Are we faltering as a nation and its future? Every time with the approach of elections we see explosive conditions polarising communities over any and issue. This time too, with Gujarat and Himachal elections, various pretexts have been enlivened to be exploited and pursued to support each party’s hidden manifestations.
The timing of attacks on Padmavati is an example. There are no two Padmavatis and the fact that the story line was on the enigmatic Chittor queen was not unknown. All protesting parties should have sought the storyline from the producers of the film well in advance, rather than to cause the issue to magnify as a slight to the great Rajput queen. The censor board is being pushed into greater irrelevance as anyone can move court to stall a film, theatres showing the film could be ransacked and the artists trolled and threatened. The lawlessness could not have been worse.
The Patidar circus, performed by its leader Hardik Patel, who has been propped up both by BJP and the Congress. One end the nation wants to propel itself in the global map, on the other, its people fighting to be declared backward and quotas reserved. The Jats are quite now and will, I am sure, rise before 2019. Rajasthan’s reservation has been cancelled by the courts and Telengana is bending backwards to appease its minority vote bank by granting more than permissible quantum of quotas. What would have been Hardik’s movement, if both BJP and Congress, in the national interest decided to shun any overtures from the Patidar movement?
We have taught our children their caste. Save in urban cities, where caste could be irrelevant with economic and social status leading precedence over the former, the rural India is steeped in castes and khaps. Meritorious students must compete with below average students who still score high or get preference, be it in admission in educational institutions or while being employed. With the result, India has questionable quality of leaders in all fields. The centuries of oppression and exclusion should be addressed in the primary levels of education only.
The fun is the large palette called India. Despite pinpricks of such kind, the nation moves ahead. It could have been faster had we tried to erase irritants, intolerance and braved to put merit above anything else.
I shudder to think, what fanatical designs are on the drawing table for the 2019 elections!
Sampath Kumar
Interpidé voix