The Rediff Interview/T S Krishnamurthy, former election commissioner

"...A change is necessary in India as I feel there is a threat to the unity and integrity of India. Unfortunately, the political parties are not taking the need for electoral reforms seriously..." "...Lok Sabha elections are round the corner." - T S Krishnamurthy was Chief Election Commissioner from February 2004 to May 2005:

Time to rise above politics

A note from 'me' - NIC meets after 3 years - where is the country heading?

"...The government’s decision to convene a meeting on October 13 of the National Integration Council (NIC) after more than three years is clearly aimed at allowing political bosses and leaders of civil society vent their feelings regarding the worsening communal situation in the country. "...Politics can be debated in Parliament and during elections. This, however, is an opportunity to save this nation from disintegrating. So it needs to be emphasised that challenges before the country are at various levels and each has to be understood in order to be resolved..."

INDIA – A POLITICOCRATIC FORM OF GOVERNMENT

An interesting and relevant blog -

"...If a person where to call the Indian Government a Democratic Government, he or she must be blind, deaf and dumb. In a true Democratic Government, the Politics should begin and end with elections and Democracy should stand thereafter. But in India, the Democracy begins and ends with the elections, as the elections are the only democratic process in India and thereafter only Politics stands. So I think it is better we call our Government a Politicocratic form of Government. Everything here is ruled by Politicians, their Political aspirations and political correctness. The politics, politicians and political consideration decides whether an Industry should be set up at a particular place or whether a region should be developed or not. The political consideration motivates our Government to try and pursue the Government of another country to safeguard the life and interest of residents of Indian origin in that country. Irrespective of the consideration I respect that intention. But the absence of the political consideration failed to produce the same intention when it came to the question of coming to the rescue of Indian citizens held captive by Somalian Pirates. But I am not at all blaming the politicians of our country for this state of affairs. It is we the self-centred, narrow-minded, short sighted citizens of this country who are responsible for all this."

CORRUPTION and BRIBES in INDIA

Excerpts from a website containing statistical details on CORRUPTION and BRIBES - for those who may be interested

An extremely professional and interesting Presentation

http://epaper.livemint.com/Articletext.aspx?article=24_09_2008_001_013&mode=1

“India is nearing the status of “rampant corruption” in its public affairs and electoral politics, according to Transparency International’s corruption perception index for this year. While any score below 3 in the 10-point scale is defined as rampant corruption, India is at 3.4, compared with 3.5 last year.”

(Towards promoting awareness)

India Election Candidates - Govt. approves THEN public elects?

This country belongs to you and me as much as it does to those who sit on the thrones of power, to the governed as much as to those who govern. Why should it be then that the Government APPROVES FIRST and thus DECIDES for the public WHO THE PUBLIC SHOULD SELECT?

How can we be free to swim in the OPEN SEAS with our hands tied behind? How can we be free to walk on the EXPANSIVE LANDS of India with our feet tied? How can we be FREE to VOTE with a gun behind our back?

India needs a New System of selecting, filtering and approving the candidates. Those who aspire to serve the nation should have proper qualifications; not only academic, but more importantly, attitudinal and emotional; they should have the prerequisites for what the job of national governance demands - sensitivity, happy-to-serve attitude, empathy, team-spirit, integrity, honesty, efficiency, accountability, compassionate outlook and easy accessibility. Or are we saying there are no such Indians?

A SYSTEM BY THE PEOPLE, OF THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE

[THERE SHOULD BE NO INVOLVEMENT OF THE GOVT. EXCEPT THAT OF A SUGESTIVE ROLE]

With Ambanis, Tatas, Mittals, Murthys et al, Academia, IT czars, Science wizards (almost 30% of USA operates on the Indian brain-power) the Indian Diaspora can surely develop a fool-proof system to select, filter and approve the candidates. It may seem impossible but I beseech my countrymen and women to believe and have an unshakeable faith in the Indian intuitive intelligence. DON’T ALLOW ENTRY to people who have consciously chosen to make Politics their Most Lucrative Business and means to earn millions! Of course, there ARE any number of Good People already there; identify and encourage them. Please filter out the lawbreakers and PREVENT them from becoming the lawmakers!

Once these Wrong People enter the election arena it is useless to crib about the problems. ONCE they HAVE our VOTE, ‘U-ME-aur-HUM’, we have HAD IT! How cheaply we let them get away with it – no MONITORING thereafter, no ACCOUNTABILITY, no VISIBILITY, gone …wooosh… and if it greaves us later, we will have to wait till the NEXT ELECTIONS… and the cycle starts again… J. WHAT A JOKE … I sometimes seriously wonder why NOBODY does anything about this… Are we not responsible for our own plight? They came, they saw, they plundered … They are businessmen, they SELL themselves, we BUY THEM with our EXPENSIVE VOTES, without guarantees, without return/replace warranty! STUCK for the next 5 years! WHY, WHY, WHY are we so HELPLESS? TOGETHER WE can BLOCK them; we will HAVE to BELIEVE that it IS POSSIBLE. Young are YOUNG because they DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!

THIS APPEAL IS FROM THE HEARTS OF COUNTLESS CONCERNED CITIZENS,

FROM THOSE CHILDREN OF MAA BHAWANI, OUR BELOVED MOTHELAND,

WHO WEEP SILENTLY, HELPLESSLY ON THE BOSOM OF THE SILENCE OF EVERY NIGHT

WHILE THE RICH AND MIGHTY SLEEP IN PEACE AND PROSPERITY,

WHILE THE 77% OF INDIAN POPULATION STRUGGLE TO ETCH OUT A LIVING ON RS. 20/- INCOME A DAY.

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION, CIRCULATE THIS APPEAL WITH ALL YOUR FEROCIOUSNESS AND FAITH,

WRITE TO THE PRIME MINISTER, THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA, SUPREME COURT JUDGE MR. B.N.AGARWAL WHO RECENTLY SAID THAT EVEN THE GODS CANNOT HELP INDIA, FILE PILs AGAINST THE ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA, SPEAK TO THE MEDIA, SPEAK UP ON TV CHANNELS, and INITIATE NON-COOPERATION ACTIONS AGAINST GOVT. INVITATIONS FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATIONS and JOINT VENTURES, FOR JUST ONE or TWO MONTHS,

TILL THE MEDIA IS INSPIRED OR FORCED BY PUBLIC PRESSURE TO TAKE THIS UP AS

“A NATIONAL RESURGENCE MOVEMENT - THE SECOND FREEDOM STRUGGLE.”

“PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD.”

AN APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE INDIA

THE SECOND FREEDOM STRUGGLE

Freedom from Vote Bank Politics of Caste, Cash and Crime

Freedom from De-Valuation and Westernization of Indian Values, Thought and Culture

“India must be REBORN, because her Rebirth is demanded by the Future of the World.” - Sri Aurobindo

INDIA NEEDS A COLLOSOL CHANGE IN THE COLLECTIVE THINKING, ATTITUDES & ACTIONS. GOVERNANCE CANNOT CHANGE BY RECYCLING THE POLITICIANS ALONE, THE PUBLIC MUST BE A PART OF THAT CHANGE TOO. THE PEOPLE MUST WANT IT, WILL IT AND WORK FOR IT; WE ARE EQUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR INDIA’S PRESENT PLIGHT . . .

A BEGINNING HAS TO BE MADE . . . SOMEWHERE . . .

– Let us begin with INDIA ELECTIONS (it’s round the corner) –

*VOTE BANK POLITICS of CASTE, CASH & CRIME - The “GOMUKH” of ALL INDIA’s-ILLS*

*WRONG LEADERS CAN NEVER BRING RIGHT POLICIES – A MAN IS KNOWN BY THE COMPANY HE KEEPS*

*RIGHT PEOPLE AT THE RIGHT PLACES – INDIA’S ONLY CHANCE TO SURVIVE*

ONCE WE AGREE TO CAST OUR VOTE, UNWITTINGLY WE ARE ALSO SAYING WE ACCEPT THOSE CANDIDATES APPROVED BY GOVT. A ‘NO VOTE’ PROVISION, EVEN IF IMPLEMENTED, WILL BE EASILY CIRCUMVENTED AND RENDERED TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE. THE ONLY WAY IS TO BLOCK THE LAWBREAKERS’ ENTRY TO ELECTIONS.

‘NA RAHEGA BANS, NA BAJEGI BANSURI’

IF THE WRONG PEOPLE IN GOVERNANCE ARE FILTERED OUT BY THE PUBLIC,

IF THE PEOPLE AGREE TO CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARDS ACCOUNTABILITY,

INDIANS CAN SEE MIRACLES! ONLY THEN CAN INDIA BE A WORLD LEADER!

- ACTION PROPOSED -

ECI TO RESTRUCTURE OR PRIVATISE ‘SELECTION/APPROVAL’ OF CANDIDATES OR ELSE, PUBLIC TO ‘BOYCOTT’ ELECTIONS

PUBLIC OUTCRY IS: “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”

A SATYAGRAHA against MISGOVERNANCE – A NATION WIDE PUBLIC PROTEST

(IN DEMAND FOR A NEW SYSTEM OF ‘SELECTION/APPROVAL’ OF CANDIDATES/PEOPLES’ REPRESENTATIVES TO BE DEVISED, PERMITTED AND MADE OPERATIVE.)

*OUR ONLY PROTECTION IS OUR VOICE & VOTE - DO NOT SELL, WASTE OR MISUSE IT*

VATAN KE LIYE - WE FEEL, WE THINK, WE ACT

TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

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