The Assam
teenage girl’s molestation in public is the darling of Indian media these days.
One senses a surge in moral angst, on account of the open occurrence of such an
unfortunate event, from literate and liberal India. Well, Urban India for sure.
But there is more to the conflict in the opposing ideologies than meets the
eye. As was evident to me from the beginning, my beliefs found substance in the
channel casts that have been aired these few days.
Time and
again and in all programmes and discussions following this subject, it has been
argued that, mainstay politics is shying away from this whole conundrum.
Inexplicably so! It is anyone’s guess that the covert driver of such nonchalant
response from men in realpolitik is the affected vote bank.
However
hard you try to get your head around the subject, it boils down to the
following few key points
Is India
actually ready to go democracy?
Is
Capitalism in India for real?
In a
democratic setup, the masses choose Leaders to power hence public offices. The
voters here need to rise above everything else and first associate with the
nation, to be able to vote a political outfit to power. Do we really live as
ONE nation? Differences of Language, Region and Religion are manifest in this
great land since independence. Do we obliterate our differences that are
predominantly personal, before we go out to vote?
Ours is a
land of too many, and a lot of depravity. A big chunk of the population is
still deprived and poor. What chances of a fair judgment do our ballot boxes
stand when it is commonplace for our smart politicians to pay a customary visit
to these starving millions and provide them a day’s meal as part of the
investment in an election, before polling? In such a diorama, expecting the
ones with no access to education, food, life and a cause to rise above all else
and vote is an outrage.
Those who
eventually get elected and taste the intoxicating ministerial echelons, are
they there to lead the nation to sustainable development? Or are they
subservient, only to further their own cause, at the cost of national
development.
For a
nation, where it is rather easy to coerce the voters and a political class that
is just not devoted to national development, are we really ready to go
democracy?
Point that
our enterprising Politicians may be missing is that Capitalism in India can’t
be a long term prospect. In fact isn’t it common sense, that if I have
retirement plans and am industriously laboring into pocketing public monies, by
the time I am done and am old, I will have starving men around me with no money
or means, hungry to kill me and take away my wealth.
With such
little going for democracy in India, there is the bright side too. My only
concern is the time it takes for us as a nation to do everything.
Amidst such
socio-political set up, North India witnesses a new phenomenon, the “Khap
Panchayats”.
Panchayats
have been about since donkey’s years and empowering Panchayats is part of
extending the judiciary to our rural areas. This is well understood and
appreciated. The only difference is that Khap Panchayats are not the normal Panchayats,
these are self-styled, self-appointed bodies who seek to govern small villages.
These are not democratically elected Panchayats.
Male
dominated and chauvinistic in nature, these bodies have been blurting out
commandments to keep the rural society in a cloistered haven. Women folk are no
longer allowed to stay out of their houses after dusk. Should the need arise,
they have to be compulsorily accompanied by a male member. Addendum- Dress code
for women, no cell phones for women.
This recent
phenomenon is seen in rural parts in the vicinity of the Capital (Delhi), an
attempt by valorous and righteous rural male folk to restore the social order
of the past. Little do they realize that the very edifice of Indian freedom is
antithetic to this forceful mindset. One can equate it to Conservative extremism.
The syndrome is so acute and widespread in those who see this as the right
thing to do, that I remember a Politician on TV claiming that the teenager who
was molested in Assam deserved what she got, because she was partying and was
returning home late. I was petrified beyond all possible bounds to even
attempt, how many of these leeches beset our political class.
We are in
an era of global competition and simply can’t afford to lose the plot, now that
the west is under economic duress and we hold the key to resurgence. With the
immense growth that awaits us at the anvil, we need to take the lead and get
there soon. To do that it may take more than our archaic view-points of selfish
ideologies.
I know not
how, but with this political setup it is a far cry. So the change if there is
one in the offing will begin with you and me.
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