One Person One Vote: One Candidate One Seat

The dates for the election of the world’s largest democracy have been declared. The general election will be held in nine phases, the longest election in the country's history, from 7^th April to 12^th May 2014 to constitute the 16^th Lok Sabha. The results will be declared on 16^th May 2014. According to the Election Commission of India, the electoral strength in 2014 is 81.45 crores, the largest in the world. The number of first time voters is around 10 crores. This also will be the longest and the costliest general election in the history of the country with the Election Commission of India estimating that the election will cost the exchequer Rs 3,500 crores, excluding the expenses incurred for security and individual political parties. Parties are expected to spend 30,500 crores in the election, according to the Centre for Media Studies. This is the world's second highest after the USD 7 billion spent on the 2012 U.S. election.

Political parties are busy in allotting constituency to their respective leaders so as to make sure that they win from that particular area. This has also provoked many internal conflicts within the parties and its workers. Speculations about Mulayam Singh Yadav, Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejrival deciding to contest elections from two seats have triggered new controversies.

Courtesy: Google Images

The strategy of contesting from two different constituencies is unethical and making mockery of the democratic system. Before Independence, there was no cap on the number of constituencies that candidates could contest. The two seat cap was implemented under the Representation of People Act 1951. Under section 33 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, a person is allowed to contest polls, whether a general election, more than one by-elections or biennial elections, from a maximum of two seats. In a situation where a person wins both the seats, he must vacate one within 10 days, triggering a by-election, as stated under section 70 of the Representation of the People Act 1951. The vote-bank calculations in India are complicated and in such situations, for political parties to put up winnable candidates in each constituency is a difficult task. Thus the law of allowing two seats to one person gives them the flexibility.

The common man has to set priorities in his everyday life whether at home or at office. A person cannot appear for interview at two different places at the same time. A doctor cannot operate two patients at the same time. A sportsperson cannot play two different games at the same time. A voter cannot vote twice. Then why are our politicians given this privilege? Why they are not forced to prioritize their constituency? Why are they allowed to contest from two constituencies? They win an election even if they have lost one. The person enters the parliament even if he has been rejected by people of one constituency. This is clearly insulting the decision of the people and hence the democracy.

And what if they win on both the seats? They have to vacate one as per law and fresh elections will be held for that constituency. Who will be paying the expenses of this re-election? The common man, we, the taxpayers have to bear those expenses. What was our fault? It is degrading the morals of voters and the value of their votes.

Subhash Kashyap, historian and former secretary-general of the Lok Sabha said: “It doesn’t serve any useful purpose. What it does is allow candidates to cover political risks by falling back upon a constituency if they are to lose the election to a seat.” Sanjay Kumar, fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in New Delhi, said: “Allowing candidates to stand from more than one constituency was a “drain on the exchequer” and the electorate since people were compelled to participate in an unwarranted and forced by-election.” Now it’s time to update the electoral reforms. Election Commission is also of the view that the law should be amended to restrain candidates from contesting two seats simultaneously. Yes, this would increase the risk factor for politicians but it is in the welfare of our democracy. Let's have one person, one vote with one candidate, one seat.

The Election Carnival - 2014(Part - 3)

Regional Parties: Are they trustworthy? Can they survive?

Nation is witnessing lots of things happening around in the past few days. All these can be seen as the part and parcel of celebrations of the Election Carnival- 2014. With no indication of any single party forming a clear majority government, regional parties are at the center of attraction. But the question is: Are these regional parties trustworthy? Is the future of these regional parties safe?  Can they sustain?

All these regional parties have emerged from the regional needs or rather say personal needs of certain group or individuals. Most of these parties have broken apart from the national parties due to differences in opinions internally. The leaders of these parties have exploited people on the lines of language, culture, traditions etc. for their personal benefits. Many of the leading power brokers in contemporary Indian politics hail from regional parties. The leaders of the regional parties have not created much space for individuals to improve, but they have used them for the vote-bank. Regional political parties have failed to offer any important agenda different from national political parties. They are also obsessed with populist rhetoric like poverty elimination, and the distribution of food and laptops. Whosoever comes to power through these means has not improved the life-chances of the majority of citizens beyond some psychological reassurance.

These regional parties are far from paragons of institutionalized party democracy and the situation is more precarious because there is rarely a second-tier leadership beyond the party president. Try recalling name of any political leader or a party person other than the president of any regional party, needless to say one has to refer for it, say a Google search. Yet not sure even that would give the desired results. The future of all these parties doesn't seem to be bright. The regional parties have rather converted into person-centric parties, just remove the person and see, it would go directionless. The trust and support that people have shown is more for the political leader than for the party. Recently a national media reported: When asked in 2010 about his support for Janata Dal (United) in the coming state elections, an exasperated voter in Bihar said: “My vote is for Nitish Kumar. Besides Nitish, what is Janata Dal (United)? . . . If I woke up tomorrow and there were no Nitish—there would be no Janata Dal (United).”

Recent example show how a political leader cleverly passed on the power to his son to make sure that the hold over the party remains within his family. The move certainly gave rise to many internal debates. When a prominent political leader was convicted, the party almost went directionless until his wife took over the control and kept hopes alive among party co- workers. These are not at all good indications for the regional parties. Many political parties have been divided on differences of their leadership. Some have been able to sustain themselves somehow, while the others are on the verge of extinction.

The future of these political parties and their survival is something to be looked upon in coming years. Generally speaking, the regional parties have not done much for the local people in the true sense. They are feeding on populist politics which is the byword in the political arena, whether national or regional. These parties might do better in the elections of 2014, but the problem is that they are not in a position to offer anything better than what the national political parties have offered. With speculations of the formation of third front, even if a third front government comes to power, the constituents of it are so individualistic with diverse local agendas, the leaders are so ambitious and so short-sighted, lasting a full 5-year term may become a concern for Indian democracy, Indian economy and reforms.

One should not, however, underestimate the potential role the regional parties could play. If they concentrate on genuinely improving the prospects of the local people, and if they set an example in honesty and in opposing corruption, they will go a long way. If regional politics goes on for a long time in the same fashion, the future of the regional political parties is not bright.

NOTE: This is my personal point of view and opinion based on my observation and research. It has nothing to do with any past, present or future of any political party or individual. The aim of posting this is just to share my view.

The Election Carnival - 2014(Part-2)

Regional Political Parties: The Spoilers

The election carnival - 2014 is being celebrated across the country in full swing and the ones who are more excited and actively participating are the regional parties. Yes they believe that it is their time to play a pivotal role in helping to influence the formation of the next union government. Many political thinkers agree on the same. Media speculations even show the possibility that India’s next general elections will produce a “third front” government headed by the leader of a regional party. May be or may not be so but certainly these regional parties are spoiling the show of national parties at the center.

India as a country, since its attainment of independence 65 years ago has undergone many changes. Economic, social and political aspirations of the people have also undergone tremendous changes. The various political parties, organizations, movements are the guiding force behind these changes. The political party in power in a particular region and its ideology vastly determines the conditions of the people of that region. The 1984 elections was the last election in which single party got the clear mandate to form a government at the center. All the elections thereafter resulted in coalition governments, which is the clear indication of the influence of regional politics. People are the masters in Democracy; they decide how they want to be governed. The single party monopoly for first 30 years after independence proves that as long as the party had good intentions they supported it, it was only after Emergency that they seriously contemplated for an alternative party. Emergency proved that over popularity of single party will place wide powers in narrow minded people who will exploit the power for personal deeds.

The rise of regional parties has been proved beneficial as far as the regional, local issues are concerned. Many states like Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and most of the North-eastern states have developed under the governance of regional parties. Granted, regional parties do currently rule several key, extremely large states, such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal (which together are home to nearly 400 million Indians). People have shown trust on these parties and the government has also worked for the welfare of its crowd. But when it comes to the center, the scenario is completely different and a different approach needs to be adopted in dealing with these regional parties.

The major concern emerging from the multi-party system is its inherent threat to the unity and security of the country. The local parties for their political benefits divide the people of different states on the lines of language, culture, traditions etc. This affects the overall unity and integrity of the country. E.g. several tense situations have been witnessed in states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Punjab. Disputes between the states that are ruled by the local parties becomes difficult to settle since they raise the dispute from administrative and governance level to political and personal level by exploiting the sentiments of the people of the individual states. This often culminates in violence through strikes, bandh and in the worst case, attack on the other state people. E.g. Cauvery dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra political group’s intolerance towards people from other states.

The local parties that are part of the ruling coalition government will influence the government to divert more annual budget funds to their states at the expense of other states that are ruled by the Opposition parties. The state governments that get more funds can use these funds for subsidizing more and more basic necessities thereby making the people lethargic and killing the motivation to work hard. Subsidizing the scant resources in particular state can impact the prices in other states. The local parties in the small states like in North-Eastern India will not get much support from the Center in terms of development and security of its people even if they are part of the coalition, since they send only a handful of members to the parliament. The fact that they doesn't affect the national politics as much as the larger states result in such states getting smaller aid in terms of funds and other development activities.

Beyond India’s domestic political fray, regional parties are sometimes said to have a growing influence over foreign policy. Few can dispute that the role of regional parties as foreign policy actors has grown over time, but it is less clear that recent headline-grabbing tussles signify a new or more significant twist in the struggle for a voice in this arena. This will affect India’s credibility in the global front and portray India as unreliable in terms of sticking to its long-held policies. E.g. By voting against Sri Lanka in UN resolution on war crimes against Tamils owing to pressure from a regional party, India broke away from a long held tradition of not voting for country-specific resolutions. This has significantly affected Indo-Sri Lanka relations. A regional leader personally scuttled a water-sharing agreement that New Delhi had painstakingly negotiated with Bangladesh over the Teesta River. The treaty had been a critical component of the central government’s plans to improve relations with its neighbour to the east—that is, until the leader effectively vetoed the move. Yet, this kind of foreign policy maneuvering is not as new as is often advertised. Since the opening up of the Indian economy in 1991, states have consistently exercised their new found economic policy latitude to craft their own strategies to woo foreign investors irrespective of center’s outlook. And on pure foreign policy matters, India’s relations with its neighbours—whether it be Pakistan to the west, Sri Lanka to the south, or Bangladesh to the east—have for many years been coloured by the respective positions of the ruling elites in the border states of Punjab, Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.

Every system will have the loop holes; it’s the number and the plug-ability of loopholes that distinguish each system from the other in terms of efficiency. The emergence of regional parties as major centers of power in India’s politics, economics, and society is one of the most important developments in the country’s post independence history. Yet, the regional revolution in contemporary Indian politics should not be overstated. India’s regional parties have indeed already risen; whether they can rise further is unclear. And come the general election in 2014, regional parties will play a pivotal role. It would be interesting to see the impact of these regional parties during the general elections, which is believed to be a beginning of political revolution in India.

NOTE: This is my personal point of view and opinion based on my observation and research. It has nothing to do with any past, present or future of any political party or individual. The aim of posting this is just to share my view.

The Election Carnival - 2014(Part-1)

General assembly elections-2014 is round the corner with the whole of India in anticipation of what is next to come. Media speculations, party meeting, rallies, promises, allegations, personal attacks, opinion polls, pre-poll alliances, etc. are happening on a large scale across the country. This gives a feeling of festive mood or rather say an Election Carnival.

For the first time ever since independence, a citizen of India is feeling privileged, as a huge price has being laid on his vote. Thanks to the changing political satire which has given rise to a situation where every vote counts. A political revolution is not far away and can be easily achieved but the only barrier to be removed is the typical political attitude prevailing in our minds.



Frankly speaking, India has no political creed. Our politicians follow a creed only if it feeds their vested needs. Most of our politicians are power hungry. Traditionally by nature Indians are Sun worshipers, as they profess to, or say invariably worshipers of rising sun. Majority of people believe that politics is a game of wicked and corrupt people, fighting for power and hence refrain themselves from it. We are semi-literates and secure only surface knowledge yet profess to be well-versed in politics. However our knowledge of politics doesn’t go beyond the dining table. We just harangue around and talk aloud our knowledge of politics and express our political opinions based only on the knowledge we get from daily papers. Here again, we neither buy the papers nor scan them thoroughly. We just skip over the news and notes from borrowed papers and deve­lop our own political opinions by the stretch of imagination. Our public gets carried away even by an emotional speech by any political leader. We blindly believe whatever our political leader speaks, even without taking the slightest pain in verifying it or finding the real truth. We Indians, for decades, have been crow-worshipers. We believe in blind following of the political hero, until we find a new one to adhere to.



Courtsey: Google Images

Speaking of our politicians, we all know we Indians by nature are money-minded. He just thinks of his personal profits and benefits that he would get, if he joins a political group. Today deny an aspirant a ticket to the Muni­cipality, a Corporation, an Assembly or the Parliament and he goes off the party, after finding a number of faults in the party of which he was admirer of a few days earlier. Deny him from giving a ministry in the state or centre and he switches off to some other party. All this has resulted in breaking up of many political parties and formation of new small regional parties making our political system more complex. This all goes to prove that we as individuals lack political thinking.

We have many political parties some claim to be communal while some are believed to be secular. We also have communist minded group and also a socialist group, who claim to have a mixed ideology. Something of Socialism, something of Communism, but nothing of nationalism sums up their political thinking. We too have regional political parties, many of them fighting internally for their existence. We lack the presence of a strong opposition party. The party in power would work only as much as the opposition forces it to. What we actually need is just two political groups, a party in power and a party in opposition.

The general assembly elections-2014 will not only be a test for political parties but also it will be a test of each and every individual of India. It will be a test of his political thinking, observation, understanding and research. It will be a test of his right to vote, in a country with the world’s largest democracy.

NOTE: This is my personal point of view and opinion based on my observation and research. It has nothing to do with any past, present or future of any political party or individual. The aim of posting this is just to share my view.

MEDIA: The Game Changer

India is on the verge of witnessing history. The fastest person to become a chief minister from the date of joining politics is about to take oath on 26^th December at the Ramleela ground, New Delhi. I just took a look back about a couple of years before and just wondered how things have changed drastically.

A person who did “Sathyagrah” and hunger strikes for the past 24 years and dedicated his life for the fight against corruption never got recognized. One day suddenly the same agitation he undertook at the national capital changed into a revolutionary moment why? A person who was about to become chief minister for the third consecutive time was declared as the prime ministerial candidate why? The verdict of a gang rape came within a year while many such cases are still pending and awaiting justice why? The answer to such questions according to me is “MEDIA”.



Courtsey: Google Images

The involvement of media nowadays plays a vital role in all the areas like politics, judiciary, parliament etc. Media can make or break an image of a particular person or an organization depending on the way it projects them. Recent examples show how the chief editor of a well known media group, former Supreme Court judge or the famous yoga guru lost their status and credibility even before their crime was proved. A national level political party was forced to declare their prime ministerial candidate based on the media coverage’s and projections. A new political party was formed and is on the verge of making its own government, all this happened due to the attention that they received from media. The thinking of a common man have been controlled by the media, they are being spoon-fed. Media is changing the people’s perception and their own angle of viewing and judging the events happening around them.

Courtsey: Google Images

Apart from politics media also plays a crucial role in the judiciary system of our country. The cases that get media attention are solved on a faster basis and the remaining lie along with the other bunch of files. The verdict of the Delhi gang rape gave justice but two similar cases that took place on the same day are still awaiting justice, the sole reason being not getting enough media attention. Pressure exerted by media on government, judiciary and political persons is immense. If this pressure is exerted in the right direction and for the betterment of our nation then the much awaited revolution is not so far. I can foresee the revolution now it’s upon the media whether to pull it towards or push it away.

The old phrases will change like “Midas touch” will be “Media touch” and “Lady Luck” will be “Media Luck”. No surprise if you find new dialogues in bollywood films like: Vijay: Aaj mere paas bangla hai, gadi hai, paisa hai.......tumhare paas kya hai? Ravi: Mere paas MEDIA hai...!!! (Vijay: Today I have a bungalow, car, and lots of money... what do you have? Ravi: I have MEDIA...!)

 

Heritage Walk- A City Rediscovered

Heritage, to me the word itself says it all. We inherit from our ancestors and that always remain close to our heart, throughout the ages of our life giving rise to a “Heritage”.

Route Map: Heritage Walk

 

The Heritage Walk of Ahmedabad is conducted by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation with NGO, CRUTA Foundation like most Indian cities, has a long history and strong architectural and urban character. The AMC has been, since 19th Nov1997- as a part of World Heritage Week - conducting this Heritage Walk of Ahmedabad as a part of its cherished project "Getting the City to the People”. The Heritage Walk of Ahmedabad is a guided walk of two and a half hours. This daily affair by the AMC is extremely well designed in guidance and co-operation with CRUTA and Swaminarayan Trust, being led by a group of young volunteers. There is also a half hour special slide show running through pages of the city's history unfolding back its birth from a 10th century AD ancient site known as Ashaval to the present walled city re-founded during the period of Ahmedshah and onwards. The two hour walk takes you on a discovery of a city steeped in tradition, history, wonderful Indo-Islamic architecture and lots more. The walk brings you close to the soul of a city which has a rich textile heritage, intricately designed places of worship, wooden carved houses of pol and lots more. The walk begins from the serene Swaminarayan Mandir in Kalupur and ends in the magnificent Jumma Masjids, covering in between the numerous pols, havelis and chabaturas (bird-feeders), secret passages, ornamental facades and workplaces of artisans.

Our walk effectively anchored by our volunteer Mr Nirav Panchal, proceeded from Kavi Dalpatram Chowk - which housed the great 19th century Gujarati poet Dalpatram - in Lambeshwar ni Pol. The century old Kala Ramji Mandir in the Haja Patel in pol with a unique idol of Lord Rams in dark colour gives an innate sense of devotion. A special feature of Ahmedabad is the plan of the old city, comprising numerous pols, self contained neighborhoods, sheltering large numbers of people, traversed by narrow streets, usually terminating in squares with community wells and chabutaras for feeding birds. The walk moving through Doshiwada ni Pol, Zaveri Vad to Chaumukhji ni Pol saw ornate temples with their fascinating wooden carvings hidden under plain exteriors camouflaged beneath the aura of Mughal rule, and lanes punctuated with intriguing chabutras (bird feeders). We also witnessed a high pole which according to Nirav indicated the direction of the flow of underground sewage line that was flowing beneath it. The entire walled city was well planned according to the “Vastushastra” as the houses had their entrance in east-west directions and the lanes were in north-south direction. This also proved a scientific theory that due to such architectural construction the lanes didn’t receive direct sunlight and the houses could utilize the flow of wind maintaining warmth during different seasons. The walk ends at the Jumma Masjid which was built in 1423 by emperor Ahmed Shah who built this city.

After this heritage walk I fell in love with this city and its heritage. The walled city offered me so much that I was unable to notice in past six years while I was roaming through the same streets, may be mind set mattered. The city seemed beautiful in the morning silent and peaceful without any rush of traffic just a group of volunteers roaming around, exploring and the city itself seemed happy in sharing its age long experiences with us. We did enter a couple of houses to see the architectural heritage, amidst of the owners of houses busy with their routines, and not a slightest sign of antipathy on their face for you intruding their privacy giving me a live example of our motto “Atithi Devo Bhavah” (Guest become God). A onetime must visit for every individual living in the city, at least one can spare two hours from their busy schedule. I would love to go through it again and again eagerly waiting for the next opportunity.

Gods own country now Peoples own country

Kerala- Gods own country with the Arabian Sea in the west, the Western Ghats towering 500-2700m in the east and networked by 44 rivers; Kerala enjoys unique geographical features that have made it one of the most sought after tourist destinations in Asia. An equable climate, a long shoreline with serene beaches, tranquil stretches of emerald backwaters, lush hill stations and exotic wildlife. Waterfalls, sprawling plantations, paddy fields, ayurvedic health holidays, enchanting art forms, magical festivals, historic and cultural monuments. The mythological story about Kerala was a land rose from the sea where the axe- landed thrown in penance for waging the terrible war by Parasuram, the 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Kerala, India's most advanced society. With almost hundred percent literacy, world-class health care systems, India's lowest infant mortality, and highest life expectancy rates, the highest physical quality of life in India. Peaceful and pristine, Kerala is India's cleanest state.

According to the famous phrase “Roti (Food) Kapda (Clothing) aur Makan (Housing)”, the basic necessities of human being are: Food, Clothing and Shelter of which food and clothing are available cheaply in this modern and advanced society. But the major problem faced by the human society today is lack of land i.e. people don’t have their own land. Approximately there are over 1.5 crore landless families all over India.

The prestigious Zero Landless programme of the Kerala government: United Democratic Front (UDF) was flagged off by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in October 2013. The Zero Landless programme envisages distribution of three cents of land each to 2,43,928 families identified across the State. The decision of UDF government to provide ownership of land is set to be a significant socio-economic influence within Kerala. The entire project is estimated to be completed by 2015. Distributing title deeds to 11,118 more people, Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh proclaimed Kannur the first zero landless district in India. 286 scheduled tribe persons also got deeds. He also declared it to be “India’s first big state to be open defecation free.”

“Fifteen years ago, Ernakulam was declared the first district in the country to achieve 100 per cent literacy and today, Kannur acquires a rare distinction of becoming the first zero-landless district. I would suggest that the Kerala government should take the initiative to make use of the Indira Vikas Yojana, and build homes for all the families who get land under the scheme. If the state government moots a proposal to this end, I will give all the necessary support from my ministry for the housing project.” Ramesh said. The minister urged all other states to follow the Kerala example and distribute land among the landless. “Very soon, Kerala will be the first big state in India to be declared open-defecation-free, which is a big achievement.” he said.

It’s interesting to learn that there is a National land reform policy which says that every landless person should get 10 cents of land for building a house. Due to expensive land and lack of availability of land in Kerala the area was reduced to 3 cents which still is an appreciable step by the government. But the question is when we have such a national land reform policy why are the governments of other state not implementing them and why we as citizens not demanding its implementation as it’s our right being a part of the constitution. Currently our leaders are just behaving as good orators and just go on speaking (almost everything false) about the progress and development models being implemented. If any such models are really being implemented then they shouldn’t be just limited to paper but should be applied practically so that the common people can get the maximum benefit out of it.

Strong political will and political decisions need to be taken keeping apart personal benefits in mind by the government just as what the government of Kerala did. Hats off to their effort. Now in true sense one can say that "Gods own country is Peoples own country."