My views on last week's political drama.
A comment on democracy in India throws up so many issues. Infact there have been many comments on the nature of our democracy and the way our political system functions. But the last week has left everyone stunned. Amid allegations of horse trading among members of parliament political strategists have tried every trick in the bag to achieve their goals in the 22nd July trust vote. While alliances have shifted, new ones have been drawn up to ensure the government survives. Politicians like Mayawati have openly declared that she has a single point agenda i.e. to topple the government. Defections have occurred leading to party strategists of both alliances, the INC and the BJP conducting meetings and elaborate dinners to ensure every vote is in their pocket. The situation is such that MP’s are even being airlifted from hospitals to allow them to vote. Elusive MP’s who never attend Parliament like Dharmendra and Govinda are also turning up for the 22nd July vote.
In this melee we are left wondering as to what personalities like Dr Manmohan Singh and Somnath Chatterjee must be thinking. While the former has hardly spoken to the media the speaker has refused to be a party to Mission Topple UPA which has been envisaged and executed by the CPI-M boss, Prakash Karat. For Comrade Karat that is certainly an embarrassment as all along he has been advocating that the Nuclear Deal is against national interest and his attempt to prevent this deal from happening has been snubbed by the senior most parliamentarian from his party. I admire Somnath Chatterjee for his decision. He has set a precedent for speakers in the future to follow. Chatterjee has been a parliamentarian for years and definitely understands what is expected of the speaker.
Manmohan Singh on the other hand has been a disappointment. Even when his government is at stake he has not come out and explained what the deal is all about. The people of this country which includes common citizens like me are still willing to hear from you Mr. Prime Minister. We want to know more about the deal so I would be great to hear you and not Mr. Pranab Mukherjee or the National Security Advisor. After all it’s your government at stake.
Also the UPA has had to accommodate tainted MP’s like Shibu Soren. Not that it comes as a surprise given that there are many others already in parliament. What is surprising however that is even as the UPA claims it has the numbers the back channels are working round the clock that they can succeed in saving their faces. While the congress is bent on proving that they have the numbers which they assume to be support for the nuclear deal the BJP and Mayawati are going all guns going to bring the government down. Did anyone hear the left proudly proclaim that they would do everything possible to prevent the BJP from coming to power? Well all that seems to be history.
Every politician has been talking about betrayal of trust. The biggest truth is that they have betrayed the trust of the people by indulging in dirty games that do not befit the ideals with which the parliament was set up by Dr. Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru. I wonder what Dr.Ambedkar would have to say to Mayawati who has said that it is her single point agenda to dislodge Dr. Singh from his seat. The champion of rights for the dalits would be ashamed of the leader who claims to be following his ideals and values. In the efforts to ensure that they achieve what they have set out to all parliamentary ethics and values have been thrown out of the window and we as common citizens are witnessing the ugly side of parliamentary politics. Narrow mindsets combined with the apathetic attitudes of unscrupulous politicians has turned our parliament into market where voting is not issue based but dependent on money and personal gains. No one cares about the institution they are a part of. An institution that is supposed to build the nation based on the example set by leaders like Ambedkar and Nehru. We are proud of being the world’s largest democracy but our politicians have let us down. We have let ourselves down by electing such people.
In this melee we are left wondering as to what personalities like Dr Manmohan Singh and Somnath Chatterjee must be thinking. While the former has hardly spoken to the media the speaker has refused to be a party to Mission Topple UPA which has been envisaged and executed by the CPI-M boss, Prakash Karat. For Comrade Karat that is certainly an embarrassment as all along he has been advocating that the Nuclear Deal is against national interest and his attempt to prevent this deal from happening has been snubbed by the senior most parliamentarian from his party. I admire Somnath Chatterjee for his decision. He has set a precedent for speakers in the future to follow. Chatterjee has been a parliamentarian for years and definitely understands what is expected of the speaker.
Manmohan Singh on the other hand has been a disappointment. Even when his government is at stake he has not come out and explained what the deal is all about. The people of this country which includes common citizens like me are still willing to hear from you Mr. Prime Minister. We want to know more about the deal so I would be great to hear you and not Mr. Pranab Mukherjee or the National Security Advisor. After all it’s your government at stake.
Also the UPA has had to accommodate tainted MP’s like Shibu Soren. Not that it comes as a surprise given that there are many others already in parliament. What is surprising however that is even as the UPA claims it has the numbers the back channels are working round the clock that they can succeed in saving their faces. While the congress is bent on proving that they have the numbers which they assume to be support for the nuclear deal the BJP and Mayawati are going all guns going to bring the government down. Did anyone hear the left proudly proclaim that they would do everything possible to prevent the BJP from coming to power? Well all that seems to be history.
Every politician has been talking about betrayal of trust. The biggest truth is that they have betrayed the trust of the people by indulging in dirty games that do not befit the ideals with which the parliament was set up by Dr. Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru. I wonder what Dr.Ambedkar would have to say to Mayawati who has said that it is her single point agenda to dislodge Dr. Singh from his seat. The champion of rights for the dalits would be ashamed of the leader who claims to be following his ideals and values. In the efforts to ensure that they achieve what they have set out to all parliamentary ethics and values have been thrown out of the window and we as common citizens are witnessing the ugly side of parliamentary politics. Narrow mindsets combined with the apathetic attitudes of unscrupulous politicians has turned our parliament into market where voting is not issue based but dependent on money and personal gains. No one cares about the institution they are a part of. An institution that is supposed to build the nation based on the example set by leaders like Ambedkar and Nehru. We are proud of being the world’s largest democracy but our politicians have let us down. We have let ourselves down by electing such people.
1 comment:
i completely agree with u on this 1...whn are we really gng to have leaders who care more abt rising prices thn nuclear deals? and wht gud is having power whn u dnt have food to eat? and whn xactly is a leader gng to step down frm his pedestial and walk with the common man and accept the fact tht we, the masses of this country have a brain of our own and can understand and think for ourselves and just need our politicians to be honest with us...
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