Ugly politics causes a roadblock to development?

By Binu Paul, SiliconIndia   |   Saturday, 22 January 2011, 14:12 IST   |    34 Comments
Printer Print Email Email
Ugly politics causes a roadblock to development?
Bangalore: Diversity is the trademark of India and it can be found in every nuke and corner of our country. However, six decades since independence, India stands tall in the world map with a fastest growing economy which even survived the global economic downturn without serious damages. But the dream of becoming a super-power by 2020 seems to be far beyond our reach and in all likelihood, is not achievable with the complex and dirty political rivalries that stop the country from overall development. Every political party dilutes their ideologies with their vote bank politics, which makes many think that the political parties are responsible for the antisocial elements such as terrorism, regionalism, separatism, unemployment and poverty. Regionalism is a major roadblock to development as it not only divides cities and state into separates administrative regions, but it encourages a protectionist economy and a closed culture not available to compare itself with other different cultural local units. The Telangana issues can be cited as the best example which almost paralyzed the functioning of the state of Andhra Pradesh. The political disorder not only stops any new development projects, but also forces the investors to move away their existing projects from the state. The political ideologies of some of the state governments do not encourage overall developments in terms of IT and infrastructure. While it should be admitted that the life of a common man is much better in Kerala comparing to the other states, the various governments have failed to bring in adequate investments since its formation. The right and left wing that have ruled the state so far could not create adequate employment opportunities for the highly educated youth of the state. Although, West Bengal has undergone an overall transformation by creating the state a desirable IT destination, the current political scenario is not very supportive for development projects in the state. The Singur controversy marked the beginning of it when Tata had to pullout its Nano factory from the state. The economic backwardness of the northern states are to be blamed to the political parties and its leaders who were not keen on making education available to all, but on looting the state money for themselves. Thus, poverty and unemployment are directly linked to the selfish politicians. North East states with frequent naxal violence and political instability are yet to see any development compared to other states. Over and again, it has been proved that the political parties do encourage terrorism and terrorist ideologies. While the so-called secular proponents favor the fundamentalists very tactically to seek their votes, the radicals have direct links to the terrorists. India has witnessed many riots and violence over religion ignited by the leaders of different political parties who walk free forever. Our democratic nature has undoubtedly allowed these terrorists to flourish and the same character restricts the ability of the government to eliminate it once it takes birth. The change of governments, both in center as well as in states, causes a lot of developmental stagnation. With every government change, a number of projects are closed down and the fund flow is ceased. Each party works for their benefits and not for the general public. The Ministry of Railways is the best example. When Laloo headed the ministry, trains ran to and from Bihar and with Mamata, West Bengal takes the driving seat. At a time when the entire world is focusing on India and there is so much expected out of India, we should be able to think beyond the petty political issues that hinders our development. The political standards should rise to a level that advocates overall development, religious harmony and social wellbeing.