The President Takes Over

by Bhaskar Sarkar

Things Fall in Place

  By the end of 120 days things had begun to fall in place. There was appreciable improvement in the functioning of Government departments. Good progress was being made in investigation of economic offenses. The Mafia was on the run. Large quantities of weapons and ammunition had been recovered and confiscated. Lot of encroachments had been removed. There were no reports of destruction of Government property. Most of the illegal immigrants had been identified and lodged in detention camps. Many had left on their own. Many house wives of Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta were without their domestic help. There was an increased demand for labor from the under developed areas of Bihar, UP, Orissa Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. No fresh cases of dowry deaths, gang rapes or stripping of women had come to light. The number of pending cases in courts had shown a strong downward trend. A lot of progress had been made in the recovery of black money and the process of raids was continuing. The Governments coffers were full. Tax compliance had improved. The people seemed happy. In the absence of strong demand, gold prices were down. Foreign remittances had increased considerably.

  The election to the Lok Sabha and the States of Bihar, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh were approaching. The political parties were busy with their campaigning. The President called the Election Commission and briefed them on the conduct of elections. The President told them that free and fair polling must be ensured. In all sensitive and trouble prone constituencies, the Army was to be deployed for the conduct of elections. Adequate video coverage of polling was to be ensured.

  The President decided to address the nation on the eve of polling on Doordarshan. He said:-

  “My beloved countrymen, the time has come for you to choose your leaders. These leaders will govern your destiny. If your choice is wrong, the old corrupt systems will come back. Corruption will again raise its ugly head. The criminals and their friends will come back to rule. The rich and the powerful will again manipulate the Government. Nothing will happen to them. It is you who will suffer.”

  “You must cast your vote. This appeal is particularly applicable to those who do not vote on the premise that your vote makes no difference. It is your national duty to vote and try your best to elect the best candidates. You must do your duty for your country.”

  “When you vote, do not go by the religion or caste of the candidate. You are not selecting a groom for your daughter. These considerations do not matter. When you are seriously ill, do you first see the religion or caste of the doctor? Or do you go to the best doctor you can afford. The men you select are going to be the doctors of this country. They have to identify and cure the illness of our country. You must select the best.”

  “Do not go by the manifestoes of the different parties or their promises. How many times have the people you have elected kept their promises? If they say they are going to remove unemployment, they are liars because it is not possible for any government to provide jobs to all. Where will the jobs come from? If you require 5 workers for harvesting, do you employ 10? If government employs more people than it requires, then it will run at a loss. And if the government runs at a loss it will soon have no money. If it has no money how can it do any development? How can the government function without money? It will have to borrow money from other countries. What happens when you borrow money from a money lender? You become his slave. If your country becomes the slave of other country, you will also become slaves.”

  “If they say they are going to give you rice at Rs 2 per kg, do not vote for them. How can any government buy rice at Rs 5 per kg and then sell it at Rs 2 per kg. They are trying to bribe you and get your votes. And one who gives bribes to get votes will also look for bribes when they are in office. So corruption will return. Beware of those who offer you money to vote for them; who offer to write off your loans; who offer you free electricity for your votes. They are not honest people or honorable people. If a leader gives you money for votes, he will make sure he earns more money than he spends through corruption.”

  “We have gone through so many elections. You have elected so many leaders. What have they done to solve your problems? They have enjoyed power and luxuries at your expense. Only good, honest and capable people can run an effective government. Only honorable people keep their promises.”

  “Do not vote for people who have betrayed you, the people who have got elected on your votes and then went and joined another party in search of power and perks. A traitor is always a traitor. They do not deserve to be leaders.”

  “Do not vote on regional considerations. If India is not strong, the states or regions cannot prosper. If every region tries to pull in their direction and there will be no progress or development.”

  “When you go to vote do not be swayed by the speeches. You have seen most of them at work and you should know which party is worth voting for and which is not. The best way to do this is to first decide who you want to head the country, to be its prime minister. You will know who the party leaders are and who will become the prime minister if that party wins. So once you have decided who should be the prime minister, vote for all candidates of that party. If that party does not win, you will not get the prime minister of your choice. And if you do not get the prime minister of your choice, it is unlikely that you will get the kind of government you want.”

  “If you find that the party of your chosen prime minister has selected an unworthy candidate do not vote for him. If you find that the candidate selected asks for votes because he is from a certain caste or religion do not vote for him because then he will try to favor people from his caste or religion. If you find that the candidate is corrupt or a criminal, do not vote for him. If he wins corruption will return. Vote for the most learned, honest and capable man.”

  “It is said that in a democracy, people get the government they deserve. You have selected very few good governments. This is because you have voted on the basis of caste and religion. It is because you have been fooled by promises. It is because you have tried to look for regional benefits. Think big, my countrymen. If you love your country, if you want good government, if you want development, select the party you vote with care. Remember, in war, good soldiers are necessary but a good leader is invaluable. It required a Shivaji to lead the Marathas to be strong and powerful. It required a Rana Pratap to challenge the might of the Mogul empire. It required a Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to organize the Indian National Army. It required a Mahatma Gandhi to lead us to freedom. A great leader makes ordinary people do great things. Select your leader with care, my countrymen. Give him your full support, your trust. Give him a clear mandate.”

  “Do not neglect women candidates just because they are women. Women have many good qualities. They are more disciplined, more compassionate and less violent or corrupt. There have been many women who have been great leaders. We had Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, Razia Sultana and Rani Durgawati who were great leaders of the past. We had Indira Gandhi, Begum Bhutto, Kahlida Zia, Sheik Hasina and Margaret Thatcher who were great leaders of their countries. We had great women freedom fighters like Annie Besant, Aruna Asaf Ali and Sarojini Naidu to name a few. Women have and can be great and effective leaders if given a chance. Vote for women who deserve to be voted for, those who have worked for you.”

  “I am not canvassing for any party. I, as the President, must be neutral. But it is my sincere advice to all my countrymen that use your vote to select the best leaders irrespective of their sex, caste or religion. But most importantly select your prime minister and vote for his party. Only then can the country prosper. And if the country is strong and prosperous will its countrymen prosper.”

  The President’s speech had some effect. The polling percentage went up to over 65 per cent. In spite of the predictions of political pundits that days of one party rule was over, one party did come to power. Thirty five percent of the seats went to women. The country now had a Prime Minister who was the choice of the people. It was a new look Parliament. Many of the colorful leaders of the past were absent.
They could not contest the elections because of the new laws. Some had been defeated There was great hope and expectations.

  The President called the elected leaders of the parties for discussions. He told them that he would like most of his ordinances to be converted into laws in the first session of the Parliament. He could not allow the country to return to the state of anarchy which had prompted him to declare emergency. They had two choices. Either they impeached him and removed him or he would reimpose emergency if some of the important laws were not passed. Each ordinance was critically reviewed and debated upon. Some were modified. Some were dropped. But it was agreed that a majority of the ordinances would be converted into laws.

  On the 165th day of emergency, he called the leader of the successful party to form the Government and prove his majority on the floor of the house after seven days.

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