Shiv Kumar Padha
The level of the Indian politics has never been so low as it is now even after 75 years of independence. The nation is keenly observing how fast the standard of the Indian politics is falling particularly since 2014 PM Modi lead NDA government came in power in the country. Under Modi’s premiership the country has scaled the heights from where it has developed courage and confidence to retaliate the hostile countries by the surgical and air strikes. The NDA government under PM Modi has carved out a prestigious position in the field of foreign policy, defense, science and technology, economy, which has helped the nation become leading nation on the international forum.
It is the magic band of Modi’s personality which has compelled the world leadership to see a guide, philanthropist, a true fried and a succor for the suffering world population during the natural disasters and the COVID 19 pandemic world over. It is said that the popularity and success of one becomes eyesore for the others. The unprecedented progress and development in the country on all fronts and zero tolerance for corruption has shaken the souls of the disgruntled politicians who find themselves helpless and dwarf before the stature and size of Prime minister Modi and his council of ministers.
While the governments of non democratic countries of the world are toppled as a result of coup by the military junta through the bullets, the elected democratic governments, the one in India, are changed through ballot peacefully. But, alas the consortium of some private political parties and families who has ruled their states as their jagirs have pledged to remove Modi even if the need the help of the hostile neighbouring countries. The dynasts from Abdullahs from Kashmir to the stallions of Madras have the same agenda remove Modi while the agenda of Modi is make new India with a three trillion economy. The advancing steps of the PM Modi and his increasing stature in the world has made their nights sleepless. In order to make their plans success full they are propagating anti India narrative from the lands outside India against the democratic set up of the country. They know ,in case the Modi government comes in power again there will not be any chance of repeating fodder or other scams.
In order to pave the ground for the 2024 elections every right step of the Modi Govt. is being rebutted by the disgruntled politicians whose sole aim is to remove Modi lock, stock and barrel. Some overambitious political parties have started playing a gimmick in the name of caste based census in the country unmindful of its consequences on the solidarity and integrity of the country.
A census is a survey of the entire set of observation objects in a given population universe. The census is significant because it provides an integrated picture of society at a given time within numerous, multiple and continuous changes, that cannot be defined by other data collection methods. The census provides a suitable database for comparisons and projections of demographic data as well as social and economic characteristics of society.
Caste census increase caste feelings which are often used/exploited by the political parties for gaining the political mileage during the electioneering. A caste census may increase caste feelings in some people and that may lead to inter caste clashes, ill will, and hatred among them. Caste census is cumbersome process. Some castes may have different names in different places and some castes are pronounced differently which may cause confusion. This will give data to the political parties on whom they can impress upon in order to win. This way the vote bank politics may increase to a large extent.
In legislature the opposition parties has major role, which is constructive criticism of government, putting restrictions on arbitrariness of ruling party safeguarding liberty and right of the people. The success of the democracy depends upon the constructive role of the opposition parties. To check the government from becoming authoritarian and to restrict its powers the opposition parties keep a watch over them. Our political parties often forget about the people who spend their days and night empty stomachs or those who feed on the food pallets collected from the garbage. There is a need of conducting census to count and identify the souls with the empty stomachs irrespective of the caste or religion.
The data of 2004-05 National Family and health Survey NFHS shows 23% of married men, 52% of married women, 72% of infants were anemic a sure sign of families going down the world spiral of starvation. Recent GHI global hunger index released by IFPRI shows that India is among the worst performers on the front of hunger and malnutrition India ranks only above Pakistan among the countries of South Asian region. According to the 2022 GHI ranking India ranks 107th out of 121 countries with a score of 29% Indians have level of hunger that is serious India has slipped.
According to the latest data India has the highest child wasting rate of all countries under GHI. In India largest number of insecure people in respect of hunger are in W.B, Jharkhand, parts of Maharashtra, MP, Bihar SE and Eastern parts of UP.
The main thrust of the every elected popular government should be to identify the hungry stomachs and those who feed on the food pallets collected from the heaps of garbage. The zero hunger programme is a global initiative to eliminate, achieve food security improve nutrition and promote agriculture. To perform the census on the caste bases will only help the political parties to make their vote banks by alluring them with the freebies. Playing with the hungry stomachs and using them as prop for their political games is not only a sin but a crime against humanity under international law of Human Rights.
(The author is a social activist from Basohli).
