The festival of democracy is here ! The party flags and festoons and the noise and the 'sloganfest' and the shout of the the largest democracy in the world is here for the whole world to watch, see, hear and envy is here !!
The Election Commission of our country, perhaps the only and the most unbiased organisation left untouched by the political executive over the past 15 Lok Sabha elections has done all that it could to give a further boost to our credentials as a vibrant thinking democracy. On 7th of this month, the first votes will be cast. We have more than 42 days before we know the first results. As I look forward to the end result, enjoying for a day our another great religion cricket unfold it shortest version championship on 6th April in the evening, I wonder if our elected representatives will be any different than the ones who we already have? Will they have any self regulation ? I wonder.
And I think that the Election Commission has another task cut out and they must act fast. A task perhaps very much in some form or the other in our hearts but never perhaps properly, and legally perfected. A system under which all the elected representatives are forced to go back to their school days. A time when they were supposed to show their homework to the class teacher and feel concerned about on pain of punishment.
So here goes; it should be made mandatory for every elected member of Parliament to go back to their constituents every one year from the date of their election and explain to them what they have done or achieved for the constituency they have been elected to represent. Secondly, what is it that they intend to do in the following year. And, what do they intend to do for the last three years. This should be a compulsory act and any M.P. not following this constitutional obligation should be debarred from participating in the Parliamentary proceedings and certainly not allowed to vote in the proceedings. The Election Commission should frame all the rules and regulations in this regard and each M.P. elected should sign this declaration and commitment before he is handed over his election certificate. Without this declaration he should not be allowed to take the oath in the new Parliament.
A system of recall is a long standing requirement and perhaps this could be the a starting basis for that law too in the times to come.
But am I thinking like an idealist ? Perhaps.
The BJP the party which is expected to win the election and give us a new Govt. is yet to finalise its Manifesto ! The Congress Party , the Party that swears by the Constitution and the national movement ethos, give its Manifesto a mere 48 hours before the first votes are cast. And the earliest to the finishing line in this regard, and the party that is so upset with the current system also feels it important enough to finalise it just a week ago ! And these parties expect us to vote on the basis of the promises made in the Manifesto which is supposed to be discussed by the voters before they decide their vote ? OR is it that we are just going thru the motions of our great 'Dance of Democracy '?
Is it because of this non seriousness attitude towards the issues which will create a political thought process that is forcing us to believe that BJP is MODI and MODI is BJP ? That Arvind Kejriwal is AAP and AAP is Arvind Kejriwal ? and of course that SONIA - RAHUL is Congress and Congress is SONIA- RAHUL ?? Are we not going back to the helpless days of pre-emergency days when INDIA was INDIRA and INDIRA was INDIA ?? I shudder to think.
I hope the above will force some of my friends to think afresh - whatever be the result of this election.
God , be indulgent towards us, please !!
The Election Commission of our country, perhaps the only and the most unbiased organisation left untouched by the political executive over the past 15 Lok Sabha elections has done all that it could to give a further boost to our credentials as a vibrant thinking democracy. On 7th of this month, the first votes will be cast. We have more than 42 days before we know the first results. As I look forward to the end result, enjoying for a day our another great religion cricket unfold it shortest version championship on 6th April in the evening, I wonder if our elected representatives will be any different than the ones who we already have? Will they have any self regulation ? I wonder.
And I think that the Election Commission has another task cut out and they must act fast. A task perhaps very much in some form or the other in our hearts but never perhaps properly, and legally perfected. A system under which all the elected representatives are forced to go back to their school days. A time when they were supposed to show their homework to the class teacher and feel concerned about on pain of punishment.
So here goes; it should be made mandatory for every elected member of Parliament to go back to their constituents every one year from the date of their election and explain to them what they have done or achieved for the constituency they have been elected to represent. Secondly, what is it that they intend to do in the following year. And, what do they intend to do for the last three years. This should be a compulsory act and any M.P. not following this constitutional obligation should be debarred from participating in the Parliamentary proceedings and certainly not allowed to vote in the proceedings. The Election Commission should frame all the rules and regulations in this regard and each M.P. elected should sign this declaration and commitment before he is handed over his election certificate. Without this declaration he should not be allowed to take the oath in the new Parliament.
A system of recall is a long standing requirement and perhaps this could be the a starting basis for that law too in the times to come.
But am I thinking like an idealist ? Perhaps.
The BJP the party which is expected to win the election and give us a new Govt. is yet to finalise its Manifesto ! The Congress Party , the Party that swears by the Constitution and the national movement ethos, give its Manifesto a mere 48 hours before the first votes are cast. And the earliest to the finishing line in this regard, and the party that is so upset with the current system also feels it important enough to finalise it just a week ago ! And these parties expect us to vote on the basis of the promises made in the Manifesto which is supposed to be discussed by the voters before they decide their vote ? OR is it that we are just going thru the motions of our great 'Dance of Democracy '?
Is it because of this non seriousness attitude towards the issues which will create a political thought process that is forcing us to believe that BJP is MODI and MODI is BJP ? That Arvind Kejriwal is AAP and AAP is Arvind Kejriwal ? and of course that SONIA - RAHUL is Congress and Congress is SONIA- RAHUL ?? Are we not going back to the helpless days of pre-emergency days when INDIA was INDIRA and INDIRA was INDIA ?? I shudder to think.
I hope the above will force some of my friends to think afresh - whatever be the result of this election.
God , be indulgent towards us, please !!
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