Sunday, May 17, 2009

The I in the ballot

Singh is king! Its official now! Perhaps, it would do good for some people to note that personal attacks on a high ranking office does more damage to themselves than the intended. Many accusations of being a weak Prime Minister and the likes, despite, the incumbent of 7 Race Course Road and the Spin doctors of 10 Janpath have good reasons to celebrate.

Indians are a very hopeful people! Ambitions are one thing, but realities are quite another and ambitions misplaced are certainly unpardonable, especially if a certain someone from an upper northern state considers that her right! The elephant-ride to Delhi fizzled badly, with the people rejecting the elephantine misadventure outright! Thankfully, the Republic of India has had a saving grace in the international community with this misplaced chaos not riding the wave to power! Losers, here, it seems, need to learn grace, for blaming communities for their failure only reflects their own poor show in the arena of performance and good governance, if they knew what either meant, that is.

I'd rather not spew more disgust by talking about a western heavyweight's dreams-in-waiting and his quick volte-face but opportune overture to align with the 'alliance' when the mandate became clear. Trapeze artists would be put to shame by the continuing flip-flop of our political honchos.

Is it therefore any surprise that the BBC seems to have echoed a better coverage of the Indian general elections than any other Indian news agency, while Arnab Goswami and Rajdeep Sardesai kept yelling breaking news at every breaking moment? After all, the very thought of the world's largest democracy marching into a governmental transition is a matter of acute interest to many people and nations far and wide, considering the circus type enactments that keep happening every day!

The air of dramatization was all too evident with many a contender vying hard to get a place into the coveted 'people's house' from where the remotest confines of the republic can be accessed, tapped into, and 'effectively' ruled. With an eligible 714 million voters having embarked on a momentous task of deciding the next Prime Minister and associates, this exercise is said to have cost the exchequer a whopping €176 million or Rs.1,120 crores.

The earliest tirade words began among the custodians of the exercise, the Election commission, which remained split on opinion about the dates itself. What followed was an ugly spat between the Election Commissioners themselves over their capacities and relevance in office! The all powerful bureaucracy too succumbed to petty politics. No blames here, it is the season after-all! It was as expected as was the statement made by Manish Tiwari of the Congress stating that "Film stars and cricketers are also achievers." Of course yes.......no disagreements here! It was no surprise to see a certain tainted former cricketer clinching a position for himself.

And then, all of a sudden, the suave and articulate Varun Gandhi made headlines for his alleged hate-speech while campaigning in Pilibhit. It certainly does not matter to the present government in Uttar Pradesh even if the Supreme Court called for invalidation of a needless NSA invocation against Gandhi, for after all, the BSP leading lady is all out playing what she does best - Vendetta! Double whammy, now that the BJP too attributes this alleged hurt speech to have affected its otherwise bright prospects.

The Election commission did not want to be left out of the arena and so the outgoing Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami brewed his share of controversy by recommending the President to remove his colleague (former) Navin Chawla, only to find the reverse happen! Elsewhere, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh addressed a rally in a government school while a Class X board examination was in progress, while his counterpart in Tamil Nadu sang praises for the dreaded terrorist, Prabhakaran of the LTTE. I'm wondering how much more of his whining will be needed to convince President Rajapakse of Sri Lanka not to extradite this dreaded criminal to India. It seems that political endorsements for an outlaw also pay off handsome gains.

Birds of the same feather do not always flock together! This revelation came from the ranks of a certain political party from the Hindi heartland, with one member-in-prominence accusing another of distributing her obscene pictures to undermine women power in politics! I'd rather not comment on that!

What I would love to comment on is the plight of the comrades, and their brothers-in-arms, who were for the first time ever routed out of their home grounds. The red bastion simply collapsed like a house of cards! I'd expect the politburo and the other organs of the left brass to hang themselves in shame, let alone sulk in defeat and plan a come-back strategy. The people of India have had enough of their arrogance and destructive stance which is the reason states such as Kerala and West Bengal continue to exist in the stone-age, despite appreciable human capital. No, don't get me wrong. I'm not against the Spartans of the AKG and EMS kind. What I'm opposed to, is the diluted ideology that these sicko new-commies profess!

As always, some realizations come too late, as in the words of Lalu Yadav! I'd recommend one not to read that as a post-incident introspective response, for this bihari is only eyeing a cabinet berth, while attempting to please the high-command with his opportune statement! The move paid off too, in an instant, with the high command inviting him to be part of the cabinet meeting scheduled to happen today.

What is particularly remarkable is the undying spirit of the quintessential Indian, which despite being battered for years due to the misrule of the products as a result of the election action, still dutifully creates an urging stir in the minds of the voter to exercise the privilege accorded by the constitution! Take a look at this picture of a 91 year old lady in Varanasi who chose to caste her vote when the time came! I'm suddenly and shamefully reminded of myself and those others who chose otherwise! This pleasant Sunday afternoon, as I ready this post, I'm wondering how much my vote would have mattered! As always, after the incident even the fool is wise.




Footnotes:

Image Courtesy - The Hindu

34 comments:

  1. that is quite a say :) the people will still do the same, elect one after the other, then curse.. and the pol'ians wll form allies and allies, and play word games :) :D

    hope one day all it changes!

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  2. Haha!
    that definitely was an interesting commentary...for more than one reason :))

    but dear Rak, isn't this the typical Indian mindset...not excercising the mandate and feeling eligible to criticise one and all!? :)

    Indian Democracy is definitely a thing to know....and electorate is the only place we see equality! :)

    I so loved the look on the face of that old woman. :)

    Loved reading the post, Rak :)

    love,
    devika

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  3. So you actually didn't vote!

    But ya, it was democracy at it's worst during the campaigning... Especially,

    Azhar getting a ticket;
    Kalyan Singh kissing muslim arse;
    Mulayam kissing his arse in return;
    Narayan Rane & Congress making up;
    and a lot more.

    And Can't say it got any better after the results with Lalu, Paswan toning themselves down and Joshi being the leader of Opposition??? God save the house now.

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  4. good analysis but wished you had voted. reading in the end that you had failed to vote was a downer.

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  5. LOL yeah this times elections has had as many twists and turns as the IPL itself, which it pushed out of India. Am not anti-left, but am glad they lost this year and Lalu, bugger, was talking about third, fourth front and see what he landed up with. No railway portfolio for him either, but that might be bad for the country. My biggest relief this year is that it's a nationalistic party that won the election and not a regional one, so we will spend more time discussing issues rather than counting who will support who for which issue! At least now we can implement strong policies in this country

    http://chupchap.in

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  6. Nice Post!!
    The fact I liked was that one party emerged as stronger; a little less coalition politics won't hurt us..

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  7. Rakesh,

    Nice post!!! Just would like to add the ban of exit polls was one of the decisive factors. Most of us including politicians were shocked and surprised with the results. Their plans and strategies went for a toss, for example, Lalu, Mayawati and Jayalalitha.

    Stability is the need of the hour and the people of India has got that!!! ;-)

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  8. That was an excellent commentary! The fact that we finally have a stable government in the making, is something to celebrate about. And also the new cabinet will consist of many young leaders. That kind of a change was essential and now it's finally happening steadily.

    Anyway, I really wanted to vote this year. But I'm studying abroad, so that made it impossible. I'm glad about the election results though.

    Enjoyed your post thoroughly!

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  9. Let us hope with no Lalu, Paswan, Maya, Mulayam and the LEFT around we will see good governance.

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  10. here's looking forward to a dynamic and prosperous india, a wonderful blend of the old and the new!! :)

    great, thought-provoking posts on your blog, thanks for sharing!

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  11. share here buddy..I also have a guilt of not voting :(
    Jai Ho..to the Indian Democracy!!

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  12. Great Capture Rakesh !!!This Shows How Much Enthusiasm The Lady Had For Country !!!

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  13. Well...it does upset me that the person whom I had voted for did not win the pune leg...however I totally agree with your views and its really well put...

    Change will come!

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  14. Elections are indeed one among the numerous festivities in India, more like a political carnival.. where everything from abuse, accusations, bricks, shoes can be hurled…
    If it is fairly the responsibility of a citizen to take part in the democratic process, it is equally right on the part of the citizen to NOT cast vote, if s/he doesn’t find any one worthy of his/er choice.. well the EC should make it a valid exercised vote, so that the parties don’t use it on their favors.

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  15. See I can't vote so I cannot be accused of not voting... but then how sad is that a large body of genuine nation caring people aren't allowed to vote ?


    Ofcourse its not a clear cut rule...but a technicality which anyway prevents almost 70 percent of the force to not do so.

    Views about politics... I think I read this one when we were sitting together at that natraj place.. that seems to have become our regular hangout eh ?? sab kuch karke juice pio.. :)

    the way u haev written this shows the concern and alertness with wich u have been following the elections.. refreshing change in the times when most of the people jsut say i hate politics.. hate the politicians not politics eh ?

    we'll i and i am sure u too along with me... hope that even though its not what we hoped for..but then.. if its good for the nation in the end.. we couldn't be more happier right ?? lets wait and watch..

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  16. pretty interesting take here bro. and talk about bbs. they even came out with an election train for india, can u believe that?

    http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45702000/jpg/_45702447_jex_345251_de27-1.jpg

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  17. Shravan

    Thanks!

    Precisely, people will whine and moan, despite not having ever caste their votes before!
    If a change has to come, it has to come from the people!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  18. Devika Chechi

    Am glad you liked it! I punched in a lot of sarcasm in this post! ;)
    Its not often that one gets to do politician bashing you see!

    Yes, us Indians (me included) take it for granted that it is a birth right to bash the system without even completing the basics, for instance, exercising our vote!

    Like I told Shravan, in response to his comment, If a change has to come, it has to come from the people!

    Thanks very much!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  19. Rakesh

    Yeah, I didn't vote! :(

    I agree with your views and observations, some of the worst instances of badgering people during campaigning!

    Hope things change!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  20. Magiceye

    I agree, its been a very unbecoming thing not to have caste my vote.......but like I said, after the incident, the fool is wise!

    Thanks!

    Rakesh

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  21. Balu

    Spot on you are with your analysis! One can now hope to see a lot of programs centered around reforms!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  22. Mohsin

    Thanks!

    Yes, its good to see that a single party has emerged stronger this time, like you said, we are better off with lesser coalitions!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  23. Rahul G

    Thanks for your comments! I'm happy that the exit polls were banned......the last thing we needed was the media screaming above the people!

    Now that the government appears to be stronger than ever before, we can expect some reforms and the like!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  24. Bhargav

    Thanks!

    Yes, its good to see that a single party has emerged stronger this time, like you said, we are better off with lesser coalitions!
    Hopefully, this will lead to some betterment in the area of much needed reforms!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  25. Keshi

    That perhaps is the best stand of all!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  26. Rajesh

    True, lesser strings attached and hopefully a more decisive government with reforms in its agenda!
    Lets wait and see!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  27. Dintoons

    I echo your thoughts and hope we tread the path that you envision!

    Thanks very much for visiting and leaving me your comments!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  28. Rahul

    At last, I'm relieved a little to know that I ain't alone ;)

    Jai Ho to the Indian democracy!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  29. Jeet

    Yeah, I know about this! Its sad that people don't really choose the best...... perhaps a lot lies in being educated and sensible, which the masses are not!

    Change will come!

    Rakesh

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  30. Bharath

    Agree! Elections are like a festival...... a funny one though, by the end of which the entire nation is tired and curious!

    Hopefully things will get better! We should make it better!

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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  31. Samby

    Yes its sad that the brass isn't allowed to vote! And no compensatory measures taken to correct this! Perhaps ballot boxes need to be sent to the front lines and I see no wrong in doing that!

    I'm sure a lot of responsible votes haven't been caste because of this....... such as the case of yours!

    Yeah, you had a prelim reading of this post while @ Natraj, after our many juices!!!!!

    Good time Samby! Thanks for coming!

    Cheers mate

    Rakesh

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  32. Anil

    Thanks!

    The BBC is a very interesting organization....... Winston Churchill once called it the "Enemy within the gates."

    Cheers

    Rakesh

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