After Independence in 1947, we drafted an enlightened Constitution and had politicians we could believe in and trust. Whilst other new nations gaining independence fell by the wayside, we prospered with unity in diversity with revered institutions, noisy democracy with requisite checks and balances. From 2000 onwards there was distinct deterioration in administration, increasing corruption and strong politician criminal nexus. The next stage was criminals entering politics and corruption of the electoral system with ‘winnable’ candidates, professional politicians who learnt the art of making tall promises, bribing and fooling the people to keep themselves in positions of power and good living. Misuse of power, framing bad laws and selectively applying them, VIP arrogance and politicisation corrupted the whole system and also the citizens. The Congress became unacceptably corrupt and immoral leading to people voting for the BJP, the party with a difference.
To quote Arun Shourie the only difference by and large, BJP is “Congress with cow”. The Paradoxical Prime Minister is a timely book written by Sashi Tharoor. The arrival of Modi on the national scene has brought drastic changes in the country. He is seen as a strong, decisive, relatively clean, hard working and result oriented Prime Minister. His oratory and catchy slogans with time bound implementation goals caught the people’s imagination and built up great expectations. Four plus years down the line what do we see and feel? Tharoor asks: “What is this ‘New India’ he is urging us to create? The prime minister speaks of an India free from the shackles of casteism and communal tension, an India that successfully solves its endemic problems of corruption, nepotism and terrorism, an India where every woman, man and child would be given an empowered and dignified standard of living, thanks to a society that harnesses India’s entrepreneurial spirit to become an economic powerhouse. But, as usual, between the rhetoric and the reality there falls a great shadow. For all these statements and ideals (which one can find very little to disagree with), one is struck by the lack of ideas of how to achieve this. On the contrary, the road to New India appears littered with the wreckage of all that was good and noble about the old India”.
How can we trust any government that is communal, secretive, not transparent and not accountable to “we the people”? In Goa we are kept in the dark about the health of the ailing CM. The people we vote for switch sides as convenient to them. The No 1 and No 2 of the CBI are sent on leave in a midnight surgical strike by the cabinet and a tainted officer from the CVC appointed as interim boss who immediately transfers 13 investigative officers of the group reportedly loyal to the No 1, leaving the Supreme Court to deal with this mess. Normalising socially condemned mob behavior of intolerance, violence and destruction of property by hurting sentiments of a favored group or lynching with caste and religious overtones will kill our composite culture. The media has paid/fake news. Money has become the most important commodity. Instead of loving people and using money, everyone generally tends to love money and use people. Are most Indians basically undisciplined, corrupt, communal, untrustworthy, selfish and immoral? When we don’t know who and what we can believe and whom to trust these days, from where/how to engender reliable upright organisations?
BJP with RSS as a mentor has polarised our nation like never before. We elected the government on the plank of Sab Ke Saath and sustainable development, not for a Hindu Rashtra and Hindutva. More than Swatch Bharat, the Indian nation needs Swatch Vichar, a change in mindset to desist in hypocritically making use of caste/creed and building impressive statues/mandirs of revered entities whose preaching are generally not followed. Any criticism of the government is not anti national and in fact essential in a democracy which must have a strong opposition. Checks and balances by institutions and media are being systematically harassed, dismantled or destroyed. Human rights organisations and NGOs like Green Peace and Amnesty International being shut down. How about stopping leaders making religious and hate inciting or misogynistic speeches, making transparent details of own funding before investigating others and stopping destroying/infiltrating of organizations with RSS bhakts/own cronies? Turning watchdogs like CBI/IB/ RAW/ CVC/RBI into lapdogs and misusing them, also showing scant respect for Supreme Court decisions unless favorable.
The Sabarimala temple issue, building of Ram temple and whipping up Hindu sentiments to make it an urgent national issue before elections drowning out the real issues requiring absolutely immediate attention like: 30,000 people in Mahul Maharashtra relocated in a gas chamber like area, law and order/crime, police reforms, fiscal deficit, education, jobs, health care, general pollution, fuel, farmers and price rise, CIC/RTI strengthening, appointing Lok Pal, and many other urgent matters surely deserve greater priority? Accusing social media platforms for spreading hate, violence, requiring them to do surveillance and report the same is a blatant attempt to stop free speech and views not palatable to the government. The various media platforms thankfully positioned abroad are the only weapons citizens may have in future to promote free speech and counter fake news. The chilling example of killing of American correspondent Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Embassy in Turkey is an example of how far unfettered governments can go!
(The author is a retired naval officer, freelance writer resident in Porvorim)
