Can Someone Assure a Change for Better in Bihar?
Posted : May 31, 2005 at 8:39 pm [IST]
A fresh assembly election is almost certain rather now fixed for sometime in Oct./Nov of this year. PIL or Supreme Court can’t change the condition of Bihar. Even the UPA government and its governor will hardly come to any rescue for the people of Bihar. It is left to the people to bring a change that just thinks of the economic growth of Bihar only and nothing else. It can only happen, if the people start seeing the election totally isolated from community or caste bias. But how can it be done? Here is a road map.
Can the people get the opportunists in politics, who have been shifting parties for personal gains weeded out?
Can the intelligentsia and student community play a role?
Can media take up the responsibility and play its role of doing investigative reporting about the candidates and their family members fairly?
Can the people ensure that the criminals are kept out side the election process, if not by the law by the social pressure?
Can the government, its police and the judiciary ensure that all the local criminals and dons of every area be put behind the bar or extradite them?
Can the candidates be made to take public vow that they will not talk about community and caste favor?
Can the people take a pledge that they will not give a chance to those who have not done anything for the development of their region during last two or three times that they had been elected?
Can the people take a vow from the candidate that they will remain in the constituency whenever the assembly is not in session and oversee the development work?
Can each of the candidates declare the specific details of plan of work that they will get carried in his constituency on yearly basis?
Can the people take a promise from the candidate that they will resign if they can’t achieve the targeted promise?
Can the people demand the withdrawal of governmental protection to all politicians and make them go unprotected to the public? Why should they be afraid of their own life once they have opted for public life and if they have not harmed anyone?
Many of the questions may be awkward, but can there be a debate on these questions before election?
If there are alliances, will the people insist for getting the alliance registered along with common minimum program before election and ensure that they can’t differ on the issues before the expiry of the term of the assembly and break the alliance causing the fall of the government?
And as a last but not the least requirement, let each candidate take an oath in the name of Bihar that they will do every thing in their means to make Bihar a place of pride to live in and not anything to tarnish its image. Once they have chosen the path of public service they must keep them out of ‘the profit’ motive in this business. This business expects only sacrifice, sacrifice, and sacrifice with service, service, and service.
Another fair thing would have been to ban of the tainted ministers in the government today from campaigning. Their campaign will otherwise project the success examples for wrong doers in public minds. On the same line, Modi of Gujarat and Togadias and Singhals would have been out of the campaign.
If the people of Bihar can’t answer these questions, another billion or more of the public money will go down the drain and may be in some pockets that could have been better utilized.
Will the democracy find a way to save Bihar? Let us see how the people decide.
- Indra
Category: Indian politics |
Leave a Comment