Your Vote-9

Every Voter Has A Party To Play

Main Features of the various election manifestoes have been dealt with in this series thus far. Questions of detail remain. In most cases, party manifestoes give no details whatsoever. These have to be inferred from the policies and attitudes of the parties or have to be ascertained from utterances of party spokesmen from time to time. In the Republic Number of the ‘Organiser’ the election programmes of the different parties have been summarised. I believe that all this should suffice to guide those who care to know and cast their votes on the basis of election manifestoes.

However, there are a number of other things that are being dragged into the election arena especially by the Congress leaders. It would be desirable if we can devote some thought to these arguments.

Extraneous issues

The Congress leaders, in general, do not go to the electorate and explain their party programme but bring in extraneous issue. Besides subtle appeals to casts and sectarian feelings, apprehensions about the future of the people in general and specific communities in particular, are created.

The Congress Hopes To Thrive On A Fear Complex, And So Has Been Indulging IN An Intensive Hate-Campaign.

To Muslims or Christians, Congress adders say that if the Congress goes and the Jana Sangh comes in, they shall be no nowhere. To the non Sikhs in Punjab their appeal will be to vote for the Congress lest the Akalis might not come in. And to the peasantry, whose lands they are determined to confiscate under the beguiling, slogan of co-operative farming, they will proclaim them-selves as the sole presenters of some imaginary plot of the ex-Zamindars and Talukdars to stage a come back.

When they go to a poor man they would abuse the rich and pledge to bring in an era of socialism. But when they go to the rich they tell them that but from the Congress all their property would be looted and confiscated.
They shamelessly accept that the Congress is bad, but it should be kept in power only to see that the worse does not come in. They take advantage of the uncertain future.

But the situation today is such that the people have to prepare themselves for the exit of the Congress. Let the people realise that the Congress is not their protector. They have to perfect themselves. The Britishers also used to offer these very arguments. However, they could create a small group of toadies and people with vested interests. The Congress is also trying the same dirty trick. But it forgets that vested interests can never be the ultimates winners. National interests are bound to prevail.

Is The Congress Government Stable?

Do not think that there will be chaos after the Congress. The fact is that there is chaos because of the Congress. The Congress claims to give to the country stable Government. We do desire a stable Government. But a Government so entrenched, and enjoying such absolute power as the Congress had been all these years, will never help democratic functioning in the country. A monarchy is the most stable form of Government. Should we prefer it on that account?

Moreover, the Congress claim of stability is also superficial. Has there been a stable Government in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar and Andhra? Ministries have been formed and reformed. Despite huge numbers, or because of them, there have been no-confidence motions every year.

The group wrangling in the Congress are no signs of stability. It would be far better if the Governments are changed by the people rather than by party bosses or by groups subverting party discipline and unity. The Congress engaged in internecine warfare cannot give a stable Government. For that an alternative has got to be built up.

Democracy has been defined as a Government not only of the people and for the people but also by the people. As we know the administration is run by the permanent services guided and controlled by the people’s representatives.

Those in permanent services develop a particular bent of mind, generally known as a bureaucratic attitude. The bureaucrat does not take into consideration the people. He thinks only of the Government. Even if he desires, he is incapable of realising the difficulties of the people. His training and living, both take him away from the people’s representatives.

But that is not the case with the people’s representatives. They know the people at first hand. However, if these representatives continue in power for long, they also gradually develop the same attitude. And if the representatives are elected not because of their work in the area or their services for the people, but only because they happen to be nominees of a particular party, they will seldom think of the people in taking decisions.

The Congress to-day is reduced to a set of bureaucrats, with all their defects but none of their qualities. The proposal of the Congress President to fix a ten year’s limit would have done good to the Congress and to the country. The Congress would have been rejuvenated. But the vested interests in the Congress protested and prevailed. The Congress High Command could not assert.

Let the people assert. A new set of legislators, a new party will definitely go there with a first-hand experience of the people’s plight that will enable the Government of the people to work for the people.

Exploiting Goa

The Congress leaders are also trying to bring some national issues into the election debate. The liberation of Goa is a rational issue. The Government by taking action in this regard has definitely fulfilled a long standing national demand. We are prepared to credit it to the Congress account when we prepared to credit it to the Congress accent when we prepare a balance sheet of the Congress rule. If the continued occupation of parts of Kashmir by Pakistan and China are to be added to the liabilities side, the Goa issue may be conceded towards the assets of the Congress.

But when the Prime Minister says that the Congress should be voted to power only to show to the world that the people of India support the Government’s action, he is wrong. The Blitz has published a number of cartoons depicting the unfavourable reaction of the Western World against our action in Goa and has appealed to the voters to vote for Krishna Menon so that a befitting reply is given to these reactionaries in the West. All this means introducing foreign affairs in Home politics. After all, the electoral contest is not between the people of America and the people of India. Such appeals not only confuse the issues but also undermine national solidarity. A national issue becomes a party issue. And then if some unthoughtful and indiscreet people come forward and criticise the Government on such an issue, it gives only a propaganda edge to our enemies. All this must be avoided.

It is necessary that the Prime Minister or the Congress leaders as also other party leaders should not join issue with other countries, Pakistan, China, USA or UK in their election speeches. Let us deal with questions that differentiate one party from another at home.

Prime Violator of The Conduct Codes

Despite Codes of Conduct, the Congressmen headed by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru himself appear to take a special pleasure in being violent and vituperative. When Pandit Nehru called the Swatantra Party economics as bad economics, he did not make the audience wiser.

The other day he referred to the Jana Sangh as true disciples of Jinnah. Does it befit the high position that he holds? Everybody knows that Jinnah was the architect of Pakistan, and it is also known that the Bharatiya Jana Sangh is opposed to partition and wants a unification of Bharat. It passes one’s comprehension how ‘disciples’ can work for the annulment of the work that their ‘guru’ achieved.

And Panditji calls himself an opponent of Mr. Jinnah. Let us not delve into history. In the same speech in which he made these references to the Jana Sangh he said that he would not take back Pakistan even if the people of Pakistan wanted a reunification. So we have an ‘opponent’ who is pledged to perpetuate the work of Mr. Jinnah.

It is desirable that the people instead of being carried away by such utterances should also try to judge the party by the standards they maintain while conducting their election campaign. If a debater stoops to abuses it is the surest proof of the fact that his case lacks logic. Argumentum ad-homintem is no logic, it betrays only a lack of it.

Nominations and withdrawals are over. In every constituency the nature of the contest has become known. As there are no party candidates in all the areas decisions will have to be made constituency-wise. If you have a nationalist candidate in your constituency vote for him and defeat the Congress. If the fight is only between the Congress and the Communists see that the Communist is defeated. Do not be misled by the argument that in such an area a vote for the opposition i.e. the communists in this case, will strengthen democracy. In fact if the Congress is defeated at the hands of the Communist, the Congress itself will become Communist.

Communist Victory does not Strengthen Democracy but will weaken it for they do not believe in Democracy. Do not Therefore Commit the Blunder of voting a Communist.

If there are multi-cornered contests vote for a nationalist democrat. Try that your candidate wins. However, if you lose do not think that your vote has been wasted. It will not go in vain. It will influence the policies and attitudes of the government to be.

Thus a vote for any of the socialist parties will make the government more socialist. A vote for the nationalist and humanist party will force the government, to think twice before launching an adventurist programme of nationalisation. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh does not believe in the theory of opposition. It is striving to build itself as an alternative. But an alternative is not to be built up be a waving of the magic wand. Vote by vote and Seat by Seat this alternative shall be evolved. Let your vote be used constructively. Let it build up an alternative to the present decadent, emaciated and corrupt government. Each Voter has a part to play. May you play it worthily, worthy of a democratic nation, determined to defend its freedom, national and individual, and to build a glorious future, more glorious than the most glorious past.

Privacy Policy | Disclaimer