Politicians must stop protecting governance of 1%

rakesh-manchanda

Rakesh Manchanda | January 6, 2012



So where is the tolerance level going in the new people-to-parliament relationship? From Sadak (road side) to Sansad (parliament), from Neta (leader) to Abhineta (actor), the equation is changing fast. The American Senate wants more jobs. American politicians want to wish away their dirty unemployment at the cost of Indian Economy. The Indian parliament is not finding a fine tune connection with time management. The Lokpal bill is still rocking parliament arithmetic after 43 years. Wholesale sellout of Indian market and agriculture to Wall-Mart and Monsanto is a shameful event. Everyone in urban India seems to have a clear idea about peace and how other people should lead their lives. But no one has any idea about his own trouble-free life with endless price rise and no opportunity for dignified jobs. If government cannot generate more jobs it has no right to grab the present Indian market network and gift it to Wall-Mart and send 40 million traders out of work.

FDI has been reversed or 'retired hurt' by cabinet at the cost of no work in parliament for ten days. Attack on politicians and slap on the agriculture minister is however condemned. When a politician is slapped there is a debate in parliament and the aaam admi is sent to jail for 14 days. A village sarpanch and leader of Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal has repeatedly slapped a lady teacher, who was demanding a permanent contract and a job, at a function in Muktsar district in Punjab but parliament closes its eyes and ears on this event.

FDI may again be imposed on the traders and the farmers of India. Respect has to be earned and not demanded. Respect flows down from the top. Slap gate incidence on the honourable minister of agriculture, Sharad Pawar, has opened up the debate. One slap on the cheek gets focused million times in TV channels with media playing it again and again. Where should the aam admi go if he is angry? Shall he go to CBI or RTI? Shall he get killed as is happening to whistle blowers? Before the slap the agriculture minister tried to gag and dodge the media by saying that cotton farmers suicide is not an agriculture product but only the textile ministry can explain. The real impact of FDI is same on the traders as on the farming community. More than 2.5 lakh farmers in cotton have committed suicide since liberal policies were applied in agriculture. It appears that agriculture life instead of 'farming' shall soon be rechristened as 'pharming' (pharmacy) and then the agriculture minister shall wash off his hands saying that GM seed plan falls under the ministry of health or hinistry of industry. With the introduction of American Wall-Mart and American Monsanto the middle class traders and poor farmers shall get wiped off as already seen in America and England.

Shall we talk about anarchy and unruly behaviour in parliament and Vidhan Sabha where shoe throwing, abuses, chairs and paper weights missiles are seen in public gaze? The honourable members of parliament – If the institution of parliament and India is degraded or dishonoured, it is because of them only. The dignity of parliament has to be kept intact by its own inhabitants. Is this what netas and parliamentarians are teaching the citizens of the country? India has the highest rate of consumer price inflation among G-20 group of countries but still no discussion and no action to save Indians is seen.

After this slap-politics India is back in the usual 'slow format' of governance. Time management in parliaments, in offices, in police stations, in factories, in 'ration shops' (PDS), in courts, in panchayats and in agriculture fields needs alert attention and accountability. Correction needs to trickle down from top. Parliament remains fair but honourable parliamentarians continue to subvert laws and escape. In a country where parliament is loaded with majority of MPs who are fixers or are a blind followers of the American agriculture model, it becomes necessary to collectively understand as to how the “truth” can be rescued. “Truth” is always like oil in water, no matter how much water we add, it will always float on the top.

I feel the participatory Work Power of 99% from Sadak (factory) to Sansad needs to be strengthened more by organised lobbies, political parties and civil society in theory and practice both. This means we must also see the hidden corporate in the 'chain of survival' of parliamentarians. Corporate pay extra to CEOs who help them to hide money in Swarg called tax havens and they buy MPs to get their favours passed but keep the rest workers insecure. CEOs help investors to steal money from the 'wheel of production' and pump it in the 'wheel of speculation' or 'wheel of gamble' called stock market. Share Bazaar promises faster growth but in actual it is controlled by government-corporate-bankers nexus and steals away the hard earned money of the majority 99%. This ugly cycle now no more hidden goes on and on.

India's work and simple survival format needs to be understood and revisited. If politicians dismiss any debate on 'no work no pay' (see my Article 'No Work No Pay from PM to Peon') then they must redefine their role as Nagar Sevaks. Politicians as a role model must understand that they run a factory called factory of Tongue & Talks coordinated by eyes, ears and brain experience. This factory makes safe laws which if applied correctly can encourage more & more people and less conflicts with slap politics. Politicians at large must stop nursing the governance of 1% people and should finsh their promises made to people in time.

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