Where are we heading to? Are we in safe
hands? Who is good for us- the Congress, the BJP or the Third Front? In the
last fifty- eight years of our democracy,
we have reposed our trust in the hands of many governments. Some of them seemed
dependable; some did not. But
have we learnt from our mistakes? The Lok Sabha elections are just round the
corner. All parties will come up with their manifestoes. The UPA will harp on
the achievement of the Nuke deal, the BJP will malign it for being ‘soft
on terror’, and the Third Front will promise to correct the faults
of both the major parties. We all know that this will happen. So are we sure
who is right for our country?
As an aware and educated youngster of India, I
can at least ‘read’ the drawbacks of our
politicians in the newspaper. But, do any of us do anything beyond that?
Terror has gripped us in its vicious
hands. Inflation drove the economy berserk. As if it had not been enough, world
markets crashed and foreign investors left the shores of India. Christians were
beaten to death and raped in Orissa. Jammu
and Kashmir became the victims of communal clashes. We are no longer facing a
nuclear apartheid, but the cash-for-vote scandal maligned us on the world
forum.
All these issues have rocked the
headlines throughout the year. I deliberately recounted these terrible moments
because I want you, dear reader, to think, analyze, understand, and then
decide.
The politicians of this country have
disappointed us. All of them are playing the dirty game of politics.
They serve only their vested interests. We all need to ask ourselves, “As
a progeny of my motherland, what can I do to prevent it from being slaughtered
by the hands of these butchers?”
As individuals, we perhaps cannot join
politics because it is not our cup of tea. We cannot do anything for the
victims of the several terror attacks.
However, something that we all can do
is to be aware and spread the awareness to
people around us. We have to learn to be responsible citizens of our nation.
Learn to protect yourself. Be patient when you are asked to stand in a queue
for security checking. When a national calamity strikes, we should all do as much as we can, even if
it is negligible. Aspire for a good life, but simultaneously, be considerate to
the person at the other end.
We cannot just keep blaming our
politicians either. Somewhere, even we are to be blamed because after all, it
is our nation that is suffering.
The time has come when we all have to
come together. In the upcoming elections, let us not vote for a party,
personality, or a philosophy. Vote for that individual who represents you and
please, do vote
