The Speech We Deserved to Hear on August 15
This article was first published in the print edition of Manushi Journal. (Issue-101, Jul-Aug 1997)
This is the 50th year of India’s Independence. The occasion has been celebrated through a host of Sarkari functions presided over by netas who harangued us with pious platitudes about our supposed great achievements and the tasks before the nation. However, there has been very little sign of celebration and rejoicing among the people – rich or poor, urban or rural, young or old, male or female. There is a general consensus that we are in deep mess primarily due to the doings and misdoings of our political leaders, policy makers and bureaucrats. The continuing widespread poverty in India, the increasing criminalisation of our economy and polity has demoralized the Indian people. We all feel let down beyond words.
Yet, even the honest and sincere among our political leaders don’t offer us anything more than knee jerk reactions. The historic speech delivered on the 50th anniversary of our Independence by prime minister I.K. Gujral is a noteworthy example. He made a mockery of his resolve to fight the all pervasive corruption in public life by announcing the setting up of a special anti corruption cell in the Prime Minister’s Office in typical imperial style as though something that has gotten into the very fabric of governmental functioning can be dealt with by one special cell. For all his sincerity Gujral’s Independence Day speech did not evoke much enthusiasm or hope. It was filled with the usual platitudes and naive policy announcements like banning the already banned sex determination tests, launching ambitious sounding but unimplementable schemes for the “welfare of the girl child” and so on as proof of his commitment to improving the life of ordinary citizens…