Dost Khan
JAMMU: When US President Barack Obama met the President-elect Donald Trump at White House, he told his successor, “I want to emphasize to you, Mr. President-elect, we now are going to do everything we can to help you succeed because if you succeed, then the country succeeds.” How inspiring and sincere words delivered by an arch rival just a few days ago. Obama and Trump had virtually trashed and tormented each other in the run up to sensational US elections but after the results they talk welfare of the nation. Nation comes first for all across the world, except Indian politicians, especially after thrown out of power.
Can the sentiment demonstrated by Barack Obama ever be expected from shameless Indian politicians, who are best in copying the West in no time and worse than street urchins when it comes to fulfilling their duty towards the nation?
Take for instance the current hot-spot of demonetization. Seen as a major step forward, since the independence 70 years ago, towards addressing corruption and black-money, the opposition just for the sake of opposition is seizing every opportunity to nail the government and fail the initiative. A deliberate attempt is being made to create panic in order to provoke the people against the government. The single-point agenda of the Congress and some opposition parties remains to paint the government dark on this issue.
The indecency of the Congressmen can be gauged by the fact that one of its spokespersons (who munches words in order to have western accent) shamelessly referred Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of Finance Minister. What does it suggest-criticism (essence of democracy) or frustration? The party that has ruled the country for better part of the past seventy years has no patience even to see whether the move fails or succeeds. They appear to have unleashed their cadre to go after the Prime Minister like bull hounds.
Remember how a senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar sought for the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to solve the Kashmir dispute. He begged of Pakistan, in a television interview during his visit to Islamabad on 17 November last year, Hamein Le Aaiye, Inhein (Modi) Hataiye (Bring in Congress, remove him). This is the political bankruptcy of this nation, who find themselves very uncomfortable out of power. When the power goes out of Nehru-Gandhi clan, Congress leaders feel orphaned and left out.
The nation has not forgotten how the opposition-Congress, Communists and others-tried to put the Modi-led government in general and the Indian Army in particular in dock over surgical strikes in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. They sought proof; they sided with Pakistan which went in denial mode over strikes in their occupied territory. The irony of this nation is that due to political exigencies, the unscrupulous politicians don’t hesitate even to glorify and romanticise dreaded terrorists and their perpetrators. Afzal Guru and Burhan Wani are recent examples of being glorified to settle political score with the Prime Minister. Did such a situation arise when the US eliminated Osama bin Laden in a well executed surgical strike in Abbottabad, close to the headquarters of Pakistan Army? Republicans, on the contrary showed high degree of solidarity and support to Democrat President because terror was not a threat to any particular party but to the whole of America.
In India, the Prime Minister is being made an object of ridicule, mostly in a bid to appease few segments of Indian society, which the politicians construe as their vote bank.
Indian politics will have to walk a long way to reach the milestone of decency. Mud-slinging, character assassination and criticism for the sake of criticism is rule of the game. Party politics precedes the national interest. Majority of politicians in India are so insensitive that they cannot hesitate in putting national security in jeopardy to further their vested interest. And, in such a scenario, the sentiment seen between Obama-Trump meet, does not mean anything to them.