Spread over nearly a month, elections to the 14^th Lok Sabha are in progress. Powers that be are worried by the low turn out of voters even while taking into account the votes polled on their behalf. So serious is the problem that President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam broke with tradition to directly appeal to the people to come out to vote. Appeals are being issued by all authorities to exhort the people to vote.

People’s apathy is shown by the low attendance at meetings forcing the ruling class politicians to increasingly adopt the phenomenon of road shows. It is aptly named as “show” for that is what it is. So little do ruling politicians have to offer to the people that they are mobilizing (or hiring) show biz stars to bolster their meetings. The idea is to gather a crowd and the effect is trivialization of the election process.

The main issues affecting the people are sorely missing from the campaign. People’s problems are not even seriously raised what to talk of offering any solution. Growing unemployment, denial of land to the vast multitude of poor peasants and agricultural labourers, declining purchasing power of overwhelming majority of people, increasing closures and loss of jobs, privatization of basic necessities like health and education, absence of road, power and even drinking water to large sections of people, all these do not figure in the make believe world of our ruling elite.

The whole process is increasingly controlled by three Ms- money, muscle power and media. And as the controllers of these want, every party is pledging its commitment to the disastrous new economic policies knowing full well that these policies have only added to the misery and privation of the people. The common man is obviously left wondering why they are bent on paying obeisance to pro-imperialist policies while people are opposed to them.

Corruption has touched new heights. Moreover, it has ceased to be a bad word in the parlance of ruling class politics. Power politics has become one of the fastest method of amassing wealth. Hence the surge of feeling ‘to do something for the country’.

The situation daily grows worse; the dismal past is appearing rosy in comparison. The main contenders for power are praising their record of service. A saree distribution comes as a unwelcome digression. 22 poor women died for getting an ordinary dhoti in BJP’s ‘shining India’, an India which had been taken to “dazzling heights of progress” by long years of Congress rule. These women died in UP which has scaled new heights of progress under SP regime and whose poor had been well cared for under BSP-BJP dispensation. Our Hindutva protagonists have not bothered to check the religion of those who died and hence no ISI hand was suspected.

Ruling politicians’ chest swell with sympathy for Lalji Tandon, not for the 22 poor women. Even the ‘poet’ Prime Minister’s musings went for Lalji Tandon whose birthday party was spoiled by the poor. Mulayam Singh and Mayawati also rushed in with their messages of solidarity with Lalji. The poor are to be shown mercy by these new kings/princes and nawabs of ‘democratic’ India and in the manner of old lords. These poor women symbolize the real India howsoever inconvenient it may be for those sitting on top.

It shows the utter bankruptcy of ruling class politics in India that they offer as Prime Ministerial candidates persons unfit to lead the Govt. Mr. Vajpayee has felt deeply hurt at the accusation of his giving evidence against two student leaders during the freedom movement but has carefully avoided placing the whole truth. This master of camouflage who advocates national debate at the drop of a hat, carefully avoids demanding national debate on the role of RSS in the anti-British struggle of Indian people. On the other hand is the person who chose to become a citizen of this country only after it became an issue when her late husband had been anointed the crown prince. The question is not of origin but of the whole attitude towards a country she now aspires to lead. Sections of ruling classes are raising the foreign origin issue as they feel that with such a person at the helm of affairs it will become more difficult to speed up implementation of pro-imperialist policies. Ruling classes are handing out choice between a person who does not know what to say and the other who does not know how to say.

The malady is deeper. Escape from harsh reality can only be for some time. Ruling class parties hope that this ‘some time’ lasts for the election period.

Howsoever difficult the conditions may be, there is no respite possible unless the people are organized into challenging this system, unless vast multitude of people are organized to take their destiny and that of their country into their own hands. And they can do it by rallying around the forces working for revolutionary change in the country.