This article is written by Deepshikha Agarwal
Before I start the article I would request all my readers to please take a moment of silence for the fallen face of Congress. My condolences to Rahul Gandhi for being rejected as the prime ministerial candidate by the apex decision making body of his party. May the soul of his dreams to rule the nation Rest In Peace. Amen.
Now, on a more serious note, as the lok sabha elections draw near we all are getting curios as to who will form the next Government. This is THE debate everywhere. Some are quite sure of the outcome while some are still confused.
BJP v/s AAP v/s Congress.
Who do you think has a fair chance this time?
Arvind Kejriwal is quite convinced that the fight is between AAP and BJP and that Congress is pretty much out of the race.
NaMo (Narendra Modi) is going strong and making impressive speeches. Arvind Kejriwal is working hard in Delhi. Rahul Gandhi … well … he is trying to accept the defeat.
However what are the strengths and weaknesses of all these strong parties we keep hearing about? How do we decide who will be our choice?
Let’s begin with Namo. As can be seen, he is going strong and winning many hearts by making strong promises and speeches. His achievements are evident from the transformation he has brought about in the state of Gujarat. He has taken his state to the path of phenomenal development and economic growth. He is praised for being business friendly which not only helped in developing Gujarat but also win the vote of the industry. He has been called a workaholic. Some are firm believers of the fact he will bring development, growth and change in the economy as never before. Recently he has promised to change the taxation system in India altogether which according to him is a “burden on common man”. Other promises made by him included bringing back Indian money stashed abroad, action against those who own black money and make India a corruption-free nation.
However being a little sceptical, I still doubt his Hindutva policies. After all he still does carry the burden of the 2002 riots. He is constantly criticised for polarising public opinion and called the “maut ka saudagar” (Merchant of Death). He is also known to be an autocrat. He takes quick decisions without taking inputs from others. All I can wish for is that if he does in fact becomes the Prime Minister, he does not let history repeat and India does not go through periods of communal riots again.
Now coming to Congress, we have all seen how “well” congress has served the nation in the past 10 years. Although fact remains that India experienced one of its highest rates of growth in the period from 2004-2008 (9.4% of GDP growth) after Congress came to power, India has also been subjected to one of its worse downfalls in the past couple of years. Inflation has risen to a double digit number, current account deficit has risen, growth rates have slumped and rupee has experienced terrible slides. On the social front, corruption and crime is at its peak. Rapes, black money, corrupt MPs, usage of tax money in the name of study tour for leisure rides etc are a common phenomenon.
International relations have suffered. There have been continuous cease fire violations at the LoC and Government seems to be doing nothing about it. Our PM is mute as Pakistan is happily attacking our national borders. Disappointments are many. Solutions? None.
However, there have been developments too and all is not gloom. Recently, Lok pal bill was cleared and so was the Food security bill. Many fast track courts were set in India since the popular protest after the 16 December rape case. How much of this was done in the wake of elections is hard to judge but I believe the nation is now tired of Congress and change is the call by one and all.
Lastly, we have the AAP. Not much needs to be said about it. Too many articles, news channels and debates are covering the successes and failures of the AAP. However, in brief, after a phenomenal performance in Delhi elections, Arvind Kejriwal took pledge as the chief minister of Delhi. He has fulfilled many of promises like providing free water, subsidising electricity, providing temporary shelter to the homeless, setting up helpline numbers, janta darbars (which was an epic failure by the way)etc. However, in the light of some recent events it pinches me to say I have been disappointed by Mr Kejriwal’s take on governance. His open protest on the streets against the Home Minister and the Delhi Police may not really project the right image of governance. Protest does not have to be a solution always and it does disrupt work in many ways like blocking major metro stations in the city for example, which did cause inconvenience for the “aam aadmi”.
2014 is going to be an interesting year from political point of view. Interesting politicians with interesting agendas. Hopefully, the right Government will be chosen and we will see a better tomorrow!!
