If My Dad was a politician

My dad expired when I was very young, so my premise would be based on my mother being a politician. After all, our land is a secular and democratic country which provides equal opportunities for men and women.

So if my mom was a politician, here are a few things that I would be guarded and wary about

I would be extremely careful about what I speak, especially in the presence of media. There are many politician’s sons and daughters who have unnecessarily opened their trap in front of media and have been at the receiving ends of brickbats from public. So I would think before I speak or act. If I’m not aware of a topic or an issue I would prefer giving a “No Comments” remark than put my foot in my mouth.

I would also be wary about my safety. Politicians, especially good ones, have quite a lot of enemies. And this would mean eminent danger to my life. Come to think of it, maybe I can persuade my mom to choose another profession. I don’t want to live under the shadows of bodyguards and fear of perpetual threat to my life.

I would ensure that I would be a people’s man (or in my case woman). After all if my mom is a politician then I would be expected to accept the mantle at some time. In India, power, fame and money are passed on by legacy. Assumedly I would want myself to be groomed so that when I take over from my mother, the transition would be smooth and glitch free.

Now coming to the changes that I would want to see when my mother is in power. This is a long list, but quite a few are need of the hour.

Corruption: Corruption is a slow disease that has spread and deep-rooted itself in our country’s foundation. As any pandemic disease, this too will take time and sincere efforts to get rid of but, I believe it’s possible. If every citizen of this country refuses to bribe an official to get their work done then it can be achieved. Our country can be corruption-free. Also, there needs to be independent organizations which have to be exempted from the control of the politicians.

Rules made by corrupt politicians who themselves flout the rules is a paradox in India. The main bodies, like Lokayukta, CBI and other organizations which control crime and corruption should be freed from the clutches of the greedy politicians. 

Crimes against Women: This is another monster that has raised its head in recent time, although it was prevalent from a long time, there were very few cases that were reported or brought forward to attention. But since the Delhi gang rape case, there are more and more women wanting to fight against this horrible, heinous act that they were victimized to.  This is a good time to act swiftly and bring changes so that women of our country can feel safe and enjoy the freedom that they are entitled to.

Fast-track courts, reviving our old and archaic laws, stricter punishments for eve-teasing, molestation cases, effective and committed police force who can act rapidly are some measures that has to be taken immediately.

Better economy: India is an agrarian country but it’s distressing when farmers commit suicide because they couldn’t survive in a country which is transforming itself rapidly into primarily an urban, industrial society with industry as its main source of income. Poor monsoons, lack of guidance and help from the government, and exploitation of farmers by middlemen are some causes of distress for the poverty-stricken farmer. Agriculture and industrialization has to grow hand-in-hand in India. One cannot survive without the other. 

Necessary food items have become inaccessible to people below the poverty line. Having realistic standards are must. I mean I live in India, I couldn’t make a statement that any person with daily consumption expenditure above Rs. 30 does not come under the BPL cover and hence is not entitled to any benefits. Rs. 30 is too low a benchmark for defining BPL.  

Unemployment and recession: The recession rate in our country is scary and the Indian job scene is dismaying. Many parents push their children to pursue either engineering or medicine because they think that any other degree would not fetch a “good paying” job. The government jobs are either reserved or require a hefty bribe to be secured. The government needs to encourage youth towards self-employment by providing loans with lower rate of interest and any other guidance required. 

Education for all: Today’s children are tomorrow’s citizen. And by providing a decent education to children we are empowering the youth of tomorrow. We need to leave better citizen for our country. There are millions of children who cannot afford education, they are forced to work, the little tiny hands that should have held a pencil are given heavy tools to carry or dirty glasses to wash. I would ensure that there are free government schools run even in remote areas where there would be other perks, like free lunch and free books, which would encourage parents to send their children to school.

A green country is my country: Industrialization, urbanization is all essential for a country’s growth and development. But preserving our land’s green nature and wildlife is imperative too. Deforestation and illegal poaching of animals can have adverse effects on human population and, this is occurring in recent times. Decrease of rain fall, environment changes, depleting oxygen levels, global warming and imbalance in the food chain are just the beginning if the greenery around us continues to vanish.

There are a lot of improvement areas that our country is in dire need. And taking baby steps towards it gradually and slowly will make our country truly developed and exemplary.

This post is written for the Weekend Contest in association with Shoes of The Dead at BlogAdda.com.