Incidentally, doesn't India have better voter turnouts on an average than the US of A?
--- Prasenjit Chetia <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi CM; > I don't agree when you said > Quote > "The 'thinking Indians who deliberately show > disrespect to Indian > democracy by abstaining from voting' that bothers > you are probably > demonstrating a surrender to the state of affairs. > Elections come and > go, new govts. come and go, but little changes to > the state of > affairs. People would put up with slogans only for > so long. After > rounds of the same, comes a time people would give > up." > Unquote. > > Does a low voter turnout indicates surrender ? I > don't think so. Take > 2004 lok sabha, nagaland was torn apart by the kuki, > nscn conflicts > and so was manipur. But they registered 91% and 67% > turnout while > maharastra contributed to 54% valid votes casted. > Assam had a not too > bad 69% turnout. Does that indicate in maharastra > people are fed up > with democracy and coming and going of goverments ? > Maharastra > accounts for one of the largest percentage of GOI > grants. The reason > behind low turnout can be varied depending on the > issues which come as > a flash just before the D-Day of voting. > The case of Nagaland was a depiction of hope for a > change not to lose > it and sit at home. If Nagaland can have that hope > why not assam ? If > the people of assam learn from previous betrayals > and act judiciously, > change can be possible within the present framework. > The system can't > corrupt the people, people themselves corrupt it. > > Prasenjit > > > On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 10:08:25 -0800 (PST), Dilip/Dil > Deka > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > That is a well thought out and well composed > letter. I support you in your > > thought process. Change is needed in Indian > politics and constitution and > > the young generation must make that happen in > stead of accepting the status > > quo. They are changing the social and cultural > aspects but the enlightened > > ones among them must get into politics and shake > up the hold that the > > corrupt ones have had. > > However I must add that such changes do not have > to be via arms and > > violence. Long term planning and gradual change > should be the guiding > > principles, and that needs long term commitment > from the proponents of > > modern India. > > Sovereignty is not a practical solution, more > autonomy is. > > Dilip > > > > Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hi M: > > > > It is not my intent to keep beating a dead horse. > However, a couple of > > additional issues you raised need to be looked > into. > > > > > > > > >Regarding Indian democracy, irrespective of > others, that you have > > mentioned, I >respect Indian democracy inspite of > giving birth to so many > > Laloos, mulayams, >advanis, modis. It will > definitely take time to improve > > upon the things with >billions of illiterate > people on board, and the damage > > inflicted upon by the >Nehru Dynasty. > > > > > > *** I have no problem with your respect for Indian > democracy. However it > > ought NOT to be a blind one. That because it is > Indian, its flaws ought to > > be overlooked or hidden, or its failures and > shortcomings ought to be > > accepted as inevitable. Lot of people,intelligent, > educated and otherwise > > able people do and have, and that is why Indian > democracy is in the shape it > > is in today. It is a culmination of living in > denial for way too long. Just > > like Raman described in his Rediff article very > credible details, albeit > > very unwittingly. > > > > I am glad to hear from you however, that your > generation, the younger > > generation, is serious about changing. I wish you > well. But to change, you > > must know what is faulty, what is broken. And you > can pin-point that only by > > keeping an open mind, with willingness to find > them and put your fingers on > > them. If you get defensive when someone points it > out, subtly like political > > scientists and diplomats, or not so subtly by your > fellow men or irreverent > > Assam Netters :-), > > it would not help you with your quest for problem > definition. It would only > > lead you to unsavory experiences like a hit on the > head with a baseball bat > > of a visa denial to Modi by the USA, again and > again. Did you notice what > > happened to Modi's UK travel plans yesterday? And > his China travel plans > > earlier, which were kept under wraps so far, but > got exposed now? > > > > > > *** I agree with you that an educated polity is > essential for improving the > > quality of democracy. But literacy is NOT a > measure of such education. An > > illiterate person can be far more educated than > one with multiple degrees. > > Just look at all the civil-service babus, who have > umpteen degrees and are > > walking encyclopedias and how they have > contributed to the degradation of > > democracy in India. > > > > Furthermore, this ready explanation of your > generation for Indian society's > > ills > > is a rather un-informed one at best. To realize > that, all you need to do is > > ask who have been running the country since > independence? Was it the > > 'illiterates'? Was it the poor? Was it the > disenfranchised? > > > > The truth is that it has been run by the so-called > educated, the socially > > privileged, the economically powerful. Not the > other way round. And look > > where > > they have taken your country! > > > > > > *** A segment of your generation's ill-informed > conclusion that the Nehru > > dynasty alone or mostly is responsible for India's > sorry state of affairs > > today is a shallow, self-serving and politically > motivated one. I agree they > > have their share of blame. But this argument , a > coded message, is for > > pressing just one point: The Hinduttwa crowd's > attempts to tear down one of > > the most significant and important features of the > Indian constitution, that > > of 'secularism in public life', for which the > Nehru dynasty remains a > > poster-child and thus the whipping boy of those > who have USED and abused the > > millenia old legacy of Hinduism, most cynically, > for political gains. In the > > process they have only diminished and degraded > Hinduism's stature in the > > world. > > > > > > *** The 'thinking Indians who deliberately show > disrespect to Indian > > democracy by abstaining from voting' that bothers > you are probably > > demonstrating a surrender to the state of affairs. > Elections come and go, > > new govts. come and go, but little changes to the > state of affairs. People > > would put up with slogans only for so long. After > rounds of the same, comes > > a time people would give up. > > > > That is why yours truly has been such a strong and > unabashed advocate of > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! 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