Recently, actor and former beauty queen Gul Panag questioned the election manifestos of various parties after a thought worried her while campaigning for Aam Aadmi Party’s Raghav Chadha.
She raised her concerns in an article, wherein she said, “As I hit the campaign trail to support Raghav Chadha and Atishi of the Aam Aadmi Party, I can't help but wonder, how in this day and age, candidates are still seeking votes for providing basics. Majority of our electorate still don't have access to these basics. Despite being close to seven decades of electoral democracy, our public health and education records remain dismal.”
She also disapproved of objectifying the candidates and calling them honest, upright, hardworking — and handsome! We ask politicians, social workers and the public what could be the reason behind the apathy of every government - irrespective of the party they belong to — in fulfilling the promises they make to the voters. We also ask them if they think that the governing system is answerable for the poor condition of the public education and healthcare system of our country.
It is Not a one-man’s job
I disagree on this point. The Central government is allocating huge funds for health care and education. But unfortunately, the executing agencies (state or local body), who are responsible for providing us drinking water facilities, sanitation and everything, fail to do their job properly. The number of drop-outs among girls (who give up education half way because of poor sanitation facilities in schools) in rural areas has reduced after the Modi government came to power. And also, Swachh Bharat is a success.
But we have to accept the fact that corruption at lower level is rampant; it has to be eradicated. I don’t blame only politicians or local bodies, but also the bureaucrats as it’s not a one-man job. The entire society should come out and encourage good politicians, right bureaucrats, efficient and straight-forward officers.
Some areas still face basic problems like drinking water scarcity, lack of sanitation facilities and absence of good roads, but we can’t blame only the incumbent government either at the State or at the Centre. No doubt at all, we have to do something to make sure that development reaches the village.
Follow up on vows
Subjects like health and education could be considered a political priority only when pre-poll promises are followed up after the elections in a sustained manner. Then only will we be able to achieve human capital, which we call as the basics. Political parties, which are in the race for seeking votes, should be answerable to the general public rather than just giving such rosy pictures of what they would do after the elections.
People should be priority
All the ministers including the Prime Minister are responsible for the citizens as well as answerable to them. They should ensure that the resources that were promised by them during campaigns are granted to the public. If the promises made during the elections are not fulfilled, then it is their responsibility to address this issue and explain why they weren’t realised. Since the government is elected by the people, I think that the public should raise questions on the same, which will serve as an alarm for these political parties that make hollow promises. It is the responsibility of the political party in power at that time to maintain an office without corruption and their priority should be the common people.
Modi never fulfilled poll promises
A good example to someone not living up to their promises is Modi. He had made so many promises during the 2014 elections and has not kept any of them. Especially being in the Central government, it is crucial for them to live up to their roles and responsibilities. The Aam Aadmi Party has shown improvement in providing basic amenities for the people. The basic necessities such as education, health and the environment should be given priority. The reason why the Central government and Modi never fulfilled their promises is because they were never committed. Every time Modi goes to a foreign country, many rich businessmen from Gujarat accompany him. Why is this necessary for a politician? Even when we look at the RAFALE deal, we can definitely make out that something is fishy. What the Central government has done since the last election is make things go in the way that suits them. The question where Modi gets his money from has never been answered. Almost `5,000 crore has not been traced. They have also tampered with electoral bonds. This is not democracy.
