Common man (Aam aadmi )is still not aware of any Five year Plan ; he knows only the visits of political leaders once in Five years. Some immature dynastic leaders hailing from royal families, will suddenly enter a dalit hut and have butter milk to be shown from the capital media that he does not practice untouchability. Later in private they will swallow antibiotics and purify by Ganga Jal. They are admirably following the footsteps of their forefathers and foremothers.
Dreams unlimited and budget limited that is how one can best describe the common man of India. There has been no much difference in the state and status of this common man from that portrayed in the caricatures drawn by our various noted cartoonist in their daily columns in different newspapers.
If you think that our illiterate Aam Aadmi is in anyway confused about the names of so many political parties, you may be wrong. The television sets have already landed in many hamlet huts where drinking water is scarce. After a hard labor and hot liquor when he looks on TV news with blurred vision , he can somewhat hear the names of all major and minor political parties by the abbreviation, but remember, he cannot read or write any English alphabet.
The major political parties have announced Prime Minister candidates before the preparation and release of election manifesto. Is it right to impose Aam admi with faces of Prime ministers instead of manifestos? Anyway the most our Aam admi understands about election manifesto is “what is available free of cost this time?” The poor need the savvy politician to help them navigate through rotten public services. The politician needs the corrupt businessman to provide the funds that allow him to supply patronage to the poor and fight elections. The corrupt businessman needs the politician to get national resources cheaply.
Our Aam Aadmi is one among millions of illiterate population of India . Even after 62 years of independence only 61 % are literate. Should we not take pride on the fact that 1 in 3 of the illiterates of this world is Aam admi? India is ranked at 147 out of 170 countries in the world after achieving this much literacy.
The aam aadmi who has lived (if you can call it that) in this country for as long as recorded history, is either landless, belongs to the SC-ST or is unemployed. If he is employed it is in the unorganized sector, with each sector holding about 30 crore poor. Till date, neither has he been reached nor has his “garibi” been removed.
Further, an aam aadmi who is working as a labourer is listed as living Below the Poverty Line (BPL). In the Central Government’s definition of BPL the aam aadmi is earning Rs.300pm or Rs.10 a day. Whereas the global definition of a BPL is US$1.25 a day or Rs.55 a day.
According to estimates there are over 456 million BPL people. Worse, their below the poverty line earning will neither buy the minimum recommended calories (at today’s prices) of food. Resulting in the poor being priced out of their human right of access to food. Coupled with the recent rise in food prices, I felt I had misread the slogan of garibi hatao and the new slogan is now “garib ko hatao” who continue to be without access to food, in this birth-land of Gautam Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi.
Under conditions of the most rapid economic expansion in India’s history and a deep-rooted agrarian crisis that has seen tens of thousands of indebted farmers take their own lives and per capita grain consumption fall in rural India, the Congress-led UPA government did modestly increase social spending over the past five years. But programs like the National Rural Employment Guarantee—which is meant to provide one member of each rural household 100 days of menial labor per year at less than $1.50 US per day—have at best kept ten of millions from sliding from hardship and destitution into the abyss of hunger and outright starvation.The five years of UPA rule was supposed to benefit Aam Aadmi (Common Man) but it has only served the interests of Khaas Aadmi. UPA’s Common Minimum Programme was replaced by Uncommon Minimum Programme based on four ‘achievements’: Indo-US nuclear deal, Chandrayaan moon mission, 9% growth and Slumdog Millionaire Oscar win! None of this is directly related to the common man.
The government of “Aam Aadmi” has shown remarkable generosity in subsidising big business houses and SEZs (Special Economic Zones). UPA has tacitly ignored small and medium enterprises which constitute the majority of Indians. The rich-poor divide has widened but yet UPA is singing a tune of good times! In the last five years India has not witnessed economic prosperity but economic regression. This fact can be gauged from Human Development Index of United Nations Development Programme where India’s rank has slipped from 124 to 132 in 2008. Even countries like Bhutan, Algeria, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Iran have performed better than India! Even the Naveen Pattnaik’s government in orissa is playing dirty politics of rice Rs 2 per kg among the BPL masses and providing SEZs to some business tycoons. It is better to say Special Exploitation Zone.
If BJD in orissa along with the UPA in the centre has miserably failed in its economic policy then BJP has floundered in making it a real issue which affects fellow Indians irrespective of their caste and religion. BJP is still trapped in its stone-age politics despite the fact that its allies have made it abundantly clear that they don’t support BJP’s Ram Janambhoomi movement. The BJP’s poll strategists have forgotten a fact that Indian economy was performing better in NDA’s rule in the centre.
The most common target of any election is always around the ‘Aam Aadmi’. All the promises in every political party manifesto is to woo this soft target. Whether the governing party implements all those promises or not, the same old statements continue to appear term after term. For example, a major party which ruled our country for over 50 years since independence still goes by the campaign of ‘Roti, Kapda aur Makaan’ (English: Food, clothing, and shelter). I am not sure how many more decades or centuries they need to change their campaign slogan! So our hero – Aam aadmi continues to look out for the basic needs of their life through generations together. Do they ever get salvation from this state? Probably not! It would be tough to think of a new slogan next time if they get to fulfill the promises.
Certainly, it is not the fault of these leaders. They have mastered the art of deceiving the so called ‘Aam Aadmi’. Yes, this stupid voter elects a leader who promises to give away color television sets if he is voted to power. No matter whether that leader is healthy enough to sit in the hot seat for a term of 5 years or not, doesn’t even matter if he/she is able to work for at least 8 hrs per day. Another similar Aam Aadmi elects another leader who proposes to give *free* electricity, of course without knowing the fact that all these free offers come with a disclaimer of conditions apply! At times the same ‘Aam Aadmi’ thinks of a new blood to change their lives in the hope of achieving his longing need of Roti, Kapda aur Makaan. Accordingly, we get to see some new leaders jumping in to the bandwagon from cinema industry to bring in the change factor. However, this change halts when the new party includes many established leaders who hopped from other parties and the family members of the key person take up major roles in the party. This system goes back to the same old dynasty rulers and other hoppers make me recall a bunch of rotten tomatoes being sold in a new package (party in this context). Considering a very few samples mentioned here, we know what kind of leaders are ruling our country. This is the reason why it doesn’t surprise me at all when our predominant parties come with the same old repeating statements in every election manifesto.
In this era of selfish politicians have turned characterless they want immediate profit so they make public fool and exploit mentally at every step, whose purpose is only to divide and rule the people among caste system, politics has become casteism institution, every caste has its own political parties but interesting fact is that nobody wants to uplift his respective caste problem because if the condition of people will improve, that means existence of parties to be ended, their political shops run by confusing people that they are real caretaker of that community. More injustice is being acted with minors, leaders do not try to improve their condition only cry for them, most illiterate and poor persons come from this community but minors are being utilized for vote only. If the parties are truly serious about them, should raise the problems in parliament and state assemblies, but the feelings of other communities should not be harmed.
All types of evils must abolish by placing new generation in politics from common people (aam aadmi), it should not be expected from politician’s children. Above sixty per cent Indian are young, these days they are losing jobs and unemloyment rate is increasing. Most of youth do not want to exercise their franchise because of all the leaders are corrupt,thief and criminal background who want to protect themselves in pretext of politics.
Most of the leaders say that young generation should come in politics but they introduce their children, who are already corrupt and characterless, if they are truly serious about nation they should introduce youths from common people. A special initiative must drive to introduce youths from common people in every party.
I strongly believe that if one needs to help or to do some social service power is not necessary , there is a tuff task ahead , being an opposion party BJP have major responsibilites . BJP has not shown any results of the situations/conditions related to aam admi i.e price rise sugar, increase in vat ,inflated electricity bills ,water situation & many others problems in capital .These are the basic needs of aam admi , a party cannot win without the trust of aam admi .When BJP was in power there was onion price issue which congress has demonstarated against it & results we all know. I understand some things may have been done but results are not there.
The people of India are suffering today of massive joblessness in the wake of economic crisis. The country is heading towards a phase of acute food insecurity, due to continuing drought conditions. The ruling classes have formed cartels to eat away the most basic form of livelihood security of the masses. The prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing.
India is going on a great growth trajectory. In Wyanad, Kerala, the farmers (men and women) who were forced to take their lives due to debt and deteriorating conditions of their livilihood are yet to be shown a way of survival. Their lands were not taken away from them as is happening in states like Bengal and Orissa. On the other hand, in the last year, when the conditions were worst in Wyanad, the district banks demonstrated the highest credit-debit ratio - of 180. The average in Kerala was only around 60. Simply speaking, even in the worst of conditions, farmers in Wyanad continue to be lured and forced to take more loans, to resolve their debts.
The middle-class frowns when the onion prices go up. We are repeatedly told that food and vegetables is what constitutes 'essential commodites'. Their prices should therefore be under control.
I had always thought that the aam aadmi was struggling for "roti, kapdaa and makaan". Why is that it is only roti which constitute the "essential commodities"? Why don't we incorporate the prices of 'real estate' also among the 'essential commodities"? How come no one is questioning the stupendous increase the land prices, in the cost prices of houses? Hasn't a roof over your head now become a distant dream for an average Indian? And why is that we do not get angry when at the way real estate has made the dream to own a house evaporate for an average Indian?
We are certainly a great nation. The sensex is going up. The media is escatic. They spend discussing more about sensex, jumping in their seats when it crosses some mark. And when the sensex dips, the electronic media paints a gloomy picture. It looks as if a great tragedy has struck the nation. A 'blood bath' is being witnessed. The sensex rise is also happening at a time when more than 1,50,000 farmers have committed suicide.
I am told one farmer commits suicide every hour. But when was the last time you found the media launching a campaign on the issue of farmers committing suicide ?
When did we, as great Indians, ever show concern ??
How many more farmers need to hang themselves or drink pesticides before we took notice, before we felt outraged?
Aam-admi is down with severly high inflation, terrorist attacks and high fuel cost... but, come elections, Aam-Admi will again be fed with lots of beautiful promises, tall claims like Rojgar Guarantee scheme, Right to Info Act, Secularism
Isn’t it slightly confusing for the fellow Indian voters? The voters want to identify with political parties but not a single party is willing to identify itself with a cause! Each political party is trying to shine its old and rusty ideology.
No comments:
Post a Comment