Hope for the common man?

Till today, I have witnessed my independent country rise and fall, and rise and fall in its stature. It is natural, I suppose, for every country in the world which is trying to make a mark, but with my country it is not the same issue. It has always been the people at the very top of the governing level and the high and mighty industrialists that have contributed to the contractions and tension within India.

Currently, India is run by the dynastical Congress party, the famed party that fought for and helped gain our independence. Over time, it has made it a family affair to run it and gain from it. In the earlier part of independent Indian history, the Congress was all about doing well for the nation, making the state prosper, and showing the promise to lead Indians out of the misery faced by a newly formed country after centuries of colonisation.

At present the Congress party has lost popularity and support from the common Indian man. This is largely due to the party’s money-minded corrupt politicians, various insane numerical monetary scams, and the robbing of poor Indians of their fair share of growth. All that has grown are the politician’s Swiss bank accounts.

In the opposition house stands the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), always known to be affiliated with right-wing Hindu chapters of India and its anti-minority attitude. The BJP is no different when compared to the Congress Party. When they were in power they resorted to the same wrong doings as their counterparts. They have always promoted the concept of Hindu nationalism, have been sceptical of western world influences and have defied American sanctions in order to go ahead with nuclear arms detonation testing.

India goes into election this year for its new prime minister and the formation of a new government. By the looks of it, it is highly unlikely that the Congress Party will form the majority in the house, thanks to its chosen dynastical candidate for the post being their worst choice ever for the role.

The scope of the BJP looks good in their chances of gaining a good number of seats, thanks to its prime ministerial candidate being one of the most controversial figures of modern India, who has quite a record behind him, churning up a high velocity campaign and calling himself a “Hindu nationalist” and having fascist dreams.

So this year will be the same story where these two parties switch roles from majority to minority, but the remaining effect is the same – the common man of India suffers in the process.

But just as I thought the future looked bleak, another political party has entered into the big time foray by calling itself the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), or in English, the Common Man’s Party. Their start looked impressive and their intentions seem genuine in correcting the wrongdoings of the big wigs of parliament.

Their political presence and their win of the majority of seats in the Delhi Parliament has definitely rung warning bells within the two big wig monopolistic parties regarding the future outcome of the 2014 elections.

The AAP traces its roots and formation back to the Citizen’s Ombudsman Bill (Jan Lokpal Bill) protests back in 2011-2012, citing against corruption. The party has communicated their objectives clearly from the beginning. The protests were a big hit and were received warmly by the media all across the world, but most importantly within India.

Very recently the Citizen’s Ombudsman Bill, which was slated to be passed in parliament, was held back, resulting in the chief minister of Delhi resigning from the post, blaming the major players of the parliament as responsible for its non-implementation.

This straightforward approach to corruption and no nonsense attitude towards the betterment of the state and country, regardless of its people’s caste, creed, or colour is what has caught the eye of the common man, giving it a glimmer of hope and something to look forward to.

For now one could hope that the cold smoke could turn into a massive fire and lead this country to the path it was intended for – glory. The youth have received the ideas of the AAP and its governance in a positive way. It is the most talked-about discussion in politics today on social media.

As a simple, general, common Indian Shiite Muslim, I would simply wish that my country receives a worthwhile leader and a deserving political party with an everyday common attitude to lead it to a very high stature. I hope the successful party from the 2014 election will work towards eradicating diseases, ending poverty, creating jobs and technology, promoting clean living, taxing the rich while sparing the poor, being export-orientated, developing infrastructure, being no-nonsense, and controlling inflation.

Here’s to hoping the future of India is bright, and not the same old mixed-tape.