By BISWAJIT DASGUPT One-Two, buckle my shoe...
Seven-Eight, lay them straight...
so went the nursery rhyme designed to teach us numbers. Thursday was our Seven-Eighth Independence Day and let me therefore, lay them straight for people who care to read or stir their sleeping consciences. Celebrating Independence is not about the prime minister hoisting the national flag to a 21-gun salute.
It is not about ‘Har Ghar Tiranga'. It is not about Whatsapp greetings. It is not about yelling ‘Jai Hind' at the top of your voice.
It is the sentiment behind such symbology, the vision of our collective future as a nation that is of essence. That, unfortunately, has been hijacked by politics, non-performance, corruption, misgovernance and crime. Just five days ago, India witnessed the horror of the brutal rape and murder of a woman doctor on night duty at the R G Kar hospital in Kolkata.
The crime was so outrageous that any self-respecting chief minister should have resigned, bearing moral responsibility. Incidentally, the chief minister also holds the portfolio. But then the terms ‘self-respect' and ‘moral responsibility' do not exist in the modern Indian political lexicon.
Candlelight marches and processions are not enough. Make ‘Women's Safety' the reason why you vote next. Despite assurances of addressing common peoples' grievances, corruption is the root cause of our lack of progress.
Corruption in government, in all areas where there is public interface, is chronic and almo.