Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Our Elections : Issues and non-issues



Speeches continue as five states are going to the polls. Economic policies have failed, energy policy is absent, land reforms are pending, taxation is unclear, protests of civil society are unheard, social welfare schemes are not working, mining policies are ineffective and all these issues are never talked about.
Elections are here to express citizens’ wishes or is it political elite’s wishes. What the government has achieved is shown as the achievements of the party.(We have a coalition government when all partied united to make government policies)
Election motivated action of the state include notifying a controversial writer(Salman Rushdie) that he should not come to India at this period. He is a Muslim writer who is hated by Muslims. And Muslims are a minority whose votes would tilt the delicate balance of voting pattern and give a decisive victory for a contesting party.Political scene dictates who comes to India. Symbols of a ruling party were made in stone to decorate a park. This was a political move to immortalise the party. At present the Election Commission has ordered covering the stone symbols with sheets in order to give the other parties “a level playing field” All party symbols cannot be covered up, Some parties have the bicycle as symbol, all bicycles cannot be covered up to give “a level playing field” Another party has human ‘hand’ as party symbol, all hands cannot be covered up. This is absurd as it goes on. Election driven political elite is making a comical outcry about impertinent issues. So, election is a game and parties want fields?
To woo the voters, laptops are being promised to students by a contesting party. And another would criticise this move as if it is an issue to talk about. Promises of elected are made to win only, they do not last longer than the election. Here in India, sisters of politicians would come to campaign for their siblings. This would make us unique among all elected elite around the world—adopting the tactic of culture driven relationships in electioneering. This happens only in India...

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