Over the past couple months, I have got an opportunity to interact with many senior leaders in the BJP. Few have fitted into the classical, negative impressions that we have had drilled down about politicians in India. Maybe, I was just lucky. But I do believe that India has hope – and the worst of our governance nightmares are behind us. Politicians work under a wide array of conflicting expectations. There are many who are out there to do genuine good, and who have dedicated a lifetime to being in politics.Maybe, the bad of the breed still out number the good, but I do think the tide is shifting. And that is a good sign of India. Good Governance and Development is rapidly replacing caste and votebank arithmetic as the way to success in elections. In that sense, accountability is already coming in. Just like employees who fear being fired, politicians in power cannot do without it – so they are quickly realising that delivering on promises and improving the lot of people is the only way to get re-elected. And if Bihar can do it, so can any state in India.
We still have a long way to go. And this is where we in Middle India have to rise to the occasion. We need to be ready to devote 1-2 hours a week to engage with the political system. What is needed is a framework to make that happen at the local level across the country. We have to participate in nation-building because India cannot lose more time. And this is what I have been brainstorming with my colleagues in “Friends of BJP.”
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