The Lok Sabha Extravaganza

21st and 22nd July 2008. The two day special Lok Sabha extravaganza that ended with the ruling government voted in favor. But it was not before the decision makers of the nation ridiculed the very foundations of a democratic way of running a country. With a tolerance level bordering the zero line almost throughout the session and that too on the negative side as well as a display of fireworks that has become an integral part of Indian politics, this session also gave the countrymen a glimpse of the dirty work being done to serve personal interests and it has indeed left a deep scar on the faith of the countrymen. Well, atleast for those who care. What actually happened inside the house need not be mentioned as almost the entire world was witness to the two day spectacle. It has rekindled the debate whether a certain minimum educational qualification should be made compulsory for the candidates vying for a job of running the affairs of the nation. Of course it does not need any great mind to know that such a bill would never be placed for a debate let alone passing it. Everyone has got a degree and yet no one seems qualified enough to run the nation.

The way alliances were drawn and redrawn gave an indication that at any time we would be seeing the opposition joining hands with the ruling coalition to form a scenario where everyone is a part of the government! Disastrous and preposterous as it may sound, it reveals a lot about the nature and ways of the politicians who are ready to take any and every step to ensure that what they want is what will happen. Seeing them creating a total chaos in one of the most highly valued chambers of the country makes one think if they really deserve to be a part of an institution that we call the Government.

These remarks may appear to be seething ones to many but they reflect the inner and true thoughts of the youth of India. Have the politicians forgotten the fact that the people of the nation are the numero uno reason why they are where they are? Have they forgotten that in one fleeting nationwide sweep of a changing thought process the entire political scenario of the nation can be changed forever? Have they forgotten that it may be very soon that the constitutional right to reject all the candidates from the general elections may be an option that can be exercised by the people and that such a move can dramatically alter the ways in which the country is run as also the people who run it? There is a gargantuan amount of policies over which the politicians may be taken to task. We are on the verge of completing 60 years of independence and still the very foundations of our democracy such as social equality, tolerance etc are nowhere to be seen. We talk about ending social discrimination and yet vote bank politics makes sure that we remain divided as per the rotten, outdated and unwarranted caste system. Have the politicians started taking the people for granted? India still remains a democracy and come what may, it is destined to remain that way. The power of the people has been underestimated by many in the past and the present politicians may do well not to invoke a similar reaction from the countrymen.