Saturday, April 19, 2014

Appeal to the Voters: Think before casting your precious vote

My appeal to the half of India which is yet to vote. Think about this before casting your precious vote.

Think about the past few months and indeed the last decade, all that happened Indian politics. And answer truthfully. Was anyone surprise when, after Anna broke his fast, the Parilament did not pass Lokpal for 2 years? Is anyone surprised that the BJP (or Congress) is fielding candidates like Yeddyurappa or Chavan in this elections? Was anyone surprised when parliament was continuously disrupted numerous times in the last decade? Was anyone surprised when Modi still refuses to apologise for the riots? Does someone genuinely believe that the election funding of BJP and Congress is transparent and there will be no give-and-take behind scenes? Was anyone surprised when BJP opposed decriminalisation of consensual homosexuality? Was anyone surprised when Jaitley and Rajeev Shukla decided to allow Srinivasan to continue as BCCI president when he could have been kicked out, or when politicians continue to oppose the Sports Bill? This is all that we expect of politicians. Our bar today, our expectations of the average politician, has fallen so low. Both the BJP and Congress are two sides of the same coin.

Now think genuinely; will we be shocked if AAP does any of this? The AAP raises the bar for itself so high that we feel disappointed and betrayed by its surprise resignation in Delhi. Would it be preferable to be surprised by AAP resigning and fighting for re-elections to govern with a full majority, or do you want to continue to remain passive at what the regular politicians are making of our beloved country.

Which bar do we want to be set in India for the future, the one set by BJP/Congress or the AAP? As Trupti said, be ‘a part’ of the revolution, and not ‘apart' from it.

Friday, April 11, 2014

A positive vote for the India we dream of!

My friends often ask- whom do you vote for if you know that AAP cannot win and AK cannot become PM. This is probably the most important question facing many of us today. So I have put down my thoughts regarding it.

Let’s say about two-thirds of BJP supporters are those hard-core people who truly believe in their hearts that Modi is the best man for the job and that Godhra was either something he cannot be blamed for or something that 'allowed us to show them who is the boss', depending on their Hindutva inclinations. And there are those who are Congresswadis and will vote for it. Let's leave them aside. My answer is for the remaining lot.

For the remaining people, there are two options, and it depends on what they want their vote to mean. Many feel that their vote is precious and the value of a precious vote comes only when it leads to a stable 5 year govt. Their main problem with AAP is that it might divide votes and lead to an unstable govt. They know that under BJP, corruption will continue, divisive politics will continue, 'the system' won't change, but they are willing to accept that consequence in return for what the BJP promises to provide- a stable govt under a strong and 'experienced' leadership.

The others (including me) feel that for decades, all we did while voting was chose between one corrupt divisive party and the other. For the first time, my vote is not just for the next government but for changing the entire polity and the entire system of the country. TWO YEARS AGO, THE ENTIRE NATION WAS ON THE STREETS FOR LOKPAL AND STILL THE POLITICIANS DID NOT BUDGE. BUT A SIMPLE SMALL ELECTION IN A TINY STATE OF 7 SEATS WAS ENOUGH TO MAKE THE POLITICIANS TO PASS LOKPAL. MY PAPA SAID IN AN EARLIER COMMENT THAT HORSE TRADING CANNOT END IN POLITICS. BUT IT DID END IN DELHI, WHEN THE BJP REFUSED TO MAKE ANY DEAL FOR JUST 2 SEATS? IT WAS NOT A MAJORITY VICTORY WHICH BROUGHT ABOUT THE CHANGE DID IT? IN FACT IT WAS THE POSITIVE POWER OF THE DELHI VOTE. DID THE DELHI VOTER REALIZE WHILE VOTING THEN THAT HE IS NOT JSUT VOTING FOR AAP BUT ACTUALLY VOTING FOR THE LOKPAL, FOR BJP TO REFUSE TO HORSE TRADE, FOR VASUNDHARA RAJE TO STOP USING THE LAL-BATTI? I believe that our vote is too precious to be spent on just voting for the next government, that it should be instead used to vote for the next system of governance and politics, to cleanse India of the current filth. For decades we all believe that politicians divide everyone on caste, religion and region because that is the only way they can earn votes. For decades we have believed that nothing can be done about corruption in this country, both small level and big ticket. For decades, we have prayed to get one opportunity to somehow remove these flaws from India. We have this chance now; and we never know when it will come again. Irrespective of who is the next PM, the Indian progress will continue. It continued during Rao, during Gowda, during Gujral, during Vajpayee and during MMS. But if in this election the AAP wins 20-40 seats, if the Yeddys and Chavans are defeated, if honest non-divisive people are the ones elected, then we are sure that the 'system' will improve. Because our vote was not for or against a party, but against the old system. If Modi wins and AAP becomes a success, things will improve. If he does not win and is is a hung parliament, we are sure that the next election after one year will be a lot cleaner one, with a lot fewer corrupt and criminal candidates and lot more well-intentioned people who we truly deserve in the fray, and with perhaps an even humbler Modi who will finally have the humanity and character to apologise for his failure to protect people during the riots. Ultimately, I believe a vote for AAP will only lead to a better polity and future for the country.

Don't lose sight of the big picture


As a Cancer Imaging Fellow at Harvard, I often encounter cancer patients, and there is one thing which keeps surprising me. Many patients with advanced cancers still come and voice their concerns about ‘radiation exposure’ while undergoing a CT scan. Oncologists will similarly share multiple patients whose cancers have good treatments available, but patients will be more concerned about side-effects than hoping about being cured. I often wonder how can one lose perspective like this?

Seeing the current Indian election scenario nowadays makes me feel the same. You ask any Indian what ails the country’s politics- he will say corruption, the way they divide us on the basis of caste, religion, region, the lal-batti attitude, the intolerance towards liberalism, that people with honest intentions can never enter politics. They will all agree that BJP is equally corrupt as Congress, Yedyurappa is an equivalent of Raja, that corporates do fund elections for both parties and will get their payback later, that India should support gay rights, that they hate casteist politics, that it is strange that no party has started an anti-corruption helpline in any state inspite of the Delhi success. They all know in their hearts that AAP is non-corrupt and does not try to divide people. They know that learning governance is not easy and takes time and patience. They know that the highlight of Modi’s first 49 days of governance was Godhra riots while Kejriwal managed to significantly decrease corruption levels in Delhi in his 49 days despite his relative inexperience and lack of media support and patience. And yet, they not only not vote for AAP but actually criticize and condemn the only honest party in politics today.

I appeal to all to think of two things. 1. People accuse Kejriwal of running away from responsibility by resigning when given an opportunity. I agree even I was disappointed with his resignation. But he isn’t running away. He is fighting to get re-elected with majority in Delhi. It is we who are running away from responsibility by supporting the same old corrupt divisive system yet again when we have a chance to elect someone honest. A VOTE FOR EITHER THE CONGRESS OR THE BJP IS A VOTE WHICH SAYS THAT IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU PUT CRIMINAL CANDIDATES OR CORRUPT CANDIDATES, IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU TRY DIVIDING US, IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU OVERSEE A MASSACRE AND REFUSE TO EVEN APOLOGISE FOR IT, WE WILL STILL VOTE FOR YOU. A VOTE FOR AAP SAYS THAT WE ARE SICK OF THE CORRUPT SYSTEM, AND YES WE HAVE A CHOICE AND A HOPE FOR A BRIGHT FUTURE, AND WE CHOOSE THAT.

2. Many people are afraid they vote will go ‘waste’ if they vote for AAP. If the Delhiites thought the same, this hope for India where an honest simple person can actually politics and work for the country would never have been created at all. It doesn’t matter how many seats they win. When AAP won Delhi, other politicians were forced to improve- RaGa passed Jan Lokpal, Vasundhara stopped using lal-battis, Harshvardhan refused to horsetrade; until the politicians realized it is easier to discredit the AAP rather than go back to better politics. Irrespective of who governs the country, a good start for the AAP will force others to improve again as well. Furthermore, a tally of even 20 AAP MPs this time will let them create a base of experience MPs who know how to govern and how to behave like a responsible opposition. 20 today sustains the movement and can and will lead to 200 tomorrow, but if we fail them, then we defeat the movement and India’s hope right here, and then we will be the ones responsible when someone blames the ‘system’ in the future. Don’t lose perspective. Defeat the cancer, rather than worrying and nitpicking about the radiation exposure! Vote positively for India’s future today.