Responsible Parties Or Responsible Citizens?

The Lok Sabha polls have recently concluded and India is not really welcoming a new Prime Minister. The BJP has won a majority, greater than the last time, sending Congress in Doldrums. Rahul Gandhi losing in Amethi has only added to the party woes. He proposed to resign from the post of Party President, but this idea was immediately rejected. Modi is resuming the office very soon, with an even stronger support in the Parliament. The polls have made me rethink my faith in democracy and I have some observations to make.

Firstly, Rahul Gandhi isn’t that big of an imbecile. He is an educated man, but he is unfortunately never saying the right things at the right time. And one shouldn't forget his portrayal by the Indian media.

The Congress, during its previous regimes, has also been involved in various scams, which didn't help their case.

Many think that Priyanka Gandhi is the person to be the saviour of the National party that is slowly losing its glory. Her campaigning skills are praised by various people. But one look at this year's statistics and you will start thinking otherwise. Under her guidance, Congress has only won a seat out of the forty she was assigned.

Next is Rahul's arch nemesis, Narendra Damodardas Modi, the incumbent and the successor. After five years of denying his marriage, he has finally mentioned Jashodaben as his wife in his nomination certificate. And also is this certificate, a proof of how his earnings have been doubled in half a decade. Must have been saving his income by increasing his international trips!

Various reasons can be found for this year's victory of the NDA. First, the public really found the greater good in standing for hours in lines during demonetisation and tediously working for hours to file taxes online. This reason, though, may be believed by some, is not really plausible. The practical reasons are the skilled campaigning and transfer of funds to the accounts of farmers in lieu of PM's schemes. The government just gave people what they deserved, the phrase 'money-for-vote' is a total lie.

The national BJP President Amit Shah has been hailed for his efforts in making the campaign a success, whereas he should be, in fact, hailed for successfully hiding from the public, the various crimes he and his son have been accused of.

With the two major parties of our country involved in corrupt activities, I, for one, feel trapped in the Indian democracy. The NOTA button on EVMs may been seen as a relief by many, but infact is a vote for the president, a post the Indian public has absolutely no say in. Indians, like me, find nothing "for which to vote".

This morning, I was listening to Eric Lui's Ted Talk, and his words made a deep impact," Democracy works only when enough of us believe democracy works". So, maybe it's time for us to follow his civic religion, and believe in civic creed, deed and ritual. And it’s time for us to be responsible citizens so that India can move a few places up from its 42nd place in the world democracy index.