Political scenario in India

We were asked to write on this for a contest - 300 words was the limit.

From the days of scrupulously clean politicians like Lal Bahadur Shastri, Kamaraj and Moraji Desai to the days of everyday scandals, Indian politics has come to be synonymous with corruption, appeasement and inaction.


Across the length and breadth of the country, there is reluctance on the part of politicians to wield power with responsibility and accountability. There is no harm per se in acquiring power but exercising it with impunity for the wrong ends is a rot of the system. A political career is viewed as a means to acquire the maximum possible wealth in the shortest possible time or as a means to pander to one’s regional and caste groups. As a result, youth community is deeply sceptical about politics.


People have been duped into believing that short term solutions are what they need. Any political leader should be a visionary and sadly, among the current crop of leaders, except for a select few like our Prime Minister, hardly any politician has a vision for the country. Under the guise of action, all that our politicians do is form committees and task forces. Direct action that addresses people’s real needs is virtually absent. Vote banks are created and the flames of radicalism and casteism are fanned. This leads to a vicious cycle culminating in appalling mediocrity. Politicians appease their pet constituencies and the people who vote get lured by short term fixes and perpetuate inefficiency.


What India needs today is a redefinition of the word politics to encompass the larger public good. We also need politicians who can practise honesty and sincerity visibly - since role modelling good behaviour will in itself be an incentive for others - and a mobilisation of the country’s youth behind those who do that. Any radical change has its seeds in a revolution.

PS: This couldn't make it to the next round...perhaps, wasn't upto the mark!