By Ajay Goyal : As I meet and talk to individuals across Chandigarh, there is palpable anger in various sections of society against each other and against politicians of all ilk. Every so often a member of public blames politicians as well as some particular group for his problems. It is often the migrants that bear the brunt but people tend to get more specific too.
Chandigarh is a city of all classes of Indians — very affluent business people and former administrators, powerful bureaucrats, a strong middle class from public and private sector and a large lower income segment. Add to that a huge number of internal-migrants who live in slums that are often built on last tracts of land in the hands of original farmers of Chandigarh who are themselves displaced in their own city. Each of these groups often express anger toward the other for causing their woes. They all have a common antipathy toward politicians of all parties but they also understand that eventually the least privileged people are the one’s who vote and elect a representative. They are therefore blamed for electing the wrong people, too. Political parties play to these fears and provoke or terrify them against other economic sections of society in the name of caste, religion or regionalism.
Truth is India is not divided on caste or religious lines any more. The biggest divisions of India are economic. Instead of soothing each other, middle classes are falling in traps of blind faith and superstition is rising among middle class Indians who are avoiding social responsibility. Those who have crossed the great economic barrier from poverty to a decent life are in fact least involved in community work. As middle class and affluent of Indian society sit on side lines, it causes frustration and anger among the poor that they are being left behind. Limited resources of the country are sapped by more vocal and dominating urban classes. India is in the midst of a great crisis of trust and confidence among Indians as disparity increases and opportunities shrink.
In fact all of this anger should be directed towards politicians and their misplaced priorities. Better governance, honesty and integrity in public life will give people a sense of social justice. Only that will soothe people who feel they are being exploited or left out of India’s march of progress.
Instead of being angry with each other for disproportionate distribution of opportunities the citizens will be better off finding means to increase the size of the pie too. India is losing a large part of its gross product to corruption. If the political system improves and corrupt politicians can be sidelined, Indian economy can take off. Corruption and vote bank politics are holding India back. The same politics that pits one section of society against the other is ultimately causing all of India’s woes. It is important that we change the way politics works in India. Only that will ensure harmony in India and on my campaign trail.