The forthcoming general election to elect 543 members to the 15th Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) is arguably the most crucial in the history of post-independence India. Its timing coincides with a global economic meltdown which is severely testing the wisdom and crisis management capabilities of legislators and political leaders around the world. With the world’s largest and most powerful economies fighting the worst recession since the Great Depression of 1929-33, the India growth story which began after the historic economic liberalisation and deregulation initiative of 1991, has begun to falter. The annual rate of GDP growth, which averaged 7 percent during the period 1999-2004 and 8 percent plus in the years 2004-2008, is expected to plunge to 5 percent in the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2009.
A 3 percent fall in annual economic growth has already cost the Indian economy a loss of 500,000 jobs. Moreover thousands of Indian workers who have been laid off in the US and Middle East, are returning to India.
At this critical juncture, for the world’s largest (700 million) and youngest democracy — 100 million youth will be casting their ballot for the first time — the conundrum is to choose between bad and worse. Essentially the choice is between the Congress party, which has just completed a modestly successful term in office as the head of a multi-party United Progressive Alliance government, and the BJP which ruled as the head of a National Democratic Alliance government during the period 1999-2004. In addition, the electorate has the choice to vote for candidates of a bewildering mix of fringe and regional parties, whose leaders will extract a heavy price for the loaves and fishes of office.
For first-time voters in particular, it’s important to note that in terms of economic policy there isn’t much to distinguish the Congress and BJP, both of whom are almost equally committed to liberalisation and deregulation of the economy, still shackled by business-illiterate politicians and bureaucrats armed with wide discretionary powers. Yet the vital difference between these two parties is that the BJP is a Hindu political party committed to imposing a hindutva agenda upon a society comprising numerous minorities of other faiths and cultures, while the Congress is officially committed to building a secular society.
The electorate needs to clearly appreciate that without affirmative action and protection of minority rights, this nation cannot prosper. On the contrary under the leadership of a political party committed to Hindu majoritarianism, there is a distinct possibility of the country immersing into a sea of troubles as it is engulfed by protests, local insurgencies and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism.
The electorate and young voters in particular, need to think deep and hard before they exercise their franchise which was hard-won by the leaders of the freedom movement half a century ago. This is not a time for reckless or negligent casting of ballots.