have voted for parties for 60 years. Why not consider candidate credentials instead of party badges?

Can we have your valuable comments?