• Prakash Pohare

There was a time when the mentality of the voters in India was that the son, I gave birth to, may turn out to be a rogue, but the government I elected could never be! There were numerous attacks on India, but through the sacrifice of crores of people and thousands of movements through disciplined opposition, all these attacks were foiled. Speaking of Secularism, democracy was established in India through the Constitution.

In the last 10 years, the country built on a shining tower was given to Adani and some capitalists and we Indians remained a mute spectator. Just like the British first came to our country and we Indians kept watching them with curiosity.

Even after 70 years of independence, this country was dreaming big of development, was creating jobs worth crores, was sending children to school, was raising children by educating them, was making them successful in getting jobs. But I could see tears of happiness in the eyes of the parents! Even today, we are dreaming of taking the economy across the seven seas and saying that the rupee will win over the dollar!

The country which doubled the bank money in five years easily accepted defeat and we Indians kept mum. Our bills cry when we sell them! Even the owner cries when he takes the money! But politicians sell the country and look towards the shimmering ‘Vandanwar’! If a farmer faces loss in farming, he commits suicide. But, if a politician loses an election, he does not commit suicide. If a farmer dies, his children become orphans and if a politician dies, his sons automatically get elected due to the wave of sympathy!

This is a gross contradiction! We Indians have now become drug addicts, just like alcoholics! Suddenly, many people like us have become addicted to religion and suddenly we have started liking religious games - we have started hating other religions, we have started feeling affinity with the colors of the flag, suddenly we have started liking some parties. Sometimes, we are beginning to trust the Mic. The problems pointed out by the government started appearing as our own, people started accepting everything the government says, we started feeling happy in doing what the government says, we started trusting the journalists of Godi media in the country, our opponents started looking like fools to us. We began to feel proud of pretending to be mental slaves of the party, and those who asked questions began to be considered traitors or anti-nationals.

If Sanatan Shiksha has so much power, then why are foreign universities started in India? If education is a fundamental right, then why are schools closed? If jobs create growth, why privatization? If the railway is built with my money, then why do the coaches belong to Adani? Once we come to power, corruption will end, then why demonetization? If ‘SabkaSaath, Sabka Vikas’ is our first sentence then why religious fanaticism? If power is the key for the Bahujans, then why stop capitalism in elections? If protest is the weapon of democracy, then why flags for protest? The road is built with my own money, so why pay to travel on it? So why is RTO taking money? To whom do we pay excise duty and GST while buying a car? All Indians are struggling to feed themselves? If you are working hard, then why 2 kg rice and wheat?

Why a favour of Rs. 6,000 to the farmer by showing them the dream of a self-reliant India? Why is the bad debt of capitalist friends deducted from the accounts of the poor? Those who do not take loans, then why is the country’s debt put on their shoulders? Why are farmers doing organic farming not given subsidy on chemical fertilizers? Will the government do research on why many diseases like cancer, diabetes, blood pressure are on the rise in the country? Or will the government just keep expanding hospitals and medicine shops? Drug addiction is increasing, crimes are increasing, why is this not being investigated? Or is the government just increasing police recruitment and police stations? Will we just keep singing sweet songs about it as ‘Progress’? Basically, we’re stuck! We are so quick to accept convenience, we run away wherever we need to use our education. We imitate everything related to our caste and society. We do not use logic, even if our elected government eats cow dung, we still ask – why did you eat it? We try our best to convince ourselves that our party flag is better than other flags. We have come to enjoy being active in the religious community, even if someone serves wrong history on our plate, we have come to enjoy filling our minds with it. Our India is going to become great in future! Our elected government is showing that our country is going to become a world leader, but the question is how will you make it great? We don’t even dare to ask this.

We are sleeping at night listening to the stories of India’s imaginary development on the mic. In this religious sleep, capitalism has put our country to death and we have no respite from it. There was a time when we had airports, railways, banks, insurance, ports, universities, mobile services, defense sector, mines, electricity and many other things, so jobs in these sectors were also ours, but now they are not, but why not? We no longer have the courage to ask this because to call others wrong requires knowledge in us, which we have now forgotten. If our neighbours build even two inches of wall around us or if some neighbouring farmers do something on our property, we stand up in protest with an axe in our hand, but the government has sold everything of ours, yet we are watching as mute spectators because we have elected this government? Everyone is being cheated in this. If the problem is ours, we find the solution to it, but if it is everyone’s problem, then who will solve it? This is the question that arises.

Truth be told, we have now become impotent. There is no courage left in us. We do not even have the courage to make a simple protest let alone fight. And no one has the time to speak for the welfare of the society, even for the future of our future generations! We have started getting pricked by religion, we have now started dreaming of some angel who would come to our rescue. We have become so filmy that someone will come and make our lives successful, that is why we sometimes perform the aarti of Rahul Ji, sometimes Uddhav, sometimes Modi and sometimes Raj and Pawar. How to maintain the democracy established by our great men? Now we don’t care whether their syllabus is going on or not. We are now living a luxurious life, hence injustice towards others has started appearing imaginary to us. We look at the documents of our land and property and bank balance and think that the country is developing and others are getting yellow ration cards. Despite the contradiction, we do not think that dictatorship is going on. Here, the prices are rising wildly, but because we are rich, we can have all the fun. Whereas some have to take loans from self-help groups when they get fever. This action has no adverse consequences for us. Poverty is the destiny of the poor - we all have now agreed on this.

We are driving our four wheelers properly on our route, but there is a perception that some people are destined to have only footpaths. All these contradictions have no effect on us now, so even if they sell the country, we do not raise any objection!

Tomorrow rivers, forests, mountains, dams, roads, wild animals and birds will also be put up for sale. If need be, even sell your intestines and eyes, but take your religion out of danger. Even if the future of our children remains in danger for generations, but take that religion out of danger because religion is in danger. To pull it out from this, pay 28 percent GST and 34 percent income tax. Pay 100-125 percent VAT on petrol and diesel. Buy any two-wheeler or four-wheeler but pay excise duty on it, pay GST, pay RTO tax, pay toll tax at toll post by making advance payment through Fast Tag. Even if you go bankrupt while making these payments, you’re your property and still pay the tax. Because my brothers and sisters, we do not have to mortgage the country, rather we have to sell the country!

(The author is the Editor of Marathi daily ‘Deshonnati’, Hindi daily ‘Rashtra Prakash’ and weekly ‘Krishakonnati’) The author can be contacted at 9822593921