A Bleeding Nation.

500 plus in the Lok Sabha and many hundreds in the state legislatures…What a waste!!

The citizens of India elect scores of parliamentarians to its highest decision making body to ensure that we uphold our democratic values only to realize that they simply haven’t delivered.

Death due to terror strikes, communal discords leading to mayhem and what have you. This country still does not have stringent rules, nor the political will to put things in order.

Sadly we seem to be a republic that is 60 years old but still grappling with basic issues. 26/11 is a perfect example of “Political Apathy”. Look at the events prior to 26/11 and you will realize that over the last 4 years the nation has witnessed terror strikes with such regularity that one is forced to believe that this great land is somebody’s firing range and the citizens of this country are dummy targets.

While all this happened we seemed to have a Home Minister (Sleeping Patil) who was on a perpetual holiday. Very often his remarks post an attack lacked a sense of purpose and character. At best he was a spineless, nameplate home minister. A home minister who did not know his elbow from his backside!

This does not imply that we haven’t had terror strikes and things were any better during the BJP led NDA rule. I am sure all of us vividly remember the Kandahar episode and the shameful act of an Indian Minister traveling alongside a terrorist as part of a swap deal. The entire NDA cabinet should have been tried for treason for this sorry act.

Add to this the performance of our political class on social issues. It’s a pity we have had incidents like Godhra, Malegaon and the most recent one in Managalore. All of this points to a colonial mindset. A mindset enshrined in the “Divide and Rule” philosophy of the British raj.

Ever wonder why this great nation, which is powering the Knowledge Economy, has to put up with such Democratic Anarchy? The answer is simple. Our fractious polity seems to have hijacked the democratic values enshrined in our constitution. In effect they have taken India away from its citizens.

So the big question/s that haunts me - Are these self-serving individuals who seemed to have hijacked our democracy any better than the terrorists?

While terror infrastructure designed to harm our nation and its people certainly needs to be dealt with firmly (not mere words) but with affirmative action, I am of the view that we need to flush out the terrorists in our own land. Terror- minds that have holed up in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.

I look forward to read your comments on this very important issue. Please do post your comments.