Overheard – “These are times of political opportunism, religious intolerance and scholastic Puritanism – and they can be construed as provocative and insensitive.”

Due to certain recent political developments like the emergence of AAP with elections around the corner; the new formed political party that threatens to fracture the electorate and to unleash the most chaotic times in the near future; the atmosphere in India is charged with more contempt and cynicism and rife with fright and fear of hope.

As those political parties which have failed to deliver basic services to the people of India over the last 65 years of its Independence shout that corruption and development are key issues; they are obviously met with mistrust and disbelief because the blatancy of their lies is offensive.

Meanwhile the media, the fourth estate putting itself out to add to the discord has no choice but to feed its hungry audience at the least one scapegoat every single day; and a celebrity victim makes most exciting headlines as well as brings rich dividends in terms of viewership; also keeping the people of India in a state of excitement with the twists and hooks that reality has to offer.

But the truth is that so volatile is the atmosphere today that those leaders and the prosperous that fall prey to the witch hunt, end up alone, ostracized and up against the moral police, bereft of all support systems and friends.

Because of the many well known men of image and stature that found themselves entrapped amidst the frenzy over the last few years, be it Lalit Modi, Gurunath Meyyapan, Suresh Kalmadi or Kanimozi, or recently like Tarun Tejpal and Sahara Shri Subroto Roy; the nation has silently adapted to a culture wherein people at large now pretend and say only what is acceptable; and avoid any brush with the controversial; therefore the truth invariably remains buried under layers of lies and the absurd.

The paradox is that poster boys and girls sometimes behind bars and sometimes underground keep issues alive; corruption, inequality and human justice that which suits political leaders in rivalry; that which deludes people that action is being taken against those who perpetuate evil, but ironically, neither do social indicators reflect progress, nor point towards any change.

Corruption continues to grow, there is an eerie tolerance for inequality and justice is available to only those who can afford it.

Here, in India, when framing laws, our parliamentarians have played with danger time and again.

Different sections of our society have opposed the introduction of contemporary value systems to the status quo in India’s recent history.

They have collectively imposed their traditional will upon decision making; because of which many a government has had to concede to an orthodox morality driven social practices overriding constitutional franchise of the individual; and thus having compromised fundamental rights of the liberals.

Our so called leaders who have consistently fuelled vote bank politics, have time and again buckled under pressure of sectarian command and therefore provided licence to the coexistence of personal laws dictated by religious sections, along with civil laws.

The last sixty five years post our independence; India has struggled far more than it did for its own freedom. Divisions have created fissures in cultures and the reservations of various minorities have lead to a third generation of India’s youth turning rebellious towards their own system and state.

With 80 crore young first time voters in the upcoming elections, there is no way that any pre poll analysis can predict what is about to come.

Rahul Gandhi is out on an aggressive mission to demolish Modi, maybe a tad too late, but never mind; and Modi is racing ahead from one rally to another, promising development which as a matter of fact, camouflages his truths and his  tenets in the RSS. Kejriwal and his boys and girls on the other hand are on a mission to decimate the present political matrix; to ring in the new.

Let us admit then, that this year it is not for every citizen of India to exercise his or her franchise, but it is for every individual to participate in an interactive show that will last till the day before he/she casts her vote casting and the result of these elections is what is going to bring us closer to the beginning of the much awaited new day in Indian politics.

I pray that the day is not too far when, we have a system that allows each of its states to deliver to their people on their own, without the ruling governments’ in each of their capitals having to depend on a coalition led centre; and that the sun rises upon such a time which gives the right to the people of India to frame their own laws; and create their own conventions for justice.