By Sukriti Roy:
The General Elections of 2014 promise to be an interesting one. There is the clash between the NDA and UPA, there is the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party on the national scenario, and there is also the possibility of a third front which is going to have a crucial role to play in the magic number of 272 seats in the Lok Sabha.
A month has passed since the formation of the Aam Admi Party’s government in Delhi. Much work done? Obviously it would not be correct to judge their performance so soon. Kejriwal and his team have been under constant scrutiny and criticism. Some of the controversies that have engulfed the state government have brought a bad name to it.
But with the AAP bashing being the latest trend right now, people have forgotten to talk about the communal fascism (led by BJP and Modi) and the possibility of the corrupt UPA assuming power again.
It isn’t about endorsing Kejriwal or his party here. Yes, he is turning out to be an “anarchist” if not a “populist” and his performance report card might not be impressive. But that is no reason to criticize and mock him with all guns blazing directly at him. He has proved all his detractors wrong by winning the Delhi state elections. It is a well known fact that winning elections is one thing and efficient governance is something completely different all together. He now needs to ensure good governance. It is proving to be a hard task for him but nevertheless, we can still give him one chance.
The question to think about is whether we have run out of better options. Yes, Modi might have got a clean chit from the Court for his alleged role in the Godhra Riots, but that is not enough to convince the minorities that the BJP would not engage in divisive politics after it comes to power. The party has also made its stand clear on Article 377 of the Indian Penal Code, much to the hatred of the LGBTQI community. Time and again, the sensitive topic of building the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is raked in order to appease the Hindu population of the country. The minorities are in no mood to take a chance .
It’s not as if the BJP is the only trouble-maker, the UPA isn’t any good either. It’s probably pointless to write about how corrupt it has proven to be time and again. To add salt to injury, Rahul Gandhi is in no manner able to impress the electorate of this country. He gives his first interview so many years after entering into politics, but only ends up repeating the same four or five points again and again . He definitely made a laughing stock of himself on national television.
What needs to be done? It is pretty evident that BJP is riding high on the supposed “NaMo” wave. The minorities might vote for the Congress party only to keep BJP away from power. The supposed Third Front is making all efforts to avoid the BJP and the Congress both, from coming into power. They do not hold any good prospects for the country too.
Everybody wants to win the elections in any which way possible. That is their only concern. The welfare of the people doesn’t really concern the politicians much. Instead of constantly criticizing a particular political party, it is time we seriously think about our choices and cast our votes accordingly.