It is election time here in India. This would be the 13th time that the largest democracy in the world would go to polls. The color of Indian politics has dramatically changed over the years in that while earlier the contest was between national parties led by charismatic leaders of mass appeal, today's elections are fought amongst a motley crew of allegedly-national and unabashedly-regional parties hobbled together into frankestein coalitions like NDA, UPA and third-front. The two major national parties in India are the Bhartiya Janta Party and the Indian National Congress. And the 2009 elections would probably be the first time that both these parties are openly dependent upon regional satraps to come to power.
What does this say about India as a nation ? Doesn't this to some extent prove the founding fathers of our nation WRONG that India is indeed a country ? Isn't it true that some of the COUNTRIES of Europe are more LIKE each other than many STATES of India ? Isn't it true that Hindi - the national language of India - has respect and usage only in the so-called "Hindi-belt" ? My point is - if there is no party left representing the national interest, doesn't this indicate that the concept of India as a nation is itself in jeopardy ?
Anyways, let it be known that as an abstract person believing in abstract things, I still believe in the abstraction of the India nation and so I will vote for the only party left today that represents the country India - the Indian National Congress.
I will not vote for Hindus, I will not vote for dalits, I will not vote for women, I will not vote for anything but the dream dreamt by those heroes of the national movement - the dream called I N D I A.
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