HP Assembly elections 2017: Will anything change for the better?

The HP assembly elections are round the corner. The climax is gradually building up. While our hill state basks in the glory of silvery autumnal sunshine of October-November, soon, very soon, political temperature will begin to soar…it already has, in fact. Loud cacophony packed with abuse and counter abuse, mutual mudslinging, accusations and counter accusations, lies and damn lies by the rival parties and contestants will split our ears and pollute our clear skies and clean air. Sheer propaganda lacking any substance will be unleashed on the credulous masses to divert attention and focus from the real issues that dog our state. The outgoing government will sing tuneless, jarring songs of “stupendous development” during its tenure and dish out reams of misleading statistical data and figures. The opposition will go all out to pull its leg and enlist govt failures in a mindless counter offensive just for the sake of opposing. Thus the slanging match will go on and on. Charges of corruption, money laundering, scams will be hurled at each other. But as you know very well, the leaders across the political spectrum have mastered the art of skulduggery and subterfuge. Howsoever serious and even if  under judicial scrutiny, they will wash off the taint of charges with  standard excuses and phrases like “political vendetta”, “political vengeance”– as if we are all fools – instead of coming out with credible point by point rebuttal of each and every charge that has been slapped  on them. And I repeat, this applies to all and not any single party or individual leader.

Further, as we can see, the political ‘biggies’ will ensure that  excepting very few noble exceptions, the bunch of men and women they will field from their respective parties for elections are known not so much for their merit, education, capability, vision or zeal for public good but one single criterion: loyalty to the supremo and the high command. Fielding candidates of mediocrity and of relatively low calibre is a win-win situation for the mighty lords who control the reins of power in their own political parties. Because then none of them will pose an existential threat to the ‘throne’ and fiefdom and thus the ‘dynastic principle’ will stay on and perpetuate itself. Not that leaders imbued with dynamism, dare and righteousness are not there. But in this rotten political system geared toward promoting mediocrity and chamchagiri, where is the scope for such leaders to take the lead?  Another unmistakable aspect has been and would be the caste factor. Candidates will be picked up for fighting elections on sheer caste calculations of the constituency rather than the suitability of the candidate to deliver on development of the area. Thus, yet again, the venom of casteism and regionalism will be injected into the psyche of the janta who otherwise want to get over with such kind of fissiparous thoughts and want to live in a harmonious, inclusive environment of आपसी भाईचारा and सदभाव. Then when the D-day will approach near, despite EC’s watchful eye, carloads of money and gallonfuls of liquor will be used on the sly to woo and win the voters.

What will again be missing in these elections?

A reasoned, cogent debate on the real issues and problems that confront the state.

A mutually agreed upon ‘common minimum programme’ for sustainable,  holistic development of the state that will be carried out irrespective of whichever  party assumes power.

How enlightening and wonderful it would be if the big leaders, or in other words the potential chief ministerial candidates of both the Congress and the BJP, volunteer themselves for a free and open debate on “the agenda of development for HP” on some credible national TV channel: NDTV for instance with Ravish Kumar, the suave but straight and fearless anchor, to moderate the debate. Let Ravish ask them hard questions on their respective vision, goals and the blueprint for development (and even on charges of corruption) and let the viewing public evaluate who has the better vision and the wherewithal to deliver. But I assure you none of them will ever dare do it. Hoodwinking the masses and feeding them on false hopes and promises is a far easier option, isn’t it? Further, sadly, none of the leaders or the parties will ever speak about preserving the rapidly declining ‘green cover’; of credible measures and safeguards against the natural calamities and catastrophes happening  with increasing frequency and intensity year after year as a result of degrading ecology and climate change.

Thus another batch of legislators will take over to enjoy power and fat perks, public would have been fooled yet again and once again the sickly, tired, rusty, creaky mill of governance will begin to churn out its usual bland, insipid, stale stuff in an exercise of बंदरबाँट  - a school here, a tehsil there - by the ‘Mr Chief Minister’ lording over his dummies and pygmies: all in the name of ‘development’.

                

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