R.D. Bhardwaj “Noorpuri”
The long "Festival of Democracy" is over and the results of Lok Sabha Polls have also been announced more than a fortnight ago. Contrary to the expectations and aspirations of a large number of leaders, both from national parties and regional parties, whose rhetorics and demagoguery skills during the campaigning period, were nothing short of self-glorification and self-gratification, have ended in a smoke; as INC has emerged a victorious once again, with a more comfortable position than before. It has surprised even the big congress leaders, who were certainly not expecting such a positive and encouraging response from the electorates spread across the country, and also made it saddle in the chair of governance once again.
It is good that realisation has dawned on the minds of some of its previous coalition partners, who had openly admitted that, it was indeed a blunder on their part, not to enter into any pre-poll electoral alliance with Congress, which has resulted in not only their winning a fewer seats than they had in the 14th Lok Sabha, but also made some of them to lose their own berths. Majority of the leaders in many parties have miserably failed to gauge / judge the mood and psyche of the people. The electorates have given them a bitter lesson that the largest party with whom they have enjoyed the taste of power for a complete term of five years, it was certainly foolishness and against the principles of social justice, to field their candidates against Congress. It was also a narrow minded and selfish approach which a large majority of the people has stamped out. Simultaneously, people have also made it clear that some of its coalition partners, who often arm-twisted the UPA Govt. on a number of issues and occasions, in the previous Govt., and that too, on whimsical grounds and on not so logical reasons, simply goes against the political morality. And that is why; many of their contestants could not find their names in the list of the winners. Certainly, you can not have the cake and eat it also.
Now, that the main opposition party - BJP, who has been harping high more often than not, has been caught on the wrong foot. Their projection of the PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh, as the weakest PM so far, has been outrightly rejected by the people, as they seriously thought otherwise. Talking loudly and working silently and without making much hue and cry, are certainly two different things. When his manner and method of functioning has been appreciated by the large number of the electorates, he certainly does not need BJP's certificates. Not only that, BJP's own policies of whipping up religious sentiments of the people does not coincide with the people's thinking. Secondly, BJP should also learn the hard lesson that construction of a temple or mosque or a gurudwara is certainly not the job of a government, particularly, in a secular state. Down the south, BJP's adamant policies of not allowing the Govt. to remove the debris of Ram Setu (Adam’s Bridge, lying in seas between India and Sri Lanka), is also against the national interest, as big and heavy ships travelling from Bay of Manner and Bay of Bengal and vice-versa, can not pass thru the shallow waters of Indian Ocean. And they have to traverse a long distance of 650 nautical miles beyond Sri Lanka, thereby, causing India a loss of around Rs. 5,000 crores every year, besides, wasting a lot of time to traverse that distance. If those debris of Ram Setu are removed from the sea-bed and the surface of sea is dredged deep enough, the above mentioned long distance shall be reduced to just 167 nautical miles, which shall help India save precious Rs. 5,000 crores every year, besides cutting traveling time to just 1/3rd .
BJP should realise that what Lord Rama did during the ancient times by constructing a bridge between India and Sri Lanka, was the need of those times, as he had to reach an alien country to rescue Sitaji from the illegal / unholy custody of Ravana. As with the passage of thousands of years, that Ram Setu has collapsed and its debris are now lying on the ocean-bed in the Gulf of Manar, and it is hindering the passage of thousands of ships every year over that sea-route, and thus, now the India's interest lies in clearing those debris by dredging the sea-bed and thereby making it deep enough (20 metres or so); so that the big and heavy ships could easily pass through the much shorter route. If that gigantic task is achieved, it will help India save Rs. 5,000 crores every year and India shall not have to spend heavily on navigation of our ships over that sea-route. Huge money thus saved, can be utilized on several other urgent projects, which are dying / crying for want of sufficient funds. Moreover, everybody, particularly, BJP should realize that no issue is bigger than national interests and only those countries have made progress by leaps and bounds who have given preference to national interests rather than their narrow political / party interests.
Since, UPA's policies and programmes have been appreciated by a large number of people; and it has taken over the steering of the governance again, it should start the long pending dredging work in the bay of Manar at the earliest and complete the long pending / desired project, which lies abandoned because of the stiff opposition from BJP and its allies. The sooner this project is completed, the better it would be, for the larger interest of the nation.Labels: Articles, R D Bharadwaj
