Letter to Editor (TOI) 29.12.05: NRN - free, frank and fearless!!

Dear Sir, one should really admire NRN's guts. He has gone where no Indian businessman or industrialist has gone before and criticised the political class for what they are. Everything NRN has said about our politicians and their ilk is 100% true and he will find probably 99% of the country agreeing with him. It is true that anywhere on this planet politicians are generally a despicable lot but it's only in this country that politicians are the dregs and more alarmingly seem to come from the dregs of society. We have come a long long way from the intellectual giants and titans who used to represent us at our municipal bodies, legislatures and Parliament. One of the main reasons for this could be the complete distancing of ordinary middle class Indians from politics. All of us love to talk politics, all of us have our own reasons why our country is so backward in so many areas, all of us talk about corruption and the way corrupt bureaucrats, politicians and policemen suck our blood but not one of us wants to join the mainstream political parties and make our presence felt. We believe we have completed our democratic responsibility by voting whenever the elections happen and then expect to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our voting labours. It is now very evident that unless we exercise constant attention and vigilance on how our elected representatives are performing our democracy will be a sham. The situation today is that when we vote in a candidate it's like giving him a license to loot and plunder. To my mind one of the most important actions for the youth of today is to wholeheartedly participate in mainstream politics. The urban and semi-urban middle class have to join political parties such as the Congress, BJP or JD in hordes and be heard in these parties through internal elections which will ensure the parties field only deserving individuals as their candidates. The other important reform should be the disqualifying of candidates contesting elections based on caste and linguistic considerations. The media should also exercise responsibility and stop giving a caste slant to all the political reporting they do. Expecting our MPs & MLAs to reform themselves and amend laws to make our democracy deliver is mere day dreaming. It's time the long suffering Indian public shakes off its inertia and does something about setting things right. Things may not change in our times, but there will at least be hope for the future generations!