India: Begging For Votes

It is a travesty at worst and a mockery at the least that each and every person holds Elected Governments at ransom, just by the threat of a single vote being denied to them. The most famous single vote was that of Mayawati which floored the Vajpayee Government somewhere in late 1990s. Today, while the most energetic PM India has ever seen in 69 years is running helter-skelter to put this country in order. The others are simply exploiting that virtue. When was the last time anyone saw a PM travel to a foreign nation and address 2 rallies in 2 States in one day. Or when did India ever see a PM who returns from a late night foreign tour  and is next morning addressing a mammoth rally in Bihar. And yet, all such efforts may go in vain.

While the blue channels keep extolling the perceived hard landing of China, they would do well to look into their own backyards. There is a Kejriwal who gives free water to people in Delhi and is planning to raise minimum wage for unskilled labour to Rs 9000 per month. Will anyone pay temporary staff this sum of money for an hour of work once a day? Compare this to rural areas where after decades of free power, diesel, fertilisers, seeds and pumpsets the people still have no money to pay for Electricity which is now available at their door step.

Such colossal number of people may amount to 600 mn strong and can decide the fate of any ensuing and existing governmemnt in India. So, what are we doing? We are auctioning Coal mines, but providing free power to people. We are building roads on the PPP model but letting people get away without paying toll. We are putting up power plants, but they remain non functional beause the SEBs are bankrupt. To cover SEB and bad loans to businesses we are recapitalising banks. At the same time we are writing off crop loans given to farmers.

Finally, in a shameful and brazen way the Armed forces want OROP. This is the biggest fleece of the nation. Just 3 wars in 69 years, and most of 1,5 mn Indian Army has never even fired a gun in their lives. Armymen claim, they get retired at 34. Sorry, you still have an entire life ahead at 34 to find a new job. You cannot go back to villages and sit for OROP. The figures being published by some Retired Generals are incorrect. They claim annual impact of Rs 8300 crore. This is an under-estimate. If a jawan’s pension rises from Rs 13,000 to Rs 35,000 pm and there are 4.2 mn retirees and half a million widows how  on earth can the impact be a mere Rs 8300 crore. Finally, they want Pensions to be equated every year. The annual impact will be much worse.

In this season of anarchy, where an unknown Hardik Patel can come up, there will be thousands more leading an uprising, The whole thing draws down to pulling votes. It is a rank failure of democracy and hence it is India which should question if they are heading to a crash, rather than China or any other nation.