Jai Ho - to the Indian Electorate

I had stopped writing for the past fortnight or so due to the fact that our elections were spread over a month, and the sound bites emanating from the mouths of our politicians did not change – I for one did not want to keep repeating the same old tripe – hence the hiatus from writing. In these two weeks since the beginning of May – I went for my P2 paragliding course along with my daughter – more of that in a separate blog, hence writing opportunities though present would not have been too different from what I have already written. But today is a new day, the dance of democracy is over, the results are out and the results just prove that the common man is no fool – en masse they have voted for stability. They have also not given the winning combine that much of a margin for them to become arrogant or complacent – the opposition will also sit in strength – all in all a good sign of our democracy maturing (hope our neighbors were watching!)

I have been a BJP person since the time I started to vote, but this time I voted for stability at the Center – I was petrified of the thought of a Mayawati or a Mulayam Singh becoming the Prime Minister of the country – and methinks the “aam junta” thought just like me. I have had friends telling me that they would prefer to leave the country if people like Mayawati or Mulayam became the Prime Minister and return only if they no longer head the nation! That was the fear psychosis which was prevalent over all the urban centers. These characters add color to Indian politics but the color should remain in the background – the foreground should be left for mature and sane artists! When it comes to the State Assembly elections I will review my options! The BJP also did not inspire any confidence in it’s cadre by creating confusion on who should be its leader. Varun Gandhi came into the picture reminding one of his dad and his dad’s bellicosity. I do not think any one wants the country going back into religion based politics or caste based politics – hence the victory for the Congress who went to elections chucking out their so called supporters from the Left and the so called Third Front. They have definitely reaped the stability dividend.

What I have written above does not mean that the Congress is by any stretch of imagination a secular party – not with the history of Sikhs being killed post Indira Gandhi, caste based and minority appeasement politics that they pursue. If the Congress really wants to be a statesman like political party, they need to carry all sections of Society with them, and yes that includes the so called pseudo intellectuals. Why cannot the country have an uniform civil code? One law for all! We have such a surfeit of personal laws that it makes the head spin. They have the mandate, let’s see them doing something constructive in the next five years.

These five years are going to be very crucial for the evolvement of both the Congress as a political party and the nation which is on the verge of making its presence in the world palpable. There are now no more impediments into decisive decision making with the Congress not having party pooper supporters from fringe parties. They have the mandate and the people to show good governance in the next five years. Dr. Manmohan Singh and a carefully chosen team can ensure that the country continues with its 8-10% growth trajectory and thereby along with China becoming the global economic fulcrum. At the same time we have to have our security apparatus beefed up and ready for any eventuality, because believe me – many people/nations will not be able to digest the transformation of the slowly lumbering Indian elephant into an aggressive Bengal tiger!

There will now be no excuse for non-performance, as the Indian electorate has given the Congress a mandate to perform. Good governance is all that the country wants, not caste based politics nor partisan politics – all states having good governance have returned the incumbent party candidates with a whopping majority – Nitish Kumar, Naveen Patnaik, Narendra Modi, etc. People like Mayawati who is on the verge of transforming into a megalomaniac (that is the kind of behavior and attitude being portrayed) was given a slap on her face – and Mayawati being Mayawati – no megalomaniac can be a good loser has ended up blaming the Muslims for fracturing her vote. Now tell me who is communal or secular! Lalu Yadav and Mulayam and so too the madam down south - Jayalalitha - have got their comeuppance! A big JAI HO to the COMMON MAN. He is the guy with the most common sense! JAI HO once again!

Here is looking forward to five years of peace, prosperity, development, growth and poverty alleviation, honest and good governance with India becoming the anchor for growth and stability in Asia and the world. God Bless all the voters!