Why we need only concrete action from the rulers
We, the great people of India, have a great deal of tolerance of the ambiguity. We are very patient people; We make our politicians very corrupt, we just watch when they do all sorts of atrocities and do nothing when injustice is done in various quarters.
We brave earthquakes, floods, riots, strikes by the organized sector people, power cuts, the horrible summer in most parts of the country and so on.
Yet, when it comes to public discourse, we are horribly short of performance. We never care to raise the right noises or care to fight against the corrupt. When inaction follows, we keep quiet.
The very harmful effects of economic imbalance, is leading to a situation where robberies happen with the worst of increasing frequency, The inaction of the rulers is there for all to see -- empty rhetoric and tall talk cannot do for any justice, in whatever form or shape.
Witness the horrible record of the present Central Government. Even the real issues raised by the Opposition, as regards the Land Acquisition Bill, for instance, are not answered. Very fertile lands of farmers are sought to be taken over for "development" and the farmers have no right to protest, even if they want to.
It all seems to be a perfect case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. In fact, it this robbing is a robbing of the rich, one would never complain. However, in the new scheme of things, it is very clear that those who will be very badly affected are the medium and small case farmers, who have nothing except their small lands to survive for a lifetime.
The Government seems to be totally in favor of the big Corporate houses, who have enjoyed total hegemony over the assets of the country, in the name of "development". Every single product manufactured and sold in the open market, always follows a "cost plus" strategy, where the ultimate cost is passed on to the customer.
So, the customer has to pay more, for less and less. This 'less" is now becoming really unmanageable. For example, a decent vegetarian meal in a middle-class restaurant, that was available some four years ago, in a city like Chennai, for Rs.40/= is now available for over Rs.80/-, only. Even this is not of a good quality at all.
So, what should be done to quell the social injustice, and to ensure that the poor and the marginalized, do not suffer? Simple. The ruling class should do less of talking and should show results, by way of action.
For example, if only the area under cultivation, is increased manifold, the country will face a huge food shortage in the years to come. The clamor for "development' can really wait. For example what is the earthly use of allowing a huge multinational company to exploit all available ground water in a particular area, and create just two hundred regular jobs? Of course, as usual, the semi-literate or illiterate will get some another five hundred contract jobs, but well, that is about all.
If we conserve the water in that area, go in for massive rain water harvesting, and simply allow the people to get their regular water supply, "development" would have happened ---really. Yet, we forget that it is very harmful to destroy the environment.
The ruling class should ensure the bare minimum. The public are becoming very impatient, and will go to any length to get their grievances redressed. If this frustration of the general public, is not properly understood by the ruling class, there will be a real disaster.
Take Tamil Nadu, for instance. It is the most urbanized State in India, where about fifty percent of the people live in urban areas. This development has happened because of so many districts, carved out of bigger districts. The Government offices, the Police, other Government departments, the schools, colleges, banks, the insurance companies, and whole range of other services quickly move in, creating a city in a place, where there was a small town in the first place.
However, many such areas. are woefully inadequate when it comes to proving drinking water that is safe, to any citizen. This happens because the entire revenue is diverted towards other "welfare" schemes, that sometimes benefit the people, but rob them of any initiative to work. So, while the service sector keeps growing, the gap between the rich and the poor is becoming wider, day after day.
The Tamil Nadu Government will do well to understand that it is futile to develop only some aspects of a particular area and do nothing in others. For instance, there is massive corruption in every Government hospital and the money goes right up to the Minister. This is an open secret, and never gets discussed or even written about in the press.
So, the net result is that the common man is the one who suffers.
Unless the Government does something drastic, nothing will improve. The situation is not only peculiar to Tamil Nadu. One is given to understand that the North of India is a horrible melting point of corruption and callousness.
How can we rest on our laurels and keep shouting about what little has been done? How can we allow a situation where the poorest of the poor are pushed to the brink?
The time is ripe for action. No Government worth its salt can and merely talk. There should be some solid ground action for it to show. Otherwise, social unrest will follow on a massive scale. The time to act is now. For, it is now or never.
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