Vote for the Idea of India
Today is voting day in Goa. Herald believes, and appeals to each Goenkar, whether young or old, fit or infirm, feeling fine or down, to step out and cast your valuable vote. Whether you wear your nationalism on your sleeve or deep down in your heart and feel proud to belong to this nation, you will contribute to making this Great Indian Republic a more vibrant democracy by voting for a worthy government which will determine the destiny of this nation for the next five years.
This is the mother of all elections, where the soul of India is under threat. The high 62% to 74% voter turnout in the 91 seats across 14 states and union territories, indicates how much is at stake. High voter turnouts suggest that the electorate is either voting for radical change or they want to prevent a change.
In India’s vibrant democracy, voters have this powerful privilege of casting their votes through secret ballot. Though the choice is personal, it has to be made with true and unselfish nationalist zeal and wisdom to usher in a national government that will zealously guard the core idea of India. The idea of India was aggregated by the towering freedom fighters and hotly debated in the Constituent Assembly by the greatest Indian minds that inspired this nation to freedom. The fiery debates finally concluded in consensus of a ‘secular democratic’ republic,’ which was to define the ethos of Indian through its tumultuous initial years and right down to this date. Despite serious provocations such as post independence and subsequent riots, ethnic cleansing and emergence of a dictatorship, India has remained both secular and democratic.
This election therefore it is the bounden duty of each voter to vote for a secular democratic government, where every denomination, caste and creed will have justice to live like ‘equals’ – not second class citizens; where they will have equal economic opportunities and will not be targeted by denial of government schemes, jobs and livelihoods; and enjoy equal rights and ‘justice’ as guaranteed by the Constitution. The idea of democracy is also central to India where diversity and debate are core to defining the national agenda. Vote for a government that will not crush dissent and opposition. Vote for a government that is ‘socialist’ not crony capitalist, backed by corporate lobby which will crush citizens and throw them out of their lands. Vote for a government where citizens will have the ‘liberty’ of speech, to express contrarian opinions. Vote for a government that will respect freedom of religion and right to worship. Vote for a government that will respect your right to free speech and not use intelligence to snoop on you and your phone conversations and send the police to target you by filing false cases, even when own MLAs have disproportionate assets, been caught distributing money ahead of elections; assault, criminal intimidation and have been ‘absolved’ through state power.
Whereas nations such as Yugoslavia, Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan and Pakistan have disintegrated or are on the way to perdition due to decimation of minorities or sectarian violence through militant and terrorist groups, India’s greatness has been its unity in diversity, treatment of all citizens as equal and its ‘fraternity’. Vote for a government that will not indulge in double speak, polarize its citizens, and push false promises of development (when the record shows otherwise) and hide the divisive agenda on the backburner, which can bring in fear and violence in the next five years.
Voters should not get fooled with empty rhetoric. Voters should not get fooled by compensation, which seeks to make them beggars. Voters should not get fooled by special status or jobs or even money which will be flowing freely. Voter are the masters of this republic. They need no saviours, no pranksters who are out to divide votes. Voters should vote for safeguarding their dignity and what is good for the future of this great nation.
