'The soul of India is crying out for redemption'

He was using the highest office to make a political statement is a cause for concern.

In our opinion President’s address smacks of party politics. And such remarks are totally uncalled for and amount to using a neutral and exalted office to influence the voters in the forthcoming India’s general election.

By alluding to the whims of small groups he had directly opposed the idea of a third front(A loose non congress BJP alliance) without actually saying so. He seems to have a complete disregard for the regional and cultural diversity of India.

The President must remember that it was these very ‘whimsical opportunists’ who helped him to reach this exalted office. Exhorting people to introspect and prevent a fractured mandate is a direct attack on the plurality of India.

He has virtually endorsed a two party system which is in reality a one party system because the two major parties are not very different when it comes to economic policies, style of administration, corruption and criminalization of politics.

The citizens of India must ponder over such a blatant misuse of the President’s office.

Apart from that his statements on anarchy etc are a direct lift from the statements of the two major parties and will be taken as the Presidential endorsement of that point of view. Over the last many decades the two major parties have projected themselves as the sole custodians of correctness.

This correctness is nothing but maintenance of status quo. They have being playing this game to their advantage because they have set the rules of the game in manner that favours them only. They pretend to be very open to the entry of new players in the game provided the new entrant plays the game as per the rules set by them.

They are very clear that the rules of the game so far are set in manner that will not let anyone win the game.

It is now apparent that people wish to change the rules of this game so that their voice can be heard. Those who lead the people on such a path are called anarchists. The president has only lowered the dignity of his office by almost directly branding the AAP an anarchist outfit.

There is no doubt that some of the actions of people like Somnath Bharti(Law minister of Delhi) are highly deplorable. It is also true that some of their actions are naïve.

However there is a clear attempt to use these issues only to deviate the attention from the real issues.

Established political outfits, so called eminent individuals, a section of the media are all following the dictum of “give the dog bad name and hang him’. They have been called Maoists, anarchists and now, communists.

It does not behove the President of India to join this chorus.

It is the duty of all right thinking people who are not satisfied with the ‘status quo’ to expose these diversionary tactics.

It is obvious that there is already panic among the forces that want to maintain the status quo and they are mortally afraid that the people of this country have started demanding a change in the rules of the game changed. And more afraid that a new type of politics is emerging that will lead the public in this endeavor. It is time to remember Bhagat Singh’s real motive when they threw the bomb. In fact they were extra careful not to injure anyone. The motive was to make the deaf listen.

Modern India is facing international and domestic terrorism, economic depression, price inflation and the loss of moral backbone among most of its politicians. The rule of law stands subverted and moral values seriously eroded.

The civil rights of women and children suffer blatant violations. Daily newspapers are replete with news of rape, dowry-deaths, trafficking, abduction and murder.

The weak, the elderly and those living alone are robbed and killed every day. This is one type anarchy which we seem to have taken in our stride but for its survival, India will have to reappraise the process of its governance. Instead of indulging in politics the President of India should guide the nation on how to meet the real challenges India faces.

There is no doubt that in last 65 years India has faced numerous challenges and has shown great resilience to overcome these challenges.

To have sustained a functioning democracy with all its flaws for more than 65 years in a country of more than a billion people who speak scores of different languages is something of a miracle. The contribution of social activists to keep the society on course needs to be appreciated. In the past 15 years, India has pulled more people out of poverty than in the preceding 50 – averaging some 10 million people a year in the past decade. The per capita income has grown considerably in each of the past 15 years – more than ever before.

On the technological front, India launches its own satellites and has even sent Chandrayan, a state-of-the-art spacecraft, to the moon.

However, there are areas of concern which lay down an agenda for the future. Poverty continues to be the greatest curse on Indian society. According to World Bank estimates, 456 million people – just over 40 per cent of India’s population of 1.2 billion – now live on less than £1 per day, the sum recognized as the international poverty line.

Almost half of India’s children are malnourished; 1,000 die from diarrhea every day; hundreds of millions have no access to proper sanitation. It would have been much better if the President had focused on these issues.

A major share of the blame for such a state of affairs should go to the quality of politics and politicians in India. India’s parliamentary system has failed to live up to the aspirations of its founding fathers.

As many as 100 members of the current parliament (out of a total of 543) have serious criminal records. Over the past three decades, bureaucratic and political corruption, indeed the very criminalization of politics, have converged and conspired to weaken the roots of Indian democracy.

Corruption has almost become a habit in India and citizens have learned to live with it. Even the judiciary and armed forces have not been immune. Despite the widespread perception that Indian politicians and bureaucrats are among the most corrupt and incompetent in the world, successive governments have not lifted a finger to bring about even minimum reforms to the country’s political and administrative systems.

The cancer of corruption has infected the whole nation. Three public institutions – the police, the judiciary and the electoral system – need radical surgery.

The President of India sees no anarchy in all this but sees an anarchist in those who are trying to correct this anarchy.

Their methods may be naïve but their intentions are honest; unlike the votaries of status quo. It would have been much better if the President had highlighted the good work done by social activists rather than belittling them to benefit those who have led the country to the “present day anarchy”.

The world's fastest-growing democracy" marches on, but the soul of India is crying out for redemption.

History will remember this speech of the President as a total letdown for majority of Indians who are crying for redemption of Indian soul.

With contribution from Prof Navdeep Singh Khaira