The party workers in our electoral system have always remained contended with carrot or the mirror reflection of the moon by the elected legislators with the winner taking all the booty after winning in the election battle, the workers of every party stand ignored and dejected after the election for the five years the Parliament or the Assembly is in its term of office. Today, every elected member earns huge salaries, allowances, prerequisites and corporate favour, let alone the commissions earned for their sins of omissions. Even as of today, not only earn hefty salaries while in office but after 5 years, they are entitled for pensions, medical treatments, House rent, telephone expenses and favours from the public and the private sectors. Even the Speakers, Deputy Speakers are protected after they demit office, not just ministers and deputy ministers in the government get elected once and enjoy life long financial aid from the exchequer for life.
It is now over 75 years since India gained its independence, even those who fought for independence have died and their wives protected too till her death. Amusingly, their children and their kith and kin are sparing no stone to be upturned to get reservation in jobs and prerequisites thus pushing talented and meritorious students to suck their thumb.
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Today, we observe our students working hard to establish themselves to be belonging to the OBC categories, than study hard to achieve flying colours in their exams. Ironically, there are more creamy layers beneficiaries in India of today with the poor Brahmins struggling hard to make both ends meet for his family. The success mobility triangle has turned upside down. The criminal politician is right on top of the pyramid of success with absolutely no educational qualification. It is the crime money that garners votes and election victory, the bureaucrats or the IAS (I Agree Sir) serving in the government are the next to acquire power and financial control of the public funds and their distribution. Then they are followed by highly qualified doctors, engineers and technocrats and above all of them, are our men performing rituals and advising them the way out of their sins.
No doubt today, India ranks very low in the field of medical technology, genetic engineering, plant and animal husbandry. We import diverse machinery, tools from Japan, South Korea, Germany, other European countries at the cost of our foreign currency reserves. Our non renewable energy reserves are dwindling, but we have not achieved much in our usage of solar energy, although being a tropical country for abundant amount of sunlight and the finest generation equity and smart under 35 years old who prefer to migrate abroad rather than serve here due to substandard scientific institutions and recognition to our intellect amongst our youth. An Indian cricketer gets hundred fold better salary than a qualified scientist, doctor, engineer or a management or information technology expert. Fortunately, our software engineering graduates are gaining recognition as there are various IT firms in the hubs in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Noida, etc. We are bringing in New Education policies every ten years, but as an educationist, I can merely and emphatically, state that it is just a hogwash if not an eyewash.
There is no intensive practical or house basic training. Our School boys do not even know how to button or mend a shirt or replace and repair fused electrical connection, basic plumbing, fixing a quick meal or brewing a cup of tea seem demeaning for a management graduate. We cannot move a file without a peon although today computers are replacing the need for excessive unskilled labour force. In the US and Europe, the plumber, driver, peon, electrician, medical and technological lab assistant enjoy salaries in par with the qualified scientist. Hence many scientists work in the field instead of seeing armchair experts as we see in our country.
True, we are slowly seeing the use of digital technology in our banking services, commercial firms, GST and tax, municipal data collection and demat in our stock and shares market.
The political chicanery has destroyed societal value system and traditions and the common man has to run from pillar to post for even his basic needs. With rise in price of food, fibre, fuel and fodder, the levels of hunger and hunger index is on the rise. The poor suffer acutely. The paradox is that the Modi BJP government has given free cooking gas cylinders, build toilet and given subsidised power connections but the poor haven’t adequate purchasing power as the business mafia who control our country’s economy garner huge profits, commissions and cash through underhand deals that black money today rules our market with sweat hard earning not sufficient to make both ends meet.
Today, we have rising incidences of poverty with millions sleeping under the open skies hoping and dreaming for a better tomorrow with both hook and crook methodologies to guide their destinies.
It is time for all of us to not only live with tightened belts but wake up from our dreamy life styles, hoping that politicians are our benefactors but identify and judiciously elect a public service individual amongst us to manage our political and economic destiny. The romance of affection towards defection must be nipped in the bud and strangulated if not crushed under our feet. The Assembly elections must always be our wakeup call under the federal system of governance of our country. Let us not trade our votes for notes and put the future of our children in peril.
(The writer is a retired University Professor and an Environmental Activist)
