Sharrayu Aroskar

While apparently majority of the nation celebrates the coming of a stable government at the center, a sizeable fraction is also disappointed with the results. Though it is always true that the voting population is the one that selects the government we have seen an unexpected wipe out of the BJP from larger states in India. The election this time was fought on grounds of good governance, development and security by the BJP. There was a new hope and “Hindutva”  was tried to be placed in the right perspective of “su-rajya” and equality. In spite this and many more efforts, there was a short fall at all levels. From top brass of the party to an average BJP supporter all of us have something to learn from this. Keeping that retrospection discussion aside, it’s really important to understand what the majority of the population that went to the ballot box really voted for or for that matter did they understand what and whom they have voted for?

No doubt that people have understood the importance of getting a stable government at the center and have trusted the capability of the Congress to do so. The smaller regional parties have been largely shown a red card in national politics.

People have also accepted dynasty politics over meritorious selection. This election has proved that Congress as a party belongs largely to the Gandhi’s and there is very little that can be achieved without a Gandhi family in high office.

Sonia Gandhi’s pro-poor and social tending policies and declaration of them at the right time has as an answer to the Indian population’s short memory proved to be a boon. People saw Congress as an “aam aadmi” savior once again. People have chosen to see the political leader taking trips to the poor, spending nights in a hut whether or not even a city like Mumbai is facing power outages and the economy is making even a middle class lifestyle difficult to sustain.

People have given a loud and clear “OK” to a foreign origin leadership over five decades of committed service to the nation.

People have given in to advertising and media hype about the Congress.

People have ignored the Congressionalisation of the independent positions and organizations in this country. Right from the Indian President to Navin Chawla of the election commission all are pro-Congress entities. CBI’s misuse to either cool or heat up cases against Mayawati, declaration of Jagdish Tytler’s  clean chit by the C.B.I just before the elections or for that matter nullifying the red corner notice against Quatarochi right during election campaigns has been ignored by the people over their daily woes of water, food shelter and a respectable leaving.

People have accepted building of more IIT’s without right infrastructure, people have accepted the reservation in premier institutions and people have accepted to ignore the woes of the defense personal. People have accepted the caste based reservation policies and welcomes the inauguration of religion based policies for the Muslims in the Congress manifesto. People have accepted that Muslims are the only minority in India that need special treatment and rest of the country can fall under a single umbrella.

People have accepted the vote bank politics over visionary agenda.

People have accepted that terrorism is not the responsibility of the running government. People have believed that “Kandahar” was a mistake but have accepted innumerable terror attacks on this land during the Congress reign. People have allowed Congress to sensationalize Godhra and Kandahar to cover the inefficiencies of the running government.

People have accepted that elections can be won without a strong agenda and analysis. People have proved that elections can be won if things spoken in speeches are things that they like to hear.

People have accepted the Congress politics to stay in power with criminals like Shibu Soren and  ideologically disparate partners like LEFT.

Last but not the least, people have accepted their state as it is and have lost hope.

This is according me a verdict of confused Indian citizens who still think that BJP and Ram Sene are the same. Citizens who do not understand the meaning of “Hindutva” and citizens who neither could trust Congress enough but had no option as they could not embrace BJP and they didn’t exactly understand what the party stood for.

Will future change this is something we all need to see. While NDA was in power BJP had a sweeping victory in the Vidhan Sabha elections but the following Lok Sabha elections had a different story to tell. Congress has gotten an opportunity for a image lift and BJP has given it enough pointer as a feedback to do so during the election campaign. It is hard to believe that people largely ignored the fallacies of the last UPA government or did they not feel them? Or may be an alternative option to the Congress never reached that deep. Something we all need to retrospect over.

Mumbai is very unique as a city. Being a Mumbaite I have seen it grow and gradually suffocate over past two decades. There are issues and they are blatant but a Mumbaite is so busy running at par with the second hand of his wrist watch that he either chooses to changes things on his own or suffer in silence. Majority of the Mumbaites for ages now have chosen latter.

Mumbai is in news everyday, for one reason of the other. One thing that ensures its mention is the Bombay Stock Exchange. However the city is rarely in news 24/7. Terrorist attacks of 26/11 ensured that as well for three days. The recent mention of Mumbai in media is for a low voter turn out in Mumbai for the 15^th Lok Sabha elections.

Mumbai has had voting trend post independence.

If we see closely over the past three decades, it has more or less remained constant .Even when the nation turned up in large numbers after Indira Gandhi’s assassination Mumbai continued its trend. One more thing to note here is that the composition of Mumbai ever since then has been changing. It has turned from fishermen’s (Koli’s) Mumbadevi to financial capital of India, Mumbai that we know today. The population of Mumbai Metropolitan Region has increased from 77 lakhs in 1971 to 188 lakhs in 2001. Thus as an absolute the number of voters turning up to vote has definitely increased.

This city with its growing importance has attracted many parallel running economies and attention. It has thus taken the first hit of many aggressions and attacks. More recent ones and ones at shorter intervals are since the 1992 blasts. Every other year or even many times a year the city bruises itself with bomb blasts and such foreign aggressions. The city then bleeds for a few hours, as that is all what it can afford to waste, bandages the wounds and then continues to live. This suffering in silence is known to the world as “never day die” spirit.

Mumbai as a city has given lot to this country. Huge amount of the revenue generated at the center comes from this city. This is the city that has shown the country to stand in spite of odds. This is the city that houses some of the top industrial houses in this country. This is the city that houses truths of a big city and continues to live. This is the city that houses culture. This is the city that houses unity. This is the city that houses courage and this is the very city that houses suffering in silence. That’s the precise reason that Mumbai is the city that waits at the mercy of latent politicians and the central government for a metro railway for decades now. Thus is the one that waits for the state government to solve the issues of the localities. Also, the one that needs a Raj Thackeray to speak up for itself. This is the city that succumbs to several deaths during daily railway commute of utmost inhuman nature. This is the same city that has been looking for a convincing solution for its population explosion and exhaustion its its already pressurized resources. This is the same city that succumbs to lies of our “worthy” politicians like Govinda Ahuja . This is the city that get back less than 1% of its contribution back for its own good. This is the city that never sleeps in anxiousness of a possible change and a better tomorrow.

Mumbai since independence has only given and given to the center and the central governments’ apathy towards it has been a return gift. Mumbai was so busy within its culture and upliftment that it barely had time to stop and question. Mumbaities started solving all these problems on their own and hence the result. Largely migrating population from other underdeveloped parts of India have pressurized the logistical system here. The localite does not have a mode of decent public transport or roads to ply on. Hundreds of people die everyday by local train accidents that are packed above their capacity. I have never seen and experienced such an inhuman treatment of people by its system and authorities in a civilized society. No fulltime water, no fresh air. No plantations, no playgrounds, this is the truth of this city. As I mentioned earlier, many parallel economies run here. Right from the underworld to established prostitution and child labor. But who cares as long as the city earns in leaps and bounds and provides to nations financial growth?

This city has been suffering for over two decades now. It’s rotting like gangrene spreading. It’s burning from wounds of several blasts. What happened at TAJ was sad, but that gained mileage because it was TAJ and not a local train. That incidence gained mileage because it was just months before the nation went to polls. What is so different about Mumbai after 26/11 that the media created a whole hype around to it to make the city wake up and vote? There are special debates held in the media for this! A Mumbaite is claimed to have not being shaken by 26/11? Excuse the city, the city is suffering to numbness and living in fear every minute every day.

Can someone please ask the system and “high profile” politicians on what is being done for the city in return? Piya Dutt joins a lakh people to TAJ to show her solidarity. When asked on what they have done for this city, both Milind Deora and Priya Dutt claim to have gotten more funds for the city. No one knows where has the money gone and neither of them seem accountable. What does an educated voter of this city get to see in the media? A Prime Minister who cannot handle criticism either on the floor of the house or outside. He comes out in public making “Sonia Gandhi” style remarks on the opposition. A debate held by channels like CNN IBN where Sagarika Ghosh inspired by her Congress funds makes false news from statements like “Narendra Modi insulted the women of this country by calling them Budhiya”. A spokesperson like Jayanthi Natarajan who in spite of being a lawyer fails to make logical arguments in debates. She speaks and shouts like vendors in the market refusing to let others make any point on the TV debates. She is a classic example of some politicians that are broadcasted on the media and generate a sense among masses that no one listens to their needs. What does TOI print in head lines, the fact that Priyanka asked Varun to read Gita. Another news channel has designers do our politicians make over. Then we have actors joining Sanjay Nirupam’s rallies. We see politicians distributing money for votes. We hear speeches that are allegations and finger pointing of the door step quarrel quality. The ECE then decides to have the election in midst of summer holidays. The list of such unintelligent and apathetic show both by the media and politicians can go on. The real issues of this country are thus hidden under the dunes of such mass and orchestrated nonsense. The empathy and motivation to vote for a change then goes missing somewhere.  An average voter thus prefers to enjoy his day off than to go and vote for a system and candidate that he does not connect to or consciously doesn’t want to.

I am not averse to voting. I traveled intercity taking a compulsory leave to cast my vote but the hype around Mumbai not voting when the nation itself is averaging to 50% shows that both the media and the politicians are trying to diverge attention from the crux of the issue. The politicians and media should be thankful that the city still stood up to vote 49% giving another chance for a change. For what the city has suffered all this while, I wouldn’t have been shocked if  the city would have boycotted these elections.

I was traveling with my friend from Pune to Mumbai last weekend. She is a Nigerian. The current heated political environment has not spared her as well. She is following the news papers dropped at her hotel room every day. While conveying that she is following the news and that she knows of two big parties against each other, she understood that one of them was communal and the other was led by Sonia Gandhi. She also knew that Sonia Gandhi has two kids who are in politics. Now this was a little interesting to me. I debate and analyze Indian political situation with my colleagues and friends here in India but this was an opinion from someone who was an onlooker.  What does a common foreigner think about Indian political scene?

My friend continued to mention her view points. She thought that one of the larger Non-Congress parties is anti-Muslim. She was astonished by the fact that Indians allowed a woman Italian (foreign) origin to compete for the post of Prime Minister. She was amazed that a naturalized citizen can hold such a responsible position in India and no one would object. She strongly thought that was wrong.  She thought that Sonia Gandhi had raised her kids as Indian and her not returning to Italy after her husbands’ demise was laudable. And the next instance I heard the word Sonia Gandhi…..I thought

Swatynatra Veer Sawarkar, Bhagat Singh, Mangal Pandey, Acharya Atre, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Subhash Chandra Bose, Sardar Patel rebelled against the British in vain. What an average foreigner knows about Indian politics is largely about an Italian face that is dressed Indian. An Italian national was always welcome to be a naturalized citizen of this country as daughter-in-law. She took over the Indian political scene to a level that is no more identified by Indian faces. A certificate in English is the only course that was needed to hold power in this country. This was the power to rule and not govern. I was in some sense helpless and in a state of agony at the same time. Where has this Congress taken my nation to? What is the image that my nation has in the eyes of a young foreigner? What is the difference between what is happening now and the dynasty rule that was apparently abolished hundreds of years a go? Where are the names of my leaders who bleed red for this country? Why can’t I hear the names of Vajpayee, Advani, Sharad Pawar, Morarji Desai, P. Chidambaram, Manmohan Singh etc. from a foreigner? If I have to have my country known by a foreign face sixty years after independence then why did we throw out the British? British or Italian what difference would that have made to the image anyways? Directly or indirectly you are under foreign led rule.

Even when a foreigner feels that having a foreign born person govern the nation can be dangerous the Indian National Congress is not willing to accept that. Short sighted as they are, they do not understand the risk at which the nation and national secrets stand when a naturalized citizen is given such a high office. Though the moral temperament of a person cannot be judged by his or her nationality I think that you put your nation too much at a risk of leaking secrets and prone to partial decisions when it comes to holding a responsible office in India. I can tell you this for my experience. I travel a lot for work. My stay in United States of America has been the longest. Tomorrow even if I take up American citizenship for any reason, my loyalty will always be first towards India. It is natural. It is impossible for a person to leave the citizenship of the country that he/she is born and raised, in sense of its meaning in spite of a few papers being signed and stamped to naturalize to a different nation. So is the case with Sonia Gandhi. She has shown today that it is possible for an international by the way of marriage to a political family or otherwise to rule this country with great ease. It is a little astonishing that our constitution did allow this. We were just off of a British rule when our constitution was written by Mr. Ambedkar.. With all due respect for the great work and the person that he was, in my understanding, an amendment to not let this happen should have been a natural outcome. If not then, then why not now? When we know of the threats our country faces! When we know that we are a capable country of a billion people! When we know that we have people who can lead from the front and when we know we have every resource we need to govern this country on our own. Why did India and why did Congress need Sonia Gandhi.

Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her body guards. Rajiv Gandhi fell pray to the LLTE master minds. The bases of the Congress were leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, Rajendra Prasad. There was a structure thought and purpose the party had. With sudden demise of Indira Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi took over. Probably by the time he could instill a sense and organization in the party or may be even understand things unfortunately he was taken away. The party till then did not have a democratic structure to itself. It was always based on worshiping the Nehru Gandhi family. Suddenly the party crippled without a Gandhi name to show. If you may agree, a good structured and well run organization is not as much people driven. It is largely policy, structure, purpose and ideology driven. No doubt it needs good and capable people but never “a person” in specific. It is evident from what Congress did in 1999 that the party did not have a strong foundation to stand on. The only possible foundation this party has is the Gandhi family and the Gandhi lineage. They had no option but to get Sonia Gandhi to lead the Congress. This was in spite of the sects in Congress not agreeing to this completely. She seemed like the only savior to the age old party.

I wonder what made Mrs. Gandhi take that decision either. I have seen some of her photographs with Rajiv Gandhi at election rallies. Rajiv Gandhi was known to be the leader of masses. Mrs. Gandhi I believe has seen that through. She had seen how the reservation and minority politics seemed to have been working in the favor of the Congress. She has seen the power of “Garibi Hatao” slogan from Indira Gandhi. She has seen the vote bank politics within her party. She has seen the shallow nature of principles within her own party. She also knows how easily people can be transformed into vote banks based on false and ambiguous statements with no substance at all. According to me one thing at she has known is to crush the opposition and stay in power. She also knows that the masses here have a very short memory and anything and everything is taken at its spoken value without much analysis. At least by a larger vote bank.  She knows that Congress needs to be a household name till Rahul Gandhi can take up the Prime Minister position to earn his bread and butter for generations to come.

Unfortunately, her understanding of the nation and its political scenario is limited. Not only does she lack the experience but she fails to have the vision and connection necessary to place this country on a path to progress. She does not have the educational background or stronghold to hold a post like Chairperson of the coalition. She does not a vision for this country. I say so because I have never seen her in interviews or anywhere else where she is found talking about her vision for this country. I have never heard her having an intellectual and debatable discussion. I have heard her stoop at levels and talk about things that are deemed unsuitable for a person holding her office. I do not expect such shallow speeches from a leader holding the office and position that she is holding now. Blame game politics is may be suitable at corporation election level. I find her speeches of that caliber. She has no political vision or a strategic one. She however knows the power her last name has. Hence she has instilled the “ji huzur” culture in the Congress. Congress now seems like a place where merit does not matter. It’s all about how close you are to the ultimate family. The very fact that she has continued the vote bank politics and disregarded the merit structure shows her incompetence for the position she holds and her lack inclination to country’s development in true sense of its meaning. I sincerely doubt that she “means well”.

Till late 90’s Sonia stayed out of politics for a reason. She stayed in India for a reason. I do not challenge that. For a woman of any origin to lose her husband the way she did is sympathetic. Thousands of women in this country have gone through her pain with innumerable terrorist attacks that this country has seen. Though, what astonishes me is she markets Congress on the dynasty name and assigns a martyr image to the genocide. Something that happened to Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi was a murder of democracy and an end of an individual era. They cannot be called martyrs. I would not even call people who had to give away their lives in TAJ as martyrs. A martyr is a person who is at the frontier knowing that he is out there to take the first bullet on his chest so that it doesn’t hit his countrymen. I think it’s an insult to my countrymen who fight for my country’s defense at the borders when their contribution is compared to leaders who have been assassinated. If you may agree, there is a huge difference between two. I was ashamed of the Congress when they did not object to Sonia making fun of Mr. Vajpayee’s age and knee problems in the parliament. I was ashamed of my countrymen when they allowed words like “maut ka saudagar” to be used on the parliament floor without much protest. I am shamed that my countrymen accept an Italian non-competitive leadership. I am ashamed that an English certificate holder from Italy who married an Indian politician and came into politics just a decade back has the courage to question Mr. Advani’s contribution to India. I am ashamed that our country has agreed to accept whatever Congress throws in their plate when the country and we as individuals deserve more. I am disturbed that only lineage of Nehru-Gandhi family has had an opportunity in this country, thanks to the opportunistic marketing by the Congress. Where are the families of so many freedom fighters and known leaders like Sardar patel, Maulana Azad, Lokmanya Tilak, Damodar Sawarkar? Are we sleeping to drama that is being played or are we just immune?

What Soniya Gandhi and her aura translate into is more interesting to know. All of us know that taking up Indian citizenship is easier than many other countries in this world. It’s all the more easier by the way of marriage. When the Congress today upholds Sonia Gandhi and the people vote her to power, the message to the world is loud and clear. We have conveyed to the world that a person of non-Indian origin without much baggage of experience capability or service to this nation can hold an influential office in India. We have shown the world that this is easily possible. We have shown the world that the larger masses in India can be fooled to believe that Sonia is an “international level” leader. This is the term used by one of the farmers from Rae Barreli from where Sonia is the elected MP. We have shown the world that people prefer Sonia Gandhi’s persona over veteran services of Sushma Swaraj. We have shown the world that we can be falsely influenced.

Fixing this issue is not a one day job or a subject of election campaigns. The naturalization process in this country needs to be stringent and scrutinized. The issue does not limit and end at Sonia Gandhi. Thousands of people cross borders everyday. They are a burden on our economy and threat to our national security. These are the people who should have been in the jail and not Varun Gandhi. There are other laws to handle Varun Gandhi situation. These people can become citizens easily. Thanks to our porous system. They can very well enter politics. They can become popular leaders and they can hold a high position in office either individually or by blackmailing a larger party in need of support to form the government. Lastly you would know, they had entered to leak national secrets to a foreign country and break this country. We would be fools not to see what Sonia holding office as a foreigner implies. We may be fools not to know that there may be many aliens who enter this country with malign intensions are encouraged by the possibility that a alien can be made into something politically strong and influential.

We need an amendment that stops a naturalized person from holding office at the center. There have to be limits in national interest. The issue does not start and stop at Sonia Gandhi. It just throws open a discussion of implications and challenges that the country will face and the selfishness of Congress leadership by continually denying the existence of these for India. I do not question Mrs. Sonia Gandhi as a person, she may be the finest but what I doubt is her capability and the signal that this nation has given the world with her being in such a strong and influential office.

On the spur of the moment my thought turns deep
I looked at the shine and my sight turned meak

Imagine his power to control all
From all distances so near and far

He keeps the universe around his soul
Holding the string and avoiding the foul

He makes you see all day and night
He gives you all the energy to keep you tight

He is the lord of this universal cycle
Making look all so weak and fickle

This is what he said to me
“This power has not come an easy way
To give you life I burn all day”

Hidden behind the smile
Is the truth all this while
Remove the make up
And see the scars
Close the eyes and let the water drop
Eye me when I read right
Time is what you cannot fight
Don’t live this journey for them
For they do not know the game
HE set the rules and the goal
You are here with a special role
Understand that he has made you unique
The rest just stop but you are the one to kick.

They were fall colors,
All orange yellow and red,
All evenings had bright colors,
Till we all went to bed;

That was the place ,
Where all those birds flocked,
Sharing their lives,
While time clocked;

Jokes and plays were all in seven,
That was what made that place a heaven;

Then was the time ,
When they all had to leave,
Leaving back memories ,
All old and new;

Today when we pass by there,
Your voices are what we long to hear;

Heart sees the picture ,
But eyes tell you soon,
It was past and it’s the end of fall,
All you can do is miss them all !

You can bring a smile on my face,
When I am tired of fighting this pace;
You can get me on my feet,
When I sit exhausted after every defeat;
I wonder why you exist in here,
Just to get me all good,that I look for everywhere;
The answer lies with HE who created you,
“I cannot be there with you always he said,
I know you need me when things don’t work at your end;
Hence I gifted you with a gem I had,
A friend to be with you in all moments happy and sad.”

Just because the clouds cover the peak
Deosn’t mean you can conquer the mountain
And reach the top considering it weak
Don’t judge me on what I wear
And all what about me you hear
You may miss the spark I carry
For depth is what I have in whole
Theres something special here to my role
Just because you cannot fathom the sea
Doesn’t mean I don’t have it in me…..

Sometime back, I lost a gem,
It had got me good time,
As if on a peak of fame;

I tried to get it back ,
With all my might;
Tired and sad
Shredding tears all the night;

To please my heart,
Ruby, Gold and Platinum, they presented me,
However none of them appealed to me;

My heart was filled,
With your shine;
It was only you,
Whom I could call mine;

Stones are they,
Is what my heart said to me;
To me they mean nothing,
When compared to thee.

You showed me the path
When we were walking on this trail
It made me feel
As if were together till the end;

You left me all alone midway here
For some green pasture there;

It’s me and me and no one around
Walking in solitude on this barren ground;

With all I have at stake
All alone I have a journey to take;

Come by again
Whenever this trail means something to you
I’ll be here till then
Just waiting for you……