Every government degenerates when
trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only
safe depositories. -
Thomas Jefferson
Friends,
as we all know that assembly elections in Punjab are just at the door step.
Despite of a cold wave, environment is getting a warm air from winds of
parliamentary politics. We have been exercising a franchise of VOTE power on the
name of “Democracy”. Did we ever try to think upon the aspect of electoral
politics technically? As an aware citizen, we must discuss this important issue.
It is usually said that our Indian politics is “by the people, for the people
and to the people” or broadly to serve the people. Delving through last 65
years of service to the people, let us see the real face of this so called
service.
In
Punjab, mainly two political parties (Congress and Akali-BJP) have ruled the
state on the lines of “Uttar Kato Main Chadhaan”. In the race of
promises, no one remained at the back step.
Despite of all these promises and this so called development, Punjab is
still facing a huge debt crisis, large no. of farmer and working class suicides
(in last 11 years more than 10,000 suicides), increasing unemployment (48 lakh)
and some other major problems (like unavailability of drinking water,
sanitation facilities, health services, cheap quality of basic as well as
higher education) naturally resulting into protests and dharans. The
politics of Punjab is mainly caste based. The issue of development occupies a
farther seat; the prime indices for voting are caste and community. This
makes us think that the days to keep promises are far away. Were 65 years not
enough to meet all these false promises? Ironically the situation of Punjabis
seems like the “The Grates of Grinding Wheels”.
The
character of “SEWA” by the SAD
Now
the slogan given by SAD-BJP alliance’s last regime “RAAJ NHI SEWA” seems to be
contradictory after hearing so many problems. Let us see the real face of this
‘SEWA’.
-Punjab
is an agriculture dominant state. Acquiring agricultural land for MNC’s using
colonial land acquisition act does not seem to be justified. Instead of hearing
the grievances of farmers and labourers, brutal repression was done by
Akali-BJP Regime on the protesting farmers against forcible land acquisition in
Gobindpura (Distt. Mansa).
-Punjab
is facing a huge crisis of increasing unemployment. It is a sole duty of Govt.
to counter this problem. Besides solving this problem, Akali-BJP Regime is
concentrating on the point on how to repress the protesting youth. This govt.
never took necessary steps to pull out Punjab’s youth out of the hell of drugs.
-Another
surprising fact is that when center’s congress dominant UPA govt. announces a
hike in petrol, diesel prices they protest like that they are going to die if
hike is not taken back. And SAD-BJP alliance has charged more than the price of
petrol in Haryana during last 5 years.
-Akalis
(The so called champions of anti-congress front) openly supported FDI on the
lines of center’s UPA govt. by undermining more than 4 crore small traders. The
evidence is the first WALMART (in Amritsar) store was opened only during this
regime.
-In
the last 5 years, not a single organization was allowed to democratically
protest in Chandigarh. On 28 Sept. 2011, protest by 34 organizations of Punjab in
Chandigarh against Draconian Black Laws was made unsuccessful by sealing the
city and organizations were forced to block the city entrance roads. Why the
city beautiful is prohibited for Punjabis? Can’t people of Punjab protest in
the state capital? Is it just for “yes man” bureaucrats or for ruling upper
class? Are we living in Democracy? Well it seems like a Dictatorship.
-Sukhbir Singh Badal SAD chief
wants to build a Punjab on the lines of the development model of Narendra
Modi’s Gujrat. That model itself represents the fascist face of Modi and BJP. Akali
Dal which presents itself as a champion of people is in alliance with the
fascist BJP. The politics of BJP is completely based on communalism. They
encourage reactionary forces.
No doubt, Akalis
came into arena of electoral politics after struggling issues of toiling masses.
But the present condition of their alliance is matching with the dictator rule
of “Suba Sirhind”. Should we encourage this “SEWA”?
Our
dear Congress: Just another hand in same glove
The
condition of Congress led Governments was more or less the same as SAD-BJP
alliance. Congress proved it historically by showing its 65 years of repressive
rule on Indian toiling masses.
-Emergency
era of 1975 can’t be forgotten. Attack on Golden Temple in 1984 clearly showed
the attitude of congress party on minority issue. The genocide led by Congress
in 1984 after Indira’s murder exhibits its anti-minority attitude.
-The
monstrous effect of Green Revolution (clear intervention of Imperialist MNC’s
in agriculture sector) which not only forced large no. of farmers to suicide, but
also destroyed environment and eco system of Punjab. Dreadful diseases like Cancer,
Asthma (especially in the MALWA belt) are the byproduct of this so called
Revolution. Consequently, this flourished Imperialist Pharmaceutical MNC’s.
-All
of us know that congress party remain a trustworthy agent of foreign
Imperialists. The concept of day by day increasing foreign investment in core
industry, opening up of retail market to foreign MNC’s, forcible land
acquisition by doing brutal repression on protesting people etc. are
establishing Congress’s anti-people attitude.
-Education
is going out of reach of common man. This is done by systematic privatization
of education through various acts by the center’s UPA govt.
Ironically the policies of
Congress seem no different from the famous genocide organiser Mir Manu. It is
clear that both the main stream
parties knowingly behaved like ship without a compass. They addressed futile
issues and didn’t care about the main
issues of common man.
So, the issues that needs to be addressed:
-Unemployment
is consistently rising so is the number of youth addicted to drugs.
-Justified
division of water on the basis of the Riparian rights.
-Peasantry
is in deep crisis. Agriculture is no more recognized as a profitable occupation
as the costs are rising.
-Acquisition
of agricultural land should be rationalized and the colonial act should be
banished. State violence on democratically agitating people must be put to an
end.
-Ever
rising costs of the health services. Privatization of health services is the
main reason behind the issue. Government health infrastructure shall be toned
up from the very ground level.
-Lack
of quality education and increasing dropout rate of children. Higher education
is going out of the range of the common masses.
THE 3rd FRONT: Are we looking at a change?
Although the 3rd front (Sanjha Morcha)
promises to address most of the above mentioned issues, yet their understanding
on development model doesn’t seem to be different from the existing ones. PPP
chief Manpreet Badal’s formula of eliminating subsidies to the farmers seems to
move this distorted model of development involving only 10% of the people. This
pole repetitively talks about “revolution”, pro-people policies, but not to
include Anandpur Resolution in their party manifesto raises a question mark on their
intentions towards pro-people politics. The alliance of PPP with CPI, CPM
raises serious doubts about their credibility. In the past 60 years, CPI and
CPM has gradually fallen from grace. They have left the very ideology by the
virtue of which they declare themselves to be pro-people. Why PPP wants to be
in their alliance with them when in these past years they have never performed
the role critic of the govt. policies. It appears that PPP just wants to be in
power by using any means available in the election market. Even the feud of
Manpreet Badal with his cousin and uncle seems to be of this very nature i.e.
power sharing. Actually, this front is cunningly trying to catch the people’s
discontent and aggression to both the existing main poles. So we should very
careful before choosing this pole as our new choice as their talks also seem to
be hollow.
Elections: Play ground of few families?
The family nexus in all of the political parties is
apparent to each and everyone. How SAD is the personal property of Sukhbir and
Parkash Badal is clear to all. The stature of Congress on this account is not
very different. Congress is centre to what in popular culture is called
“bhai-bhatijavaad”. Tickets in these parties are mostly distributed to
relatives of influential leaders. PPP being new in the fray is yet exempted
from the illness but seems to move in the same line (even Manpreet hasn’t let
any other face in the party to be recognized as a political identity). The rest
of tickets are mainly distributed to affluent candidates. The poor has
whatsoever no say left in this arena.
The development model adopted by both the main
political parties of Punjab is irrational, unjustified and just for a small
section of people. Both the parties seem to be the same side of the coin. Their
policies basically strengthened the liberalization, globalization and
privatization under the names of Corporations and Public Private Partnerships. 65
years of practice of electoral politics proves that this type of system can only
beget anti-people policies, anti-environment policies. Prevalent politics seems
to be a gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the
rich, by promising to protect each from other. Thus these elections will only decide
that which political party would loot the people in the next 5 years. So to
make Punjab healthier, a different type of development model (human and nature
centric not profit centric) must be introduced. It is of utmost importance that
nature of electoral politics in India which is based only on caste, community,
muscle and money must be challenged and radically democratized. We appeal
that this process of democratization is not possible by vulgarity of ruling
class parties but through genuine struggles of toiling masses. Hence students
must carry on the radical tradition of pious land of Punjab and follow the
example of Banda Bahadur, Dulla Bhatti, Sarabha and Bhagat Singh.
Contact
us @: 9463154024, 9779026124