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Are Paper ballots the answer?



The Congress has asked the Election Commission to return to paper ballots since the EVMs have chosen to be Every Vote for Modi.  While the paper ballots may exorcise the spectre thrown up by the deus ex machina, will it help the Congress?

The real tragedy of the country is that it offers no respectable alternative to the craftiness of the Modi-Shah combo.  Rahul Gandhi has grown up in the last couple of years but is still a dwarf beside the colossal images of the crafty combo.  All others of any significance are mere local patriarchs with no national appeal. 

Moreover, instead of fighting the communal card played by the BJP and its allies, the Congress is also showing communal fangs when required.  It has always been an opportunistic party from the time of Indira Gandhi when it comes to religious sentiments.  It kept on appeasing certain sections of the country’s population merely for the sake of winning votes.  The appeasements really achieved nothing more than votes for the party; the people’s living standards did not improve.  At best, a few corrupt leaders of the different communities benefitted by the Congress policies.  Corruption became the hallmark of the party in every sense of the term.  The party leaders became corrupt and it corrupted many others too. 

Hence the people of India voted for the Party with a Difference.  Unfortunately that party proved to be worse with the radical communalisation of the country into the Saffron Brigade versus antinational theme.  Worse, the party has seeped into every major national institution.  It has begun to corrode the secular fabric of the nation.  If the Party with a Difference comes to power again in 2019, which is very likely in spite of the recent setbacks in the UP-Bihar by-elections, India will cease to be India.  It will become Hindustan.  The entire history of the country from pre-historic times will be rewritten in an unbelievably short span.  Communities of people will be wiped out in mob lynching and sporadic arson. 

There is no alternative apparently.  But  despair is not a solution.  Maybe we need to take a leaf out of the Aam Aadmi Party’s experience in Delhi.  The people of Delhi chose to give their mandate to Arvind Kejriwal in spite of his initial bungling.  He is doing wonders in that state bringing free electricity and free water to the deserving.  He has made government hospitals and schools exemplary.  He brought excellent governance without making undue fuss about it, without spending crores of the taxpayer’s money on blowing his own trumpet.  Maybe, India should give a chance to Rahul Gandhi now, especially now that many of the corrupt Congressmen have already joined the BJP.  Maybe, Rahul will indeed be a much better alternative.



Comments

  1. जितेन्द्र माथुरMarch 18, 2018 at 10:07 AM

    Well, paper ballots are not really a viable solution to the rigging of the elections in India. All the same, whatever can be done for improvement, should be done. The Election Commission, like many other agencies, is no longer a reliable autonomous constitutional body and has become a puppet in the hands of the rulers at the centre. Rahul has leart and is still learning but he is far from perfect. His capability to deliver is still not visible. All the same, he deserves a chance now. Arvind Kejriwal has done and is still doing a laudable job despite the fact that a bureaucrat titled as the Lieutenant Governor has been left after him by the central government who does not do anything except blocking his path and harassing him almost everyday and in almost everything attempted by him. His courage deserves admiration. Rahul Gandhi also can try to win people's hearts without crying for the manipulation through the EVMs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMarch 18, 2018 at 11:12 AM

      Not only the Election Commission but also all other government machinery has been made subservient to BJP interests. That's the genius of Modi-Shah combo. They have subverted the entire system. Like China's Xi, these two will declare themselves the emperors of India soon unless the people vote them out next year.

      Delete
  2. CRDMarch 18, 2018 at 11:33 AM

    Things are indeed going from bad to worse. The saffronisation of secular India needs to be stopped quickly.

    To their credit, I think the NDA has managed to take some tough and necessary decisions (not the idiotic demonetisation) since coming to power. I do not have any realistic hopes of good leadership and vision from RaGa, but at least he would have a ready set of veterans and better-abled administrators, with a sound philosophy to take the country forward.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMarch 18, 2018 at 12:48 PM

      Yes, Rahul will have to depend on advisers. Ultimately the intentions matter more than cleverness.

      Delete
  3. Murthy K v v sMarch 18, 2018 at 3:31 PM

    Before coming to power,Chandra babu demanded paper ballot instead of EVMs.Now he remains calm.Both Congress and BJP lost their credentials for different reasons.Something new should be happened.It's high time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalMarch 18, 2018 at 4:47 PM

      True, neither of the two parties enjoys credibility. But who is capable of starting a new party?

      Delete
  4. UnknownMarch 19, 2018 at 9:59 PM

    Sir, your writeups are really impressive. We are a law portal www.legalbites.in Kindly send me your contact details at contact@legalbites.in

    ReplyDelete

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