What's wrong with Indian Politics?

Politics is important for shaping a country's both present and future. And since elections are going on, the leader you elect today is going to have a huge impact on what our country will look like after 5 years.
However choosing the correct leader is not easy as Indian politics is very controversial, debatable, provocative and more. Ask a billion people what is wrong with Indian politics and you will get a billion perspectives but covering all of them is beyond the scope of any opinion based article. So in this article, I am going to cover 5 such perspectives which I believe are completely wrong with Indian politics.
First of all, let me make this very clear that neither I or any other writer on this platform was or is associated with any specific political agenda or is a member of any political party. The views presented here are completely based on my own experiences and opinions and are not biased at all in any sense towards anyone.

1. Personal attacks on opponents

We have all seen this. Almost every politician does this and it happens everywhere, be it TV interviews, social media, print media or News Channel debates. Instead of talking about the policies and the actual work done, politicians just keep on trash-talking about their rivals.

Calling each other names like Chowkidar, Naamdar, Pappu, etc., hurling out abuses at each other on live TV (yes, that also happens and you can watch hundreds of such videos on YouTube), making fun of each others' names, making fun of each others' family background and what not! 

Such type of behaviour does nothing positive for anyone and just makes these politicians look like a bunch of 12 year olds fighting over who will get the next batting chance.

2. Not enough press conferences held by the Prime Ministers

This one might be the most controversial point in this article and I know that many of you reading this are not going to like it but still facts are facts and your sentiments or emotions are not going to change them. And we all know what the fact is. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not held even a single press conference since he was elected as a Prime Minister.

I am not saying that our PM is afraid of talking to the media, or to the public because he looks very comfortable in his interviews, speeches, Mann Ki Baat etc. The issue is that he has not held even a single press conference in which the journalists can ask him whatever they want. 

And not only PM Modi, but other Prime Ministers in the past also did not held regular press conferences like they do in the West. Ex PM Dr. Manmohan Singh held only 3 press conferences in his 10 years in office[source].

On the contrary, let us look at what happens in the USA. Barack Obama held 65 solo press conferences in his 8 years in office[source] which means he held one every 45 days or so. And don't forget that the journalists there completely destroy the politicians with their questions. Have a look at the following video for example :

Can you imagine such thing happening in India?

3. Using the name of army for gaining advantage in politics

This is something which I believe is the absolute worst. Every party or politician wants to convey a message that they are the only ones who cares for the soldiers. On one hand, we have BJP which brings in the topic of Surgical Strike in every election campaign and News Channel debate and on the other hand we have Congress which wants to take credit for the 1971 War. I mean, we get it that government plays a big role in such operations and wars but still Army should be kept out of this cheap politics.

You know what is the importance of the date 3rd of April? It is the birth anniversary of Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw who was the Chief of the Army Staff during the 1971 War. He was the reason why the politicians of today can play cheap politics by saying that their government tore Pakistan into 2 pieces. Do you know how many politicians paid a visit on his funeral in 2008? None! Not even our then President Pratibha Patil, the supreme commander of Indian Armed Forces. Do you know how many politicians wrote a tweet or a Facebook post on his birth anniversary this year? None! No verified Chowkidar account sent out any such tweet. Only our President Ramnath Kovind did. Because election campaigns and trash-talking is somehow more important than someone who actually tore Pakistan into 2 pieces.

This is what our Army Chief has to say on this issue - Military should be kept out of politics: Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat. Even though this is an old statement, it is still relevant to this day.

And this is what Lt. Gen DS Hooda (retd) who was the commander of the Northern Command of the Indian Army at the time of Surgical Strikes has to say about it.

4. Demanding proofs of top secret covert operations

When our Armed forces plan out an operation, they have to make sure that it is kept secret and there are some operations which have to be kept secret even after their successful execution. They cannot make each and every data public and there is a solid reason for that. If such data is released for public, it can give important details about the strategy adopted in carrying out such special operations. Our enemy can use it to get clues about how we prepare for such strikes and then they will be prepared better for such operations in future. Also that footage can be used by Pakistan or any other countries for anti-India propaganda.

But the thing is that our politicians do not understand this simple concept. They want a video proof of everything. This in my opinion of course, shows a lack of respect for the hard work of our armed forces.

5. Biased Media 

Media is called the 4th pillar of democracy and this is because it is responsible for shaping public opinion and to bring out the truth. That is why in many non-democratic countries, state controls the Media so that it can spread its propaganda. Media should be completely independent and should not show us the half truth. I am not saying that there is no freedom of speech in our country or independent press does not exist but the thing is that almost all of the popular news channels and newspapers are biased towards a particular party. Many media houses are owned by the MPs and MLAs of various political parties. Sadly, the news channels and newspapers nowadays show only the half truth or whatever fits the agenda of its owners. News channels are just looking to gain TRPs. That's it!
Can this scenario change? Sure, why not! We have the journalists, we have the time, we have the money, we have everything! We just need to put in the work and the effort in the right direction.

Do you agree or disagree with us? We would appreciate your opinion on this in the comments. Also, if you want to add something, please drop a comment down below.
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Hi, I am Pranjay Varshney. I am pursuing my B.Sc. (Hons) in Electronic Science from University of Delhi. My dream is to join the Indian Army as an officer and I am very passionate about it. I like to write articles about Indian Armed Forces and various political and economic affairs. I spend my free time doing gymnastics, listening to music or watching movies.