Skip to main content

Main stumbling block for dynamic, young leaders: Party supremos in 70s

By Sudhansu R Das 

A massive expenditure of Rs 1.35 lakh crore was reportedly spent to conduct the Lok Sabha election 2024. Nearly 968 million people have waited for five years to select their representatives. People have given their leaders immense power to rule and manage the country’s resources. 
Now, political representatives should return what they have got from the people; they should deliver good governance and improve quality of life instead of clinging to power like a honey bee. The political class now should converge on creating inclusive growth opportunities for people across the country.
A nation can’t become strong and prosperous without quality human resources. It can’t remain independent without having quality human material. Internal violence, alarming growth of population, inflation, indebtedness, growing indiscipline among youth, mono sector growth, high cost of quality education, health and housing etc happen mainly due to lack of quality human resources which does not mean English speaking people who move with suit and boot and maintaining safe distance from common man. 
If an educated person lacks moral courage to question the wrong things happening around him he or she should not be considered as an educated person but a timid rabbit.
Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Calcutta and Pune have educated people but those people suffer a lot due to their indifference to their society and environment around them. Their children want to work in foreign countries. 
Those so-called educated people embraced the pain of isolation in their old age due to their long apathy to the society where they live. One will come across a large number of old parents in all metro cities guarding their lavish houses and repenting for their past mistakes which they can’t correct. 
 They get what they always deserve: isolation, a waterless life, rising temperature due to loss of trees and water bodies. Food adulteration and polluted water threaten their lives. The majority of them do not have access to quality school and health care facilities. Pothole filled roads and air pollution have become an acceptable menace. 
A few people organize themselves into groups to raise their voice but it does not make much difference. Newly constructed roads in many cities peel out after three to four hour heavy rain. Cities get flooded with rain water. All these things happen because India has ignored the importance of quality human resources.
Political representatives should return what they have got from the people; they should deliver good governance
The solution to build human resources is not far but the will to do it is missing. Each and every political party should establish internal democracy and allow inclusive growth opportunities for the deserving leaders. 
Party supremos who remain in power for decades are the biggest stumbling block before the young and dynamic leaders. No political party should keep its leader at the helm for more than 10 years. The supremos should step down from politics after enjoying power for long years; their presence creates a leadership vacuum in the country. 
Many party supremos in their 70s despite having life threatening diseases cling to power; this is absurd. They choose their near and dear one as their heirs when they feel they can’t walk a few steps. Money, muscles and the presence of Supremos are the main reasons why honest, educated and efficient young people are not choosing politics as their career.
The Annual Status of Education (ASER) Report 2023 shows 45% Indians or nearly 65 crore youth in the age group of 14 to 18 are unable to read, write, understand and calculate simple arithmetic. This is where the rot begins. This is like an emergency situation in the field of education. 
If 45% Indians at the age group of 14 to 18 can’t read, write and understand how can they choose their political representatives? This is high time for each and every educated Indian to spend some time teaching children. But who is going to do it if schools have failed to do it in the last many decades? 
 This situation raises a question whether India can survive as an independent country with the burden of such a large number of youth who can’t read, write and understand.

Comments

TRENDING

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative  The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani*  India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor*  Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas*  November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.  

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad*  On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. 

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad*  The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor*  Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.

Tributes paid to pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, who 'dodged' police for 60 yrs

By Harsh Thakor*  Jagjit Singh Sohal, known as Comrade Sharma, a pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, passed away on October 20 at the age of 96. Committed to the Naxalite cause and a prominent Maoist leader, Sohal, who succeeded Charu Majumdar, played hide and seek with the police for almost six decades. He was cremated in Patiala.