By: Harkirat Kaur
Our country became independent after almost 90 years of continuous war and the morning of August 15, 1947 was the first morning of independence for Indians. Today, as we celebrate Independence Day, we have to take stock of how successful we are in fulfilling the promises made by our constitutional framers to the people to make the country fully democratic and independent. Have been It was clearly stated in the Constitution that our country would be a secular, democratic country, in which people of all faiths would be free to worship according to their beliefs, and all people would be equal before the law. Be it a trader or a businessman or a farmer. The state will work diligently for the welfare of all the people of the country and especially the downtrodden of the society. Within fifteen years all the people of the country will be brought under the ambit of education. The path of planned development was chosen to extend the benefits of development works to all sections of the society. We adopted a multi-party system so that no single ideology would dominate the country. Today, despite 72 years of independence, the overall political, social and economic situation in the country remains bleak. Political parties have created a situation in the country where voters are not ready to hand over power to a single party with a clear majority. The neglect of states and backward areas in the process of continuous development has resulted in a diminished role of national level national parties in national politics and regional parties have become more dominant.
Our countrymen had cherished dreams of an independent India during the War of Independence. All citizens will be equal while living in an independent country. Education and health facilities will be provided equally to all the people of the country. No countryman will live a life of misery, nor will any countryman be illiterate. Every citizen of the country will be equal before the law. All citizens will be provided equal opportunities. Every citizen will live with dignity by raising his head. The people themselves will be the people and the government itself but everything happened the other way around. A handful of people began to rule over millions of people as if they were insects, not human beings.
Running away from the responsibilities of a welfare state. Everything is being privatized by abolishing government departments. The policy of marketing and commercialization is being adopted. The contracting system is being preferred. Bribes are rampant everywhere. The whole country is sinking into the mire of corruption. This is perhaps the first time in the history of the world that almost the entire cabinet of a government is tainted with corruption. When politicians come out of jail on bail in such cases of corruption, they come in the form of a happy wave-waving procession as if they have gone to jail for a great cause. In the same way, the growing population, unemployment and misery are on the rise.
India is an independent and republican country, independent means independent and republic means ‘own government of the people elected by the people’. If we look at the history of the last 72 years today, it is a pity that the condition and direction of our Republic of India has been misdirected. Dynastic politics is prevalent in our country. The kings of the old states and their relatives sit on the ruling benches, whether they are in government or among the leaders of political parties.
People are beginning to realize that whether it is the Congress or the BJP, they are two sides of the same coin. The reality is that the parties are neither understanding the needs of the country nor able to meet them. People want their problems solved but they have neither the time nor the concern to solve people’s problems. In the name of liberalism, the country is being sold to multinational corporation houses. Due to the recessionary economy, the country will continue to be a victim of economic recession in the near future, the signs of which are beginning to appear. All the state governments of the country are in deep financial crisis. The political climate in the country is changing.
Today, time is needed to abandon the traditional approach of government planning and decentralize planning immediately. To build good schools in the villages, to equip them with teachers as well as basic facilities, so that rural education can be brought on modern lines, the arms of the farmers roaming the streets can be caught. Listen to the teachers sitting on the streets in search of salaries and permanent employment, education should be made accessible to everyone.
The benefit of celebrating this festival is only if we live up to the expectations of those who dream of an independent India.
