The celebration of Vishwakarma, the Hindu engineer god, who followed the Gregorian calendar and on Sep 17 each year, strangely decided to postpone it by a day. Maybe, he too has given in to the national quest to change over from Western influence, culture and traditions, topping on it the language.
Be that as it may, I must be back on two issues, which the Home Minister Amit Shah has opened up, stirring up a hornet’s nest. One, over Hindi as the preferred national and official language. The second, the benefits of a one-party rule.
Amit Shah might have pleased his north Indian vote bank, but India has a Southern part too, the aspirations of which need to be respected. Next what, will we touch upon food and insist that the nation must eat the same food, because ‘you are what you eat?’ The beauty of India of being a specimen of ‘Unity in diversity’ should not be frittered away by short-sighted policies. Hindi has grown, even in the ever-opposing Tamil Nadu, as a part of natural evolution. Pan India jobs, Central government postings, and the quiet activity of Rashtra Basha Prachar Sabha. Rather than force-fed, the adoption is organic.
Nothing can be impossible than a one-party suggestion. There have already been whispers over no elections beyond 2024, though rubbished as a whiff of imagination by the ruling party leaders. Even in the US, besides the two major political parties, The Republicans and the Democrats, there are 44 minor parties. There are even frivolous parties like the ‘Guns and Dope party’ and ‘Rent is too damn high party’ among a few others.
India has at present eight national parties, though the national status of many could be ending following lesser representation in the current Lok Sabha, which includes Trinamul Congress, BSP and the CPI. There are 52 state parties, which include AAP, AIADMK, Biju Janata Dal, DMK, National Conference, RJD, Shiv Sena and YSR. Besides these, there are 47 unrecognized parties like Amra Bangali, Welfare party, GNLF, Hindu Sena etc.
While a duopolistic two-party democracy could be an ideal option, to contain mushrooming of parties everywhere, growth of state parties like TMC, AIADMK or DMK, BJD, RJD, Shiv Sena, NC or PDP, Telugu Desam, Telangana Congress have changed the profile of politics in India. All these parties, many opposed and incompatible with each other would be impossible to structure as a unified entity.
Senior leaders from BJP and ministers like Amit Shah must not whip up passions and convert India into a war zone, branding every opponent as an anti-national. I wish Shah visits south more often to understand and relish the beauty of a civilization as old, but different. The success is in strengthening the bond of unity and not create needless impediments.
The idea of a two-party system still should be debated. One party is laughable!
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
