Essays

"On 15th August 1947 when India after centuries of foreign domination started breathing fresh air of freedom, none would have thought that this very fresh air would turn foul and with the passes of time get so much contaminated that it would poison tile whole of the country's democratic set up and the persons to whom the responsibility of governing the country be given, would be the fountain head of such poisonous contaminated air".

The present day politicians, the leaders governing the country, are obsessed with the monomania to loot the country and fill their own coffers, could be seen fighting for the bone like the snarling stray dogs on the street. Power by hook or by crook is their only motto and this power leads to conspiracy, murder, forging a network of likeminded politicians and bureaucrats and mafias. Now-a-days, politics has become such a lucrative profession, wherein prior investment of money and muscle power to grab the chair once, is sufficient to feed the several generations and gives one the status and respectful position in society. Which another profession could be so rewarding ? Politicians are very much willing to liaise with any political party or group so long it serves their interest. The trading and defection among the political parties have become a common practice. See how Mr. Jogi. Ex Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh caught red handed with audio tapes, alluring the MLA's of BJP to join his party. Number of scam cases are pending before the courts, relating to misappropriation, frauds, corruptions, in which the present day politicians are shamelessly involved. The definition of corruption has since modified by these politicians, tearing every fabric of morality and ethics. Now unless the court decides a politician as corrupt, otherwise he is more honest than an individual even after jailed for months, on corruption charges.

Talking of ethics, in terms of politicians, is the most traumatic joke of the day. in every big scandal, whether, Telgi Stamp Case, Jain Diary Case, Bank Security Scam, Tehelka Case, Hawala Case, Fodder Scam, we find wires connected to some powerful politicians when the office of Prime Minister during Rao regime was in question, what can be talked of lower rank politicians ? It is the same India, where  LaI Bahadur Shashtri, resigned over a solitary rail accident, where A.K. Antony resigned over issue for which he was not responsible, and O.V. Alagesan resigned from the Central Cabinet over the alleged imposition of Hindi in the erstwhile Madras State. Can we forget the laudable example of collective responsibility set up by Britain decades ago when the Harold Machmillan government resigned en-masse over scandal of the Defence Minister Perfume associated with the prostitute Christine Keeler, an obscure spy, hobnobbing with a Soviet Minister.

Many politicians have reached the nadir of immorality when as a last ditch  effort to grab power, they resort to booth capturing and rigging with the help of criminals and dreaded gangsters. Many politicians are winning the elections, just because they wield huge muscle power and openly threaten the common people either to vote for them or get ready to be wiped out.

Impact of unethical politicians :

A leader in office has the authority to direct the course of the nation's socio, economical development. He enjoys the powers to make policies for the developmental activities to be initiated at macro level. His decisions have far reaching effect in the developmental process of the country. But he himself becomes corrupt, spells unethical and immoral acts, it can wreck havoc on the country. The ills of communalism, casteism. nepotism has gradually become the necessity of political arena. Nine five year plans have since been completed, and tenth five year plan is on the anvil yet the development is not up to the mark,. Rightly observed by Sh. Rajeev Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, that out of 100 only 17% is actually spent on developmental work, and the rest goes into the pockets of officials and politicians. Today our country could not progress so rapidly, as has acquired many, ills. like corruption, communalism, casteism, all because the leaders have forgotten their moral and ethical duties towards the Motherland and have but one motto to grab the power and earn money by hook or by crook.

People have lost their faith in the leaders. The youth are disillusioned and they are going to the west for higher education and settle there permanently. Voters have also become increasingly indifferent towards the process of election. They have to choose between the corrupt and the more corrupt and so the turnout is very thin in recent elections. The situation is undoubtedly very grave. everyone seems frustrated, unhappy, find none who can improve the things. In a country where the common men become indifferent to the process of election which is the base of our democratic setup, due to the politics and politicians becoming unethical, immoral, the disastrous effect is unimaginable, the whole democratic fabric may be paralyzed.

It is not appropriate to blame the politicians alone. It is the public that is responsible to a great extent in making the politicians corrupt, unethical, goons. If the people use their right to vote in favour of a gentleman and honest leaders, and devote some time to make him winner, an example be set and the corrupt and goons would have to think twice to fight election but it is not the case. The situation is entirely different. Whosoever can spend more money in election, whosoever can use more Muscle power in election, has more chances of victory. In such situation, why does any Politician not like to earn more to remain in power or to win next election? The tolerance limit of Indian public is indeed very high.

It is not to conclude that a] I the politicians are corrupt and unethical. The hope lies with only such honest, dedicated and devoted politicians who have sacrificed a lot for the welfare of this nation. It is high time that we enforce a code of conduct to stem the rot and this exercise must begin right now. A transparency in the working is very urgently needed. Responsible opposition and the media can play very important role in exposing the unethical and immoral corrupt politicians. The people are also becoming aware that unless they will use their right to vote in favor of a better leader, the future of the nation is in dark, and they themselves have to suffer because of their own wrong judgement. Let us hope the people of the country will use their vote in the coming elections in favor of dedicated, sincere and honest leaders for the good of themselves and for the welfare of this great nation.

Vocabulary

1. poisonous noxious—hurtful, dangerous. 2. obsessed—haunted, beset, controlled. 3. monomania—sole aim. 4. loot—booly, spoils, plunder. 5. snarling—obscuring, blurring, mixing up, upsetting. 6. motto—maxim, adage, saying, saw, epigram. 7. conspiracy—plot. intrigue, collusion, connivance. 8. lucrative—fruitful, productive. 9. misappropriation—misuse, misapplication, perversion. 10. alluring—lovely, attractive, appealing, pleasing. 11. traumatic—fearful, awful, dreadful, horrifying. 12. scandal—shame, disgrace, embarrassment. 13. obscure—indistinct, vague, ambiguous. 14. en-fiasco—entirely, wholly, fully. 15. grab—grasp, clutch, snatch. 16. spells—seemingly magical power or irresistible influence; charm. 17. arena—field, pit, ground, park. 18. disillusioned—dissatisfied, discouraged, frustrated.