The people have spoken with a decisive voice. The people have voted for good governance. The people have voted for change. The people have proved how vibrant India's democracy is. Since last Saturday, the Indian media and following it the international media have lauded the electoral process in the world's largest democracy.
Ever since a surprised electorate was informed by an even more surprised media that the Congress-led UPA was voted back to power with significant numbers (much to the party and coalition's own shock), all the reasons why Manmohan Singh, his cabinet and the country's grand old party were doing a terrible job at governance have been forgotten.
No one is asking the tough questions post elections as they all celebrate somebody, anybody's victory. Did the nation really come together to bring the Congress back to power as a positive affirmation of the manner in which it had conducted India's affairs in the last five years? I think for many voters it may have been a case of voting for the only viable alternative.
Whatever happened to the UPA's absolute inability to ensure domestic security with multiple bombs going off in cities all across the country, with the Naxalite movement expanding its reach everyday and with militants being able to cross in to India with just that much ease? With the Communists out of the way, the UPA is expected to usher in sweeping free-market reforms. Has everyone forgotten the UPA chairperson commending her mother-in-law for nationalizing Indian banks and saving the country as it steps in to the 21st century? Where is all the talk about a failed industrial and SEZ policy that will not create the number of new jobs as required? Suddenly all the detractors of mammoth policies like NREGA are hailing it as a revolution - will we no longer inquire about where majority of the funds set aside for such schemes disappear to? In the run up to the elections, while the media stalked the Gandhi siblings and made them heroes, there were many who complained of the inability of the Congress party and the country to find next generation leaders outside of political families. Now, the Gandhi son is being hailed as a messiah. All that talk of nepotism has been forgotten once again.
The sudden change in tone and rhetoric of the media and of political commentators is simply remarkable. Unfortunately, it makes a mockery of the historic electoral process the Indian population recently participated in. And it reduces the nation's challenges and necessary policy-making to a defensive activity, rather than elevating the debate around it to a more concrete and wholesome process.
And for those who thought we would never see these people throw their weight around national politics - welcome Lalu, Mayawati and Mulayam Singh to the UPA of 2009.
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Hello!
ReplyDeleteI'm anyway very cynical about Indian politics, mass media and the 'average voter' that had stopped thinking on all these issues. Sometimes I feel we try too hard to look into political ideologies and media personnel's morals--as none exist!
For both their respective vocations are merely means ke livelihood. Otherwise, how could one explain a staunch 'Hindutva-supporter' like Kalyan Singh siding with Mulayam Singh, if the former had any 'real love' for
his cause? Likewise media houses want to just earn money, and it's us the common people to be blamed that we've not yet gotten over the sensationalist media's ploys.
Don't get me wrong--I'm not trying to bash up politicians and media professionals alike. I'm just trying to point out a much deeper problem afflicting Indians--insincerity towards one's profession. It's an all-pervading problem, and afflicts all the professions practiced in India, just that unfortunately, politics and mass media are not exceptions.
Very impressive post--both for eloquence and analysis.
Take care.