'WHO THE NEXT P.M.?'

SANJOG MAHESHWARI

- WHO THE NEXT P.M.?-

-SANJOG MAHESHWARI

The general elections are on us. While as of now, BJP is having a clear edge over the Congress Party- its nearest or rather only -rival in the electoral race, the party will be well advised not to let its guards down as the latter has unfailingly demonstrated its uncanny ability to turn the table on the former in such matters at the eleventh hour- the BJP’s Delhi Assembly election debacle is still fresh in the public memory.

In the run-up of the general elections, the events unfolding also do not portend well for the Party. The President rubbished the Chief Election Commissioner’s recommendations for the removal of Mr. Navin Chawla. Come 20^th April, with the change of guards at Nirvaachan Bhawan, he gets elevated to the post of the Chief Election Commissioner, with the incumbent Chief retiring on the day. And whether the BJP likes it or not CBI, is not as independent an agency, as it is projected. There are other well-known factors also- do not require specific mention- that inhibit the party’s chances to the winning post. Add to them the Congress’s proven capability to spike the guns and you get the picture.

There are, however, many important firsts to the credit of the B.J.P. leadership. It is the first time ever that any leader of eminence has so emphatically made known his commitment to bring back trillions of black money parked by Indians in the foreign banks. The first time that some concern has been shown about rampant corruption, illegal immigration particularly of Bengladeshis and, combating terrorism in a determined and not half-hearted manner. And the first time ever that a prime-ministerial candidate proposed an American model debate on T.V. among the aspirants to the highest post thereby ushering in a very healthy and relevant tradition for all times to come. In fact, there should be series of debates to enable people to judge: “Who is the best?” Talking about development is easy. Root out the corruption and the development will follow automatically, as the day follows the night, without the government doing anything about it. Given the corruption-free environment, we, the people of India, are capable of bringing it about even without any assistance from the Government. Our contribution in this regard has been recognized and rewarded in the alien countries like the U.S of America. There is no reason why we cannot enact the feat here in our country provided, of course, the government ensures a zero-corruption environment. What, however, baffles one and all: Why the B.J.P. is not demonstrating the same zeal and determination to combat the mother of the most, if not all, of our most besetting problems: ‘the burgeoning population’ in the way China has done it? In fact, no political party has ever taken a very serious view of it, much as it deserves, ever since independence with the result that to our great horror and dismay, each year a Australia gets added to our population. Further, while the ever widening, yawning gap, gets wider by the day, between ‘the haves’ and ‘the have-nots’ no serious plan is on the agenda of any party to change the scenario and bring about an equitable distribution of wealth. However, for the obvious reasons, the B.J.P is seen as the only political party willing to and capable of tackling the horrific problem of terrorism- both home-grown and imported – effectively thereby ensuring maximum possible security to the people. Ditto to the other two maladies mentioned above.

Writing in his ‘Malice’ Column in the Hindustan Times, the veteran journalist Khushwant Singh broached the tricky subject: “Who the Next P.M.?” (Malice Column H.T. 28^th March). In his inimitable style, while saying otherwise, he has been more revealing in concealing the fact that the B.J.P is nearer to the winning post. He, however, attempts to drive home, rather convincingly, the home truth when he says, “A factor which may have a decisive impact on the relative electoral fortunes of the Congress party and the BJP will be the publication of the long-delayed Liberhan Commission Report…………” “.It will be like a time bomb: its explosion on the eve of the elections may swing the fortunes……….” Here Mr. Singh can hardly be blamed for being “off-the-mark.”

No doubt, the BJP presently is having a fairly good edge over the Congress party in this do or die battle of ballots -all reports suggesting to the contrary incessantly aired by the obviously biased electronic media and routinely flashed across the headlines in all the major National dailies; not withstanding. The electronic media in particular and the print media in general, barring a few exceptions, seem sold-out and as such their reports should be taken with loads of salt. However, the Congress leadership, that is past master in the art of springing surprises at the appropriate time and place, may get the balance tilted in its favour, slamming the chances of quite a few BJP hopefuls at the eleventh hour. And these surprises could be either in the form of a damning Liberhan Commission Report and/ or some other damaging revelation(s), not necessarily true, though otherwise, sufficiently packed with powerful punches. The Congress party could be keeping its “Brahmastras” for the right moment- the time bombs cleverly timed to explode on the eve of elections to the great chagrin and consternation of, till then, an upbeat BJP leadership. Thus, the possibility of the BJP winning quite a few battles yet losing the war can not entirely be ruled out and the party should, in its own interests, has to be very cautious till the final step at the winning post. The caution does not cost but saves from unpleasant surprises.

While on the subject a look at the big picture would be in order. In case, contrary to all expectations, the Congress party wins, it may not be the end of all the surprises and suspense. The proclaimed P.M choice of the party, Dr. Man Mohan Singh may not run or allowed to run his full term. Sooner than expected, he could be replaced by the crown prince Rahul Gandhi; when in a surprise move, the Doctor, not quite unexpectedly, may quit on health grounds, paving way for the waiting-in-the-wings, hopeful to ascend the thrown. Of course, the sacrifice is not likely to go unrewarded. A high-profile lucrative foreign assignment for his loyalty to the family could be waiting for him up for grabs.

In this context it would be pertinent to mention that right from the day one it was abundantly clear that this system of democratic governance is totally incapable of delivering good and clean governance. The things, however, have been getting bad to worse by the day for the common man who has now lost all faith in the system. On an earlier occasion also, Mr. Singh in his column, alluded to the similar opinion expressed by some serious political thinkers, including the past leaders and M.Ps , in an interview session claimed to have conducted by him in which they advocated replacing of this debased Westminster type of Parliamentary democracy by the American model of Presidential system. The sooner it is done, the better it would be for the health and well being of Indian democracy and the common citizenry. How can several century old system of democratic governance, that is just about okay for a small island country like England, work without yielding negative results and disastrous consequences for the common citizenry in a country like India, which is more than ten times both in size and population of England and having a completely different social order and set-up, polity and a plural societal structure? So far as our country is concerned, in the backdrop of vastly changed circumstances and times, this system can possibly be used only for the constitution of Gram Panchaayats or Gram Sabhas but certainly not for constituting institutions like Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies. Since the proposed big change runs counter to the deeply entrenched self-interests of every politician, they shiver at the very thought of it; let alone getting it replaced by the American model. The intelligentsia and the common citizenry must, therefore, suffer in silence.

The common men who have already suffered too much and for too long, are a totally disillusioned lot now. Should Pappu then be blamed, if he demonstrates his anger, anguish, resentment and revolt against the system and shows his total disapproval of it by the only way he perhaps knows and can: not casting his vote at all? (Still there is no provision for a NEGATIVE VOTE “None of the above” button in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). His grouse is not against any particular politician or political party but the system itself, the inbuilt mechanism of which, has successively denied him the clean and efficient government so far and so long, thereby making his life more and more miserable by the day. This system ensures that the best man does not run. The question of his winning does not arise at all.

All our politicians are not corrupt and inefficient but the system makes them so. Contrast it by the American model where without a single exception, every successive President incessantly strove hard and fast, to the best of his ability, to promote and safeguard the interests of America and Americans, caring two hoots for what the rest of the world thought about him; bowed out of the office and vacated the White House for his successor to occupy on the fixed date, after remaining in the office and in the White House for his fixed term of four years only, unless otherwise elected for just another fixed term of equal duration at the end of which he must go for good; howsoever brilliant, efficient and capable he may be.

The former President George Bush, the then incumbent of the highest and the mightiest office in the world, is helpless before the American law and looks the other way while his daughter cools her heels behind the prison bars for the offense of drunken-driving. That is the rule of democracy in the real sense of the word; ours can at best be called ‘ Mobocracy’ or ‘Mobocrazy’, if I am permitted to coin the latter term to define what exactly the political climate of our country is.

-SANJOG MAHESHWARI