Whom should Indians vote for?
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Whom should Indians vote for? |
By Justice Markandey Katju
I have often been asked by Indians whom they should vote for in the coming parliamentary elections
My reply has always been : vote for whichever thug you like, for they are all thugs.
All political parties in India are a bunch of mafia type crooks and scoundrels, and almost all Indian politicians are rogues, rascals, looteers, and deceivers, who should have been hanged long ago. They have no genuine love for the people but are only interested in power and pelf. They are also experts in manipulating caste and communal vote banks by polarising society and spreading caste or communal hatred, in order to get votes.
Some say we should vote for the lesser evil. But which is the lesser evil ? Is it Congress, which looted India for half a century, and in whose last 10 years in office ( from 2004-2014 under the UPA) scam followed scam, not of crores of rupees but of lacs of crores, and which got Sikhs massacred in 1984 ? Their 'secularism' is only with an eye to get Muslim votes
Or is it the BJP, which has polarised India, saffronised all institutions, and spread the communal virus everywhere?
Or the smaller parties, like SP, RJD, JDU, etc which operate on caste basis, and through the Bihar caste census want to further divide India?
https://writerscafeteria.com/guest-blogging/bihar-caste-census/
The test of every political activity and every political system is one and only one : does it raise the standard of living of the people? Does it give them better lives?
We no doubt have fundamental rights in our Constitution. But poverty is destructive of all rights. What do liberty, freedom of speech, etc mean to a person who is poor, hungry and/or unemployed? They mean nothing.
From that perspective, it is obvious that change of political parties or political leaders will matter little to the people. Their sorry plight will remain as it was before. Poverty, unemployment, malnourishment, lack of healthcare and good education etc will continue unabated.
It is only a mighty united protracted historical people's struggle, rising above caste and communal barriers, in which great sacrifices have to be made, and led by patriotic, selfless, modern-minded leaders who are determined to create a just political and social order in which all our people get decent lives, which can bring prosperity to India.
As to when this process will begin, how will it be conducted, how long will it last, who will be its modern-minded patriotic leaders, etc no one can foretell. One cannot be rigid about historical forms. The enlightened sections of society will have to use all their creativity to solve these problems
But without it, we will remain condemned to live in poverty, hunger and misery. Elections and votes mean nothing.
(Justice Katju is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India. These are his personal views.)
