Opinion

Disturbing Overtones . . .

Let us face it. The country is at serious cross roads. Political systems and governance have reached a point of no return and the nadir of degradation. Corruption has not only gone beyond limits but has touched all issues of our way of life.

The recent coalgate scandal is not only shameful it violates the basic financial code of conduct that is to be followed by all government offices and bureaus. Outspoken voices are gagged, any accusation against politicians is not tolerated, the opposition parties keep on harping on the same issues which they are not free from as well.

So whom do we absolve from such a situation? We claim that the youth forms the majority of the country, we look towards them with hope but they are obviously a disgruntled lot and their voices are attempted to be suppressed.

Look at the example of Aseem Trivedi. He has promised to fight it out to the last. And mind you he has supporters. The anti-corruption movement by Anna Hazare and his team did have its drawbacks, some mavericks were involved, but that is also being sought to be suppressed.

Any diatribe against politicians will not be tolerated and they seem to be very united on this issue. Ironically it is this which has created a common platform for them, just telling them that many of them are good for nothing. It is high time that electoral reforms when it comes to contesting elections are drastically made.

Again, the situation in North East India warrants immediate attention; here too politicians and rightist groups have played a dubious role. The entire crisis in the Bodo areas of Assam has been made out to be an ethnic or anti Muslim issue. We all know that this is not fully true. Our memories are short, we forget that in the last decade and even before that there have been internecine fights between the different communities living there over the question of land and property. Yet some political parties and their cohorts have been quick to see the current problem as an opportunity to attack Islamic communities. This has a dangerous portent, and we also forget that in the recent past rightist elements have conducted orchestrated violence against the Christian Community.

Education which should be a priority is in doldrums. Despite, all the talk about Right To Education we do not see the results and the government must come out with a white paper on this very sensitive issue, which if properly tackled will put the country on the right road to social revival and egalitarianism.

The first issue that must be addressed here is the problem of child labour and street children who work under compulsive situations and they should be in school. In fact, special schools should be set up for them to facilitate their initial learning. We should be aware of the fact that subtle forces in the name of religion and Hinduism or a pan Indian (read Hindu) are all set to wreck the country and disintegrate it.

Contrary to what people think the situation in North East India has improved greatly - Mizoram and Tripura are peaceful, so is Sikkim, and Assam is moving towards an understanding of peace. There is of course an uneasy quiet in Nagaland but unless we see the problems in Nagaland related to that of Manipur there will be no solution. One part of Meghalaya is by and large peaceful but the Garo Hills continue to remain disturbed, basically because of its social, economic and educational backwardness. No matter how much we talk about 21st century and IT, and the encomiums we heap upon it there can be no development without peace. And, the concomitants of peace are education and social development which is also economic development and, the egalitarianism of societies.
 

17-Sep-2012

More by :  Ananya S Guha

Top | Opinion

Views: 3447      Comments: 1



Comment So true. I often wonder why we continue to be subservient to those who have continued to look the nation for decades and yet put up their dirt smeared faces on TV and written media. Any advertisement even to bury a dead cattle many happily appear in the media. Cartoonists are lampooned. When these ministers, babus and MLAs have looted the nation and people like us who continue to pay for their salaries and comfort- with no contribution to the welfare of the nation.
YET WE CALL THEM this is disgraceful.

we are and will be better off if we do not see their dirty old faces. To begin with morning papers continue printing disgusting stories of their sordid and dishonorable acts. virinder oberoi

VIRINDER OBEROI
19-Sep-2012 09:07 AM




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