Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Why we should all wake up to 2015

2014 is the election year.

In 2004, when Congress came to power, I was naive. I was not eligible to vote that year, but I followed the elections closely.  I was a teen, with high hopes and was still oblivious to 50 crore shades of grey in politics. Of course, the highpoint of the election was Sonia Gandhi's antaratma ki awaaz which asked her to sacrifice her chances of being the Prime Minister and letting Manmohan Singh become the PM.  He was instrumental in bringing in 1991 economic reforms and I was glad that at least we will have a bunch of well educated ministers in the parliament. 

Gujarat was still not that widely hated.  Of course, the wounds of 2002 riots were still raw.  My only complain at that time was people calling from other states and countries and wondering if it was safe for them to travel to Gujarat even after 2 years of the riots.  It saddened me then, but now that I'm wiser, I kind of wonder which place in the world is truly safe anyway?  Maybe State Bank of Travancore branches, because seriously, who goes there?

Anyway, coming back to elections.  5 years got over in 2009.  In a country as diverse like India, 5 years is too less a time to bring about any major change.  One of the important aspect is a stable government.  And the elected members who actually work instead of staging walkouts.  I think most of these ministers stage walkouts/uproars only because they don't want to fall asleep.  Or get caught watching porn.

Also, another reason I personally didn't want BJP to get to power was Advani was their prime ministerial candidate.  Had he not incited the 1992 Babri demolishion, the 1992 riots wouldn't have happened.  The 1993 blasts wouldn't have happened.  2002 Godhra carnage wouldn't have happend.  And the riots which followed wouldn't have happened.  BJP's 2009 agenda was Hindutva.  One of the promises Advani made was construction Ram temple at Ayodhya.  With all due respect to religion, looking at the way people have played politics over alleged Ram Janmabhumi, if Lord Ram were actually born there, he would probably pay Rs. 100 bribe and fudge his birth certificate.

I was most happy when 1/3rd of the land of disputed property of Ram Janmabhumi was awarded to Nirmohi Akhada.  Mostly because I never knew something called Nirmohi Akhada existed.  (apparently, it is a sect that owns temples across India, and not a place for pehelwans.

Anyway, to make matters worse, Advani was contesting from Gandhinagar constituency.  My constituency.  I, for one, did not want someone I hold responsible for 2002 riots representing me in the parliament. I'd rather have Mahesh-Naresh Kanodia singing garba there instead of Advani. (funfact: Mahesh Kanodia mimics Lata Mangeshkar)

But the level of corruption the congress government was sitting on was not exposed yet.  Not denying the existence of corruption in previous governments, but I'm sure it was not of such staggering amount.  I remember in 2004 how 1 ltr petrol was somewhere between Rs. 33-35.  It has gone more than double in 10 years.  The other day I refilled my petrol tank and I consoled myself that at least coffee at my favourite coffee shop is still cheaper than 1 litre petrol. And I can enjoy that 1 cup of coffee for over an hour, while this 1 litre petrol will be gone in under 15 minutes. :(

But last few years have made me angry.  I was angry when the Prime Minister kept his mouth shut over every issue that needed us reassurance that it's gonna be okay.  Corruption, dwindling economy, terrorism (no, condemning attacks is not an answer. at least show us you're angry, and that it affects you as much as it affects us and that you *will* do something to make things better), safety among other things.

And now it is election season again.  One thing that has changed is social media.  Easy access to twitter and facebook and the veil of anonymity lets people get away with almost anything.  And not just anonymous, abusive trolls, even the people who we have elected are not leaving any stone unturned in showing us their worst side.  They've taken mudslinging to a whole new level.  And I don't see this getting any better.

Oh, but social media doesn't really influence anyone's votes. Right? Well, I'm not sure what influences, but it angers me and saddens me that there is so much hatred all around us.  And no, Twitter/Facebook is not just limited to those with internet connection.  Whatever happens on Twitter gets picked up by mainstream media and appears in next day's newspaper.  My mother, who thinks the laptop will explode if she tries to unplug it, knows about Mallika Sherawat wishing Modi on his birthday.  My dad, with his flawed concept of how Twitter works, regularly sends me "hi" on Twitter. (He deactivated his Facebook profile because he couldn't understand how it worked). So, no. Everyone knows about what is happening on social networking sites. And they only know one side of the story, depending on the political inclination of the newspaper they read.  It just gets messy.

I don't see the situation getting any better.  Feku and Pappu are the least offensive terms till now.  Things are only going to get worse.  Do we really want to stoop to the level where we do not respect the elected Prime Minister? I, for one, have lost respect for Manmohan Singh.

And seriously.  How worse can Modi be? (I do not want to debate on 2002 riots, because I honestly believe that people died, irrespective of religion they followed, both in Sabarmati Express carnage and the riots that followed, and those responsible should be punished.  And while Modi may not be completely innocent, I still do not hold him personally responsible, just like I don't hold Manmohan Singh personally responsible for terrorist attacks in India)

Just give him a chance, he has a lot to prove, a lot to clear, a lot to live up to. I'm not saying economy will improve overnight, or that terrorist attacks wont happen in his leadership, but I'm hopeful that some corrective steps would be taken.

And honestly, I'm just tired.  Tired of all the dirty politics.

Let us all just wake up to 2015 where we have already chosen a new Prime Minister and things are on its way to recovery.

6 comments:

Swamy Saran Atul said...

I wish I could write as well as you do.
#Nirwa4PM

Anonymous said...

Gujarat krta MP ma vadhare vikas thayo che. aawu BJP a j kidhu che. ane NAMO gujarat model upar thi pm na ummedvaar banawama aiwa che.. pn joiye to PM kaydesar ummedvaar MP na mukhya mantri Shivraj Singh Chohan howa joiye..

Anonymous said...

Ane haa BJP ane Modi khali gujarat ma j che. baaaki india ni public bow chatur ane chalak che.

Nirwa Mehta said...

@ Swamy

Thank you so much! That is one of the best things anyone has ever told me :)

@ Anonymous

Okay.

anantha said...

Why do you hate Mallus so much? Also I need to follow your dad on Twitter. Kindly do the needful.

Nirwa Mehta said...

@ Anantha

Omg. Amazing Anantha has blessed my blog by leaving a comment :D

I don't hate Mallus, ok? Just that no one can go to Travancore becuase it doesn't exist anymore. *smirk*

And no. Not going to tell you my dad's twitter handle. it is national secret.