There is No Alternative?
If not X, then who? It is the perpetual question of Indian politics. X has changed over the decades; the question has not. We box ourselves into thinking that just because the alternative is worse we have no choice but to vote for the incumbent. We feel so helpless against the onslaught of the propaganda unleashed that we give up. Everyone else seems to be supporting the current God or Goddess (Ram or Durga) of India; all the WhatsApp messages say so. Just see how bad the alternative is. You seriously want to vote for him/her? And what difference will our single vote make? We trap ourselves with this narrow thinking. That is if we think at all. In most cases, the decision who to support or vote isn’t something we worry about – we cannot individually impact the outcome of an election. So why bother? We spend more time thinking what to order online than who to vote for.
But what if we there is an alternative – not visible yet, but something that we can together create. Would we then act? What if there is an alternative that can get rid of our real enemies and give us genuine freedom, equality and prosperity – would we then choose to do something about it? For once, would we set aside everything that divides us and focus on uniting with others irrespective of caste, class or community? Are we willing to coordinate our actions to defeat India’s real enemies?
This is the revolution India needs: one where we the people unite to win and the politicians and bureaucrats lose. A few years ago, it would have been very difficult to coordinate our actions. Today, digital platforms can make that happen. All we need is a realisation of who our real enemies are and a determination to defeat them. The way is there; do we have the will to win?
For too long, we have been losing in India – not to our South East Asian neighbours, not to China and Pakistan, but to our politicians and bureaucrats. They amass power and wealth by taking from us. Year after year, decade after decade, they have made what once would have seemed wrong as the new normal. A few of us have to understand what has happened in the past and why a change is needed. We cannot persuade everyone – most do not have the time or the interest. But everyone has a vote. And that is what our focus must be – changing enough minds and uniting enough vote so we can start building the alternative.
Technology has transformed our personal lives through the years. It is time for us to use the same technology to transform our nation. It will not be easy; the politicians and bureaucrats will not give up their power without a fierce fight. They have the on-off switch to the same digital tools that we need to organise. Once they see the threat, they will hit back hard. We have to be ready and united.
This is the Indian Revolution we need to fight for with our votes as weapons – to create the alternative, to eject the real enemies of our nation from the positions they occupy, to craft a better economic future for ourselves so India’s 1.3 billion people can each live a life not in servitude of the few but of their own choice. This is our struggle for a new India – where we all win. Where we are not forever pitted against each other, but we combine to create wealth. Where the pool of wealth is not a limited pie, but where we can create new innovations for unlimited enrichment for all. We need to make a choice about the India in which our children will grow up – a controlled, unequal and impoverished India or a free, equal and rich India? It’s up to us to decide. Now.
