My CAN-I Thought Process!: 'Of The People, For The People, By The People

May 15, 2004

'Of The People, For The People, By The People

Now I remember reading my Civics Text book, may be in Class VI, which gave a definition for Indian Democratic System, it is

OF THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE.

Here goes a weeks personal experiences at the results of 2004 elections:

Felt bad that Chandrababu Naidu lost, but it was a right verdict by the people of Andhra Pradesh. They believed that he is a good worker and gave him a majoirty during his second trem election. But he ignored the common man, showed blind eye to the deaths of hundreds of farmers and did not initiate any major projects that help the irrigation sector, and there goes the verdict, he lost the electon and YSR who touched the hearts of common man by going thorugh a marathon walking across the state, emerged as a Natural Leader and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
Happiness that hindu fundamentalists lost big time in the parliament elections. This is exactly what I have been dreaming about since the last elections. Last time when BJP was elected, I felt very sad, now really felt happy that BJP is shown the exit door.
After election, it is apparant that Congress is going to form the govt. at the center. But, there were indications that congress party wants Sonia Gandhi to become the PM of India. The thought of an Italian Lady becoming the PM of India, ignited various kinds of emotions: anger, sadness, furiousness, helplessness, insecurity, frustration, what not all kinds of negative emotions. It was a shock, that there is nobody in the Congress party who is more eligible than her, and they are actually paving her way to become the PM. I felt as if it was a moment of shame and its a 'Great Day for Democracy, A bad day for india'. Did the people of India actually voted Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister of India?
After that whole episode of emotions, a few hours of pondering, a talk with my parents about democracy and some scathing remarks from readers of my acerbic blog entry(which I have deleted completely), then came the enightenment.
The fact is, India stood as an elegant sysmbol of true democracy, where democracy of India stands for: 'Of The People, For The People, By The People'. Yes, that is the true meaning of Democracy, and today India made the democracy work, well actually dance , as the whole world watched with astonishment, disbelief, amusement, amazement, appreciation.
This is a defining moment in the History of India, where Hindu Fundamentalists are booted, and currently stands tall with Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, President of India who follows Muslim Religion and Sonia Gandhi would be Prime Minister of India who is an Italian by Birth, became an Indian Citizen, and follows Christianity as her religion. This can happen only only only only in India. This is democracy at its BEST. Don't you think so?
Now coming to Congress, its again dynasty politics at its best. Lets think about this, when the hope is completely lost in the rest of the Congress Cadre, its Sonia GANDHI, from the Nehru's dynasty, who took the whole burden on her shoulders and cheerleaded the Congress party to Victory. So does it matter if one belonged to a dynasty as long as one is working hard. The actual voters of India doesn't care if you belong to a dynasty and probably you have an advantage of associated with one. It doesn't matter what you personally think, it matters only what the majority of the people think.

Bottom line is this, this is democracy at its best, a message from Bharath to India - India may be shining, Bharat is not and hindu fundamentalism is not acceptable. If you don't like it, wait until the next election and show the power of your vote.

Read Jivha - the Tongue: Elections 2004: 20 Top Lessons

Long live Democracy of India: OF THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE.

What you say?

Posted by Ramdhan Yadav at May 15, 2004 03:46 PM Perma Link

Comments

Well what happened when he won - announced free power to farmers!! and now Amma across the border has done the same - is this competitive madness or what? He said 4000 farmers had committed suicide and now refuses to believe his officials who say that the figure is 900 (still 900 too many) but where is truth and good governance here - where is the money to dish out free power, bus passes and God knows what else - 6 years of getting the politicians to understand finances has gone out of the window with one party buying itself to power - no wonder the FIIs want out! There are no emotions here - you muck around with your country and good money will go elsewhere...

Posted by: indianalways at May 18, 2004 04:56 AM

Read on for an extract from Washington Post review of Bhagawati's book....pl note the real statistics not what the secularists want us to believe...!

Which brings us to last week's election. The incumbent government going into that contest had accelerated the reversal of India's failed development strategy, and had reaped the benefits. The economy is now humming along at 7 to 8 percent annually, twice as fast as in the statist 1960s and 1970s: India has at last achieved the expansion that Nehru wanted. And yet the government's reward was to lose the election to opponents who complained that growth was not reducing poverty. The leader of those opponents was Sonia Gandhi, the head of the Congress Party that Nehru once presided over and the widow of his grandson.

There were several reasons for this electoral upset. But prominent Indian intellectuals -- Salman Rushdie in The Post, Arundhati Roy in the British Guardian -- could not resist declaring that the failure of growth as an anti-poverty strategy explained at least part of the result. The "immense countryside India," Rushdie wrote confidently, ". . . has not benefited in the slightest from the recent economic boom." According to Roy, the election represented a decisive defeat for "neo-liberalism's economic 'reforms.' " And so we have a curious inversion. India used to understand growth's importance, but not how to achieve it. Now India knows how to achieve it; but some famous Indians, and perhaps millions of ordinary voters, have lost sight of growth's importance. People don't seem to have noticed that, whereas India's poverty rate stuck obstinately above 50 percent during the low-growth 1960s and 1970s, it is now falling precipitously: To 36 percent in the government's household survey of 1993-94; to 29 percent in the next survey, six years later. The idea that the countryside has not benefited is simply spurious. In the interval between the two most recent surveys, rural poverty fell from 37 percent to 30 percent.

And that, in a nutshell, is the problem with globalization -- we can't seem to appreciate the good things that it brings

Posted by: indianalways at May 18, 2004 05:01 AM

Merinews just start a participatory citizen media blog, where general indian people can participate & write his view on current politics as well as on current social position in india.

Posted by: Shefali Vaidya at May 2, 2006 11:32 PM

hehe i agree most of points there i belive everyone need to learn somethin i meant ppl of india....btw how are u ramdhan ?

Posted by: Magic Boy at August 6, 2006 01:27 PM