My Wasted Vote!

Last elections I was being discouraged to not waste my vote on LSP as they stood no chance of coming to power. I argued with my friends, who despite concurring with me that the LSP is probably the only honest party in the fray, felt my vote would not be of any use. They said the LSP was restricted to the TV studios and has not bothered to build a base across the state. I responded by reminding them that my conscience doesnt allow me to vote another party given the corruption, communalism and fetid politics they practice. I was confident by the time 2014 elections come theyll be stronger, have a presence at the grass roots level and become the pride of Andhra politics drawing the nations attention and perhaps even envy! And so, upon my free will I wasted my vote. In these five years, whenever the topic of politics was discussed, I pitched in for LSP in my own small way. Often my friends would ask me why I would not enroll as volunteer if I was so passionate and willing to work selflessly. I would remind them that I was sitting for APPSC exams and hence it would not be fair to be part of a political party if I could make it into the state services. Eventually the APPSC dreams never materialized, but thats another story. I personally feel the LSP could have ensured it made its presence felt in every constituency in the state over the past five years. I understand that requires monetary & human resources, but then you could have planned and strategized better. It is certainly is a daunting task, and a thankless one, but as a liberal and an atheist, I know of no greater joy than that which fills the heart when we work for the advancement of freedom & humanity at large. I even considered officially joining the party and working at the grass-roots, but only once I settled down a little in my life. (Not because I intend volunteering only when I am comfortable, but because if I am not settled, my mind will be conducive for expecting something in returnthat is something I am against, seeking rewards of any sort, material or otherwise, in return for work (however much or little) done to better society). Nonetheless I continued to support you and you were still a natural choice for me this election too. I even managed to convince some of my friends into supporting the LSP. But all that changed with your support for Narendra Modi. And no, this is not an emotional decision I am making. I did read your seven page appeal to your supporters putting forth your argument in support of the decision you took. While I appreciate your ethical concerns regarding announcing to the people before the polls about which alliance you intend supporting post elections, I feel you have compromised far too much by endorsing a party that is equally corrupt, sectarian and divisive. The yardsticks you have used to come to arrive at this decision are flawed too.

1. Dynastic Politics of the INC. While I agree that dynastic politics are a scourge in India and the subcontinent at large, I also feel the will of the people needs to be respected. If the INC is not comfortable with the first family they can always be shunned or if they achieve the critical mass, they may break off to form another party. I feel it is unfair to say a person cannot hold a position because he/she is born/married into a family. Of course, we are free to attack them about their policies, inefficiency, lack of clarity etc. We need to fight them politically and inspire votes away from them. 2. Money Power: Youve conceded that barring the LSP and AAP most other parties indulge in it. And as an afterthought added that the BJP is marginally better on this front. Given the magnitude of the problem, being marginally better makes no sense at all! 3. Freebies: While it is most unwelcome and dangerous to the economy why parties promise laptops/mixies et al, one must also take into account of money that is drained out of the economy by giving tax sops to the larger companies. The argument that they create jobs is only half true because most often, we give importance to growth over sustainable development. 4. Sectarianism: This is the BJPs biggest flaw. I fail to understand how they can induct (though later expel) a person like Pramod Muthalik, retain a candidate like Giriraj Singh, or give a free hand to an accused in fake encounter/snooping cases like Amit Shah? (I thought the LSP was all for rule of law and civil liberties!) By supporting the BJP, (in order to lay down your Must Deliver agenda), I am wondering where you will draw the line. How much of corruption is ok, how many hate-speeches are tolerable? And how many puppies need to be crushed under the wheel to achieve growth? These are the many questions that are haunting my mind now. Until today, India has always had statesmen like people leading the nation irrespective of the party that was in power. When you say Mr. Modi is the best person to lead the nation now, I wonder if you have considered his caustic and inflammable speeches he has given in the past. Something that immediately comes to my mind is an incident when Mr. Modi made snide remarks against women (50 crore rupee girl friend, with reference to the late Sunanda Pushkar). If he wanted to attack Mr. Tharoor, he could have done it politically. I hope Mr. Modi doesnt become an embarrassment for India like Sarkozy was for France or Berlusconi was for Italy! I wish the LSP had listened to its inner voice and had the power of conviction to resist the temptation of power however difficult the days ahead were. Id like to share a quote by Nehru here (that reminds me about a blatant lie Mr. Modi recently said--- that Nehru wasnt present at Patels funeral, but I guess you are overlooking his lies as well).

Failure comes only when we forget our ideals and objectives and principles--Jawaharlal Nehru

I am not yet accusing you of forgetting your ideals, but I must say I am extremely anguished that you are willing to compromise by being an ally of the very forces you claim to fight! I reckon my opinions mean nothing to you and neither does my vote. But that is the only precious thing I possess to offer. And really wish I could cast it in your favour. I agree with you that we live in a society and not utopia. But I refuse to be swept off by euphoria either! I still believe in a society founded on love, peace, compassion and meaningful dialogue. Perhaps Indian democracy has not come of age yet. But Im in no hurry. Im young enough to endure frustrations and still dream on, learning more about the country and the world each day. Since I believe the smallest unit of society is the self, Ill do my best to stand my ground. I shall neither be seduced by pelf nor intimidated by might, however insolent! I hope soon the Indian youth wakes up from its slumber and realizes its full potential in the global arena, building a more just global order based on cooperation and not on competition that is being promoted by parties by appealing to baser instincts like jingoism dressed as patriotism. I thought youd lead us there. Nonetheless, I suppose people like me need to wait until an Indian Spring develops from the counter-culture that I sense brewing. If the LSP has overcome its follies of organizational infancy by then, maybe our paths can merge again. Until then, Im going to continue what Ive done the past election. Upon my own free will, I will again waste my vote. This time perhaps on NOTA!