Elections are here citizens. It is time we do the biggest duty to our nation – Caste Your Vote. But since an extreme professionalism and marketing strategy that has controlled elections since 1990s is ruling the nation, choice of an individual becomes least significant even if it is a municipality or panchayat election. Irrespective of the party, our politicians have catered to the easiest way to get votes – caste based campaigning and religious sentiments.
Who cares if the politicians are branded criminals or underworld lynchpins? Who cares what they have accomplished ruling for the past five years? What is important is the religion/caste! A Muslim winning in a Hindu populated area or a Hindu winning in a Muslim populated area has become a yesteryear dream. Politicians and media confuse people and threaten them that they are under the imminent danger of being hijacked over by another religion.
If the opposite party wins, your jobs will be lost, your women would be raped, you would become second class citizens etc. etc. Not to mention the netas saying that we are strong and will become so strong that they would tremble in front us and that becomes a catering to the religious ego. Little does the person know that they are becoming puppets in the hands of politicians? They are not in danger, they are manipulated to become the danger. And our politicians’ hate speeches seem well equipped to create mob hypnosis and force them into rampant action. Not to mention each religion poisoning the minds of young kids not to make friends with people of another religion, lest they would convert them.
Religious riots occur usually in villages or slums where the education is less and economic resources are scanty. This becomes crucial since, if someone is threatened that the one square they have a day will be stolen, it would drive them into frenzy. They would not have the education to think logically and make a decision rather than nodding to what the netas say. So it becomes convenient for leaders to steal the treasury since the poorer the voters are, the easier it is to manipulate them. Well, the politicians are not alone. Causing a religious riot would clear an area of people and the land mafia and corporate enter the dais making it a money making fiefdom. This is not just an Indian issue. Recently, Tony Blair, ex-Prime Minister of UK announced that the murder of Saddam Hussain and attack of Iraq has triggered the creation of ISIS and he and ex-President George Bush is responsible for it. Though it makes no difference, it is a tale everybody knows.
Let us face the situation – I am a Christian/Hindu/Sikh/Jain/Dalit/Muslim, but I am also an Indian. And religious terrorism is just going to corrupt the values religion preach not the other way around. Not a single religion advocates people to murder everyone else who believes in a different religion. Local self-government election is a choice you have to make and most probably the candidates would be people whom you personally know. Choose a worthy candidate sans prejudicing against his caste or creed. That would be what an ideal citizen’s duty. That would be a spiritual and religious citizen’s duty to his country and his society.
